No problem at all with helping you, happy to be of any help I was so far. Anytime!
Hi,
Glad to hear the culprit was identified & is now corrected, however.... i’m thinking you should
follow up on this, for the sake of your motor. What actually transpired to cause this?
Sound like your mechanic should’ve swapped out plugs, anyway. Going through all the trouble to pull them- well worth the extra $$. The OE’s from 05’-08’ S197’s were (2) pc OE Plugs, became a nightmare unless you were ultra delicate in removing them, or they liked to snap off in the heads. Pretty sure it didn’t have OE’s. Plugs are not new- right, couple years old?
What plugs are you running?
It’s near stock with a Cai, a tune, and cutouts.
Maybe Exhaust axlebacks?
VERIFYING I’M UNDERSTANDING THIS CORRECTLY:
If I’m understanding correctly, a piece of a spark plug actually detached inside a cylinder. If it wasn’t inside the cylinder, forget reading the below.
If it was, it’s capable of damaging cylinder walls/pistons/rings, bending the exhaust valve. In all likelihood, It damaged nothing & made it out and into your exhaust system.
YOUR SCENARIO:
A shop recently looked at your Plugs, inspection revealed nothing to them. You should take the initiative to follow up & make certain everything’s ok, no damage was done, no further damage will occur. Question is......
Why did the spark plug’s ground strap disappear?
1) Plug damaged by gapping using the wrong tool, method, causing a stress fracture, eventually, during the combustion process, it fails.
2) Metal fatigue. Factory defect. Not so likely.
3) Detonation. Octane too low for timing advance.
4) Cutouts May cause burned valves, depending on where they’re placed. Street motors need a certain amount of backpressure. Shutting the Motor off when going to cutouts will prevent the superheated combustion gases from being thrown back at the cylinders & trapping heat it’s trying to expel, raising EGT’s higher. This may also melt Plugs.
A GOOD SCANTOOL:
There are others, of course, only a few issues that can sneak by without triggering a CEL.. eventually. Many times it’ll be a pending code that only shows up if you pull Codes with a scantool. 90% of the time, codes are not the direct problem. They’re only clues, troubleshooting yields the rest to locate the actual issue.
GATHER INFORMATION, READ, LEARN, APPLY..
This is where you need to study the shop manual for your car, learn more about things, use resources like SN has, and others to get to more specific content. A decent Scantool, phone linked OBD2 Bluetooth diagnostic connector, or Software for your laptop is something to invest in. Prices are not expensive, importance highly outweighs one visit to the shop, costs less by far.
Important to be prepared if something goes awry. You shouldn’t be concerned about when/if something else strikes (which it will). You should become well prepared, learn how to test from point to point using a multimeter, NOID light, schematics as a reference.
SPARK PLUGS...
You still have the old plugs, didn’t replace only one- right?
Spark Plugs leave evidence as to what’s occurring inside the cylinder(s), this was one crucial way to on nostalgic cars to dial a motor in & still is. As gas motors had & have the same basic requirements as they always did, Here’s an example..
How to read the color of your spark plugs. This page shows some typical spark plugs and problems.
www.gtsparkplugs.com
TUNING..
Send a request for a datalog to BAMA so they may review the Tune, include the symptoms..it’s free with the BAMA tunes for life’ on A.Muscle.
Any questions, please fire away. (no pun intended) lol!
Happy Holidays to you & yours.
- John
Friendly FYI regarding 05’-07’ Mustangs:
Know that Sinking feeling you get when something goes terribly awry= the feeling you get when, despite all the Deep creep & days of slowly backing those OE 2Pc plugs out mm by mm, it’s loosening..then resistance on the ratchet goes..away. I’d Read Alice in Wonderland to my daughters..to coin an applicable phrase.. “Off with her HEAD!” lol.
“CHRISTMAS TREE S197’s”
05’s-07’s also had water leak issues, outside into the A pillar or hood, makes its way to the SJB (under dash, passengers side). Troubleshooting was pushing up on the door frame & rocking the car, if random lights start coming on, e.g; 1 Rt tail amp, 1 left headlamp, etc, (sorta’ like Christmas lights) there’s water in the SJB..
CHARGING SYSTEM:
There was also charging system issues linked to ineffective ground wiring in these S197’s (Ford Fixed most by 2008). Search for Tech bulletins on the 05’-08’ Mustangs. Just so you’re aware.
Ready to get a manual & a Good Scantool yet?
lol!
Talk to you soon!.
-John