any one use bosch platinum +4 plugs? been having COP problems and a mechanic told me that the +4 plugs burn out cop's

 

Bosch plugs are junk, especially in fords. They are way overpriced and do nothing for performance or mpg. Use motorcraft plugs of autolite (a lot of people here have had problems with autolites, but I have two mod motors that I put autolites in with no problems. I will however use motorcraft next time I change plugs because I feel I got lucky with the autolites I put in)

 

I swear by Motorcraft in a Ford and have never had a problem. I usually run them 80,000 to 100,000 kms without problems.

 

Autolite manufactures the Motorcraft plugs. The correct plugs to use on Ford COP and waste spark systems are double platinum or iridium, depending on what the manufacturer specifies. Most systems use the double platinum, and only a few very new systems use the iridium. The iridium doesn't really work better, it just lasts longer. Even so, you still need to use what the owners manual specifies or the Autolite equivalent. www.RockAuto.com sells both Motorcraft and Autolite parts.

 

i would stick with the Motorcraft. Nothing aginst Autolite, but like mentioned, the mod motors seem to be particualr to Motorcraft.

 

But as mentioned, Autolite makes the Motorcraft plugs. Motorcraft is not a manufacturer, they are more of a purchasing/quality control division. Autolite is the real maker of the plugs. Anyone who reports problems with Autolite plugs has either gotten a defective one, or purchased the wrong one for their vehicle.







Hmm, those sure appear to be the exact same thing to me. If this doesn't convince you that Autolite makes the Motorcraft plug I don't know what would.

 

My local dealer recommends the autolites over the motorcrafts. I guess they should know, they said they get better results from them and admitted they are almost identical if not identical.

They also told me to use nothing else but these two. Bosch, Champion, and NGK are junk in these trucks.

 

I just replaced the plugs in my '94 van. I used the Autolite XP Iridium. Only time will tell how they do, but according to Autolite, they have a better flame front presentation, and they last longer. Ford is using these same plugs under the Autolite name in some of their newer models, though i couldn't tell you which ones. The Bosch plugs on the other hand have a poor flame front presentation. Ford ignition systems have a very high energy output, rivaling those found in high performance race cars. This puts a lot of stress on the plugs. Bosch plugs wear rapidly under these stresses, but Autolites are designed to Ford's specifications to withstand these stresses. if the plugs start to wear out, they do put stresses on the other ignition components, and can cause dielectric decay in the insulation of the coils.

Ford tried using NGK plugs on some vehicles, namely the Duratec engines, under the Motorcraft label, but with less than desirable results, as earlier Ford Escapes and Mazda Tribute models demonstrated. Sure they still seem to be pretty good vehicles, but there are a number of problems that show up in these vehicles over time as a result of the poor combustion pattern that results as the plugs wear out. I know about it because I deal with failed catalytic converters on these trucks. The converters failed due to incomplete combustion causing them to overheat. The converters on both banks fail around the same time, which is happening because the vehicles use a waste spark systems. Spark problems on one bank will affect the performance of the ignition system on the opposite cylinders. Autolite plugs solve the problem.

As mentioned, the reason the Autolite plugs work well is because Autolite works very closely with Ford to develop the plugs that work best with the ignition systems Ford uses. The NGK attempt did not work nearly as well because NGK does not work closely with Ford. As a result the plugs may have the proper gap and even the proper heat range, but they do not handle the high current and voltage of Ford's system, and they wear rapidly. As they wear, their heat properties and flame presentation change, resulting in poor combustion. This directly effects the power output and fuel economy, and can damage expensive components such as wideband O2 sensors and catalytic converters.

 

Autolite makes Motorcraft plugs but they are to a different spec. Autolite alters their version just a little to avoid copyright issues. Both are great plugs and I would run nothing but Motorcraft/Autolite double platinum plugs in a 4.6L or 5.4L F150!!

 

I use Autolites in my Mustang,and various other Fords I've owned.Never had a problem with them.