Spark Plugs

Be sure to torque them properly, and recheck the torque every so often after that. These things love to spit plugs back out of the holes if they aren't tightened properly.
 
Please, for the love of God, torque them to 13 lbs, and DON'T use anti-seize. I cry every time I hear some one say they got spark plug blow out. Check the plugs every month too. Or at least every oil chang.
 
I have replaced ZILLIONS of mod motor plugs with no problems. Here is my procedure:

Blow out the plug well with compressed air BEFORE removing the plug.

Use the exact Motorcraft platinum specified for your particular motor.

Use a VERY THIN coat of COPPER BASED anti-sieze ON THE THREAD PORTION ONLY. The anti-sieze MUST be copper based. If you don't have copper based or you are too sloppy with it, then put them in dry.

Thread them with your fingers until YOU ARE SURE that the threads are started.

Torque them to 13 ft lbs.

Use dielectric grease on the plug boot or COP. At the auto parts store, they call this "tune up grease."

Don't run them over 60,000 miles max before changing them again. The plugs themselves can go seemingly forever without trouble. The reason you don't leave them in there too long is that the heat cycling can eventually sieze them in place. If you can't afford new plugs, then remove them, gap them and torque them back in place.
 
MBDiagMan said:
I have replaced ZILLIONS of mod motor plugs with no problems. Here is my procedure:

Blow out the plug well with compressed air BEFORE removing the plug.

Use the exact Motorcraft platinum specified for your particular motor.

Use a VERY THIN coat of COPPER BASED anti-sieze ON THE THREAD PORTION ONLY. The anti-sieze MUST be copper based. If you don't have copper based or you are too sloppy with it, then put them in dry.

Thread them with your fingers until YOU ARE SURE that the threads are started.

Torque them to 13 ft lbs.

Use dielectric grease on the plug boot or COP. At the auto parts store, they call this "tune up grease."

Don't run them over 60,000 miles max before changing them again. The plugs themselves can go seemingly forever without trouble. The reason you don't leave them in there too long is that the heat cycling can eventually sieze them in place. If you can't afford new plugs, then remove them, gap them and torque them back in place.
The only things I would add to your excellent procedure are:
-clean and lube the COP boots with silicone spray to ensure they are in good condition and form a good seal for the plug wells
-only attempt plug change when the engine is stone cold
-check plug torque at next oil change

And I would disagree with "Use the exact Motorcraft platinum specified for your particular motor"
 
MBDiagMan said:
I have replaced ZILLIONS of mod motor plugs with no problems.

Not that I don't believe you, but I'm curious how do you know a customer has never had a problem after you changed them? Do they give you feedback on cars you did the work on? Like "Hey Bob, customer X came back with an ejected plug. Just letting you know." ?
 
Kilgore Trout said:
The only things I would add to your excellent procedure are:
-clean and lube the COP boots with silicone spray to ensure they are in good condition and form a good seal for the plug wells
-only attempt plug change when the engine is stone cold
-check plug torque at next oil change

And I would disagree with "Use the exact Motorcraft platinum specified for your particular motor"


Good catch! I forgot to mention that it is ALWAYS best to pull the plugs when the engine is as cold as possible.

If the plugs are torqued accurately, there is no need to recheck them. I used to do that when I had the opportunity, but never found a loose one so I stopped doing it.
 
sgarlic said:
Not that I don't believe you, but I'm curious how do you know a customer has never had a problem after you changed them? Do they give you feedback on cars you did the work on? Like "Hey Bob, customer X came back with an ejected plug. Just letting you know." ?

Tell me something..... If YOU had a plug come out after they had been changed, would YOU NOT go back to the shop where they were changed?

In a shop there is a term called "come back." Whenever work comes back, it is the responsibility of the tech that did the work initially, to correct it. If it is something that he did wrong, he redoes the work for no pay. IN almost all cases "come backs" go back to the original tech. There is such a thing as keeping record of which tech did the work on which vehicle.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Use the exact Motorcraft platinum specified for your particular motor..


??? why, platinums are overprice and way over rated let alone being junk

go wth a good copper core plug, I've seen way tooooo many plats loose ther platinum tip(s) from high speed/extended driving. there ok for grandpa or grandma who only drive a little and keep there car under the speed limit as for being a performance plug, plats are junk, dont waste the $$$ on them.
 
No, the Autolites are made to a lower quality specification than OEM and also they have the short thread design, not the long thread design like the current AGSF series Motorcraft plug.

AGSF-32C you can get them at AutoZone.
 
MBDiagMan said:
The factory plugs are platinums. They hold up well.
They're meant to. But they're the furthest thing from a performance plug. The stock plugs are designed for durability and meant to run long intervals between changes, but let me ask you.....who really waits 160,000km between plug changes? Mine are coming out at 60,000km no matter what they are, which is right where the copper plugs start to wear out.