My experience with a spark plug change

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Apr 30, 2007 | 06:23 AM

tcesni

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My experience with a spark plug change

I changed the spark plugs in my 2002 Tribute V6 this past December. When I went to the local auto parts store to get the plugs they didn't have the Motorcraft part so I bought Bosch 2 plugs instead. This is my wife's daily driver and we drove over 2000 miles over Christmas plus I fill it up for her weekly so after 100,000 miles I have a pretty good feel for her mileage. I was pretty sure that we weren't getting the mileage that we had been used to getting but with the colder weather and the introduction of 10% ethanol in our area I thought the spark plugs weren't the issue. We were down about 2+ mpg on the highway only getting 22 instead of 24-25 and she was getting 18 on her commute instead of 20. Well, I finally decided to replace the Bosch plugs with Motorcraft plugs last week and over the weekend put about 500 miles on it. The mileage is back to where it used to be. Moral of the story - plugs matter.

Apr 30, 2007 | 07:26 PM

joes52f6

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From: Duff, Tn.

Yeah I'm fixin' to tackle putting plugs in our escape 2002 xlt with 102,000 on the clock. Is it pretty complicated or fairly easy? Can you tell a power difference? Thanks JOE

Apr 30, 2007 | 07:49 PM

tcesni

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If you do a search on this forum you will find detailed directions on the procedure with links to all the needed photos. The procedure is not complicated, it just takes some time. It took me about 2 hours from start to finish and I didn't rush it. One of the reasons I took out the Bosch plugs and went back to the Motorcraft plugs was not only the lack of mileage but I felt that the power wasn't there. I think the car runs better than before but its nothing dramatic - does seem smoother though.