spark plugs

[havier]

hey sho folks, got a question. My plugs were nasty and full of crap causing bad firing. I went and bought bocsh plugs and now the car barely runs. Do you think this is due to the plugs not being motorcraft? i didnt think the brand type would make that much of a difference.

 

[cyanmauve]

As long as the plugs are decently made pieces, like the Boschs are, (I have them in my car) they're fine. I have run a set of double platinum champions as well with no problem. Your problem probably isn't the plug.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

do a search.

you will find that for the most part, the SHO motor NEEDS motorcraft plugs to run properly.

simple as that.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

I respectfully have to disagree with the above post by cyanmauve.

To quote the master (sdpatt):

"Bosch platinums are not the correct plug for the SHO. The three coil SHO ignition system requires a double platinum plug (platinum on both electrodes) of the correct height to allow the plug boots to seal the plug wells from moisture and grit. The Motorcraft AGSP32PP is the only plug that was designed only for the SHO engine."

The non-platinum electrodes on the Bosch's won't last long. The ~$30 for a set of the correct AGSP32PP plugs, which will easily last for the specified 60K replacement interval, is still the most cost-effective option. Sure, $12 for a set of the Bosch's seems like a great deal until you realize replacing them every 8K-10K miles means you'll end up spending about $72 over the same 60K miles that the AGSP32PP's would have lasted problem-free.

<small>[ September 08, 2003, 10:05 PM: Message edited by: SHOooo ]</small>

 

[masho95]

I've used several different types of plugs on my car and never had a problem. You should double check the spark plug gap before installation.

 

[SolidState]

you will find that for the most part, the SHO motor NEEDS motorcraft plugs to run properly.

********. I listened to this preached on this forum once too. I am now running Bosch in the MTX and motorcraft in the ATX. The motorcraft that I took out of the MTX at about 6000miles were screwed. The bosch are very happy at home in the MTX, and the car runs as strong as ever.

Now, it is true that the plugs are too tall, but that is the only fault. The bosch perform perfectly fine. That isn't to say that the Motorcraft aren't better, just that they aren't your only choice...

 

[sdpatt]

You may believe what you want about the choice of spark plugs for the SHO, but I also believe that this is one of those cases where you reap what you sow. The Motorcarft AGSP32PP is the only plug designed specifically for the SHO engine.

 

[stevetatro]

Other plugs will *almost* fit. And they'll kinda work. And you might get lucky and they'll last you awhile. They *might* allow the plug boot to seal properly. Probably not.

Why take chances? Get the only plug DESIGNED FOR the V6 SHO engines.

 

[ohioshodude]

i'm not saying the bosch plugs are good in the sho, but show me where they are different in hight?



i'm happy with the motorcraft ones so i recommend them.

 

[LaTechSHO]

its a very small difference..... and you measure it from gasket seat to the top of the plug.... in most instances the difference is no more than 3mm

Louis

 

[sdpatt]

Read all about here and here in SHOtimes. With these non-SHO-specific plugs, you are NOT saving much, if any, money, NOT extending the 60,000 mile plug life, NOT adding performance and NOT keeping the emissions as low as possible. Read below about the negative things that may be caused by these "wonderplugs."

Here is an excerpt from the writings I did for SHOtimes many years ago. It concerns not the limited lifetime of the single platinum or non-platinum plugs, but that little old gap between the plug boot and the valve cover and the engine-killing problems it can cause.

However, this is not the main problem with these non-Motorcraft plugs. A more important issue to the long-term health of the SHO engine is the incorrect height of the external portions of these plugs. The metal socket in the plug wire boot can only be pushed onto the spark plug until it is securely attached to the metal tip. The Motorcraft spark plug wire boots (and most likely those of the Magnecor and Borg-Warner brands) are the correct length to mount on the Ford-specified Motorcraft plugs and provide a secure seal of the plug boot's ****** at the valve cover surface. This seal performs the often overlooked duty of preventing the undesirable entry of moisture and road debris into the recesses of the spark plug wells. I have seen and read cases where each of the non-Motorcraft brand plugs is too tall to allow the boot ****** to seal properly.

This sealing job may not seem to be too important on first consideration, but access to the bottom of the plug well with the plug installed is quite difficult. The plug boot seal prevents the entry into the plug well of road debris and plug-rusting, ground-fault threatening moisture (at this point I will suggest that you do not use water to clean under the hood of the SHO). If the seal was ineffective, how will you clean out this accumulation of contaminants before you remove the spark plug? To complicate the matter, many of us are experiencing at least a small amount of oil intrusion in the wells from the valve cover's plug well seals. This oil, dirt and water mixture is not amenable to be vacuumed or blown out (with compressed air), and paper towels and Q-tips are also limited in their ability to remove the contaminants. If you aren't able to extricate all of the foreign material from the well, how much of it is going to enter the cylinder through the open spark plug hole when the plug is removed? The oil and moisture are quickly dispensed with after the engine is started, but what of the cylinder wall scoring grit (sand)? This condition is a serious threat to the longevity of the SHO engine.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

SolidState:

you will find that for the most part, the SHO motor NEEDS motorcraft plugs to run properly.

********. I listened to this preached on this forum once too. I am now running Bosch in the MTX and motorcraft in the ATX. The motorcraft that I took out of the MTX at about 6000miles were screwed. The bosch are very happy at home in the MTX, and the car runs as strong as ever.

Now, it is true that the plugs are too tall, but that is the only fault. The bosch perform perfectly fine. That isn't to say that the Motorcraft aren't better, just that they aren't your only choice...

no ******** involved.

You just supported my statement. "it is true that the plugs are too tall..."

And how does that effect how the boots seal against the head covers? And in turn, keeping moisture out to prevent problems?

A bad seal at the head cover WILL indirectly effect performance. bad seal = asking for problems.

So how does it feel to call '*********' and support my statement in the same post? squint

Eh? Smart guy?

 

[SHOnuff93]

the MYTh that the SHO needs the motorcraft plugs to run properly is only that, a MYTH. I have installed bosch's into 2 separate cars, one of them being Robby's (centaurus3200), and his car put down 211fwhp with a few mods.

I run the autolite 3923's and the seals are fine, i wash off my engine and get no water in the plug wells, and on top of that the 3923's are COPPER not platinum. The only reason you'd run the motorcrafts is because you actually want a 60k mile plug, me i dont mind changing them, its an hour job tops.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Only more support for the Motorcraft plugs.

Yes, the autolites do seal/perform fine. but as you said, they simply dont last 60k like the motorcraft. And, time + new plugs = more money.

It just seems ignorant to NOT go with the Motorcraft plugs.

perform excellent
seal as they should
last a full 60k

And when you get them from fpn.com, really inexpensive.

Going by 'bang for the buck' (understanding that there is NO performance increase in aftermarket plugs for the SHO) the Motorcrafts win out, hands down. Performance and long life.

 

[Rockledge]

i just installed the Autolites that are said to be a little longer than the preferred Motorcrafts...I found that the boots on my Motorcraft wires clipped on the plugs nice and tight and I found no sealing problems with them against the valve covers. I'll probably be opening things up agin this winter so I will have the opportunity to take another look at the plugs then. Read my post on it here.

 

[Whiner]

NotSoSlowSHO:
do a search.

you will find that for the most part, the SHO motor NEEDS motorcraft plugs to run properly.

simple as that.

Agree, from experience! thumb

 

[HopefulSHO]

When I bought my car, it had some cheapie copper Bosch Super's in. Don't know how long they had been in, but when I replaced them @ 150k, they had at least 20K on them, and still looked in real good condition.
They fired great. ****, probably better than the Motorcrap double-plats that come stock on the SHO.

I had a problem with the #1 spark plug wire popping out at first though. Too much oil & vibration I guess. They fit fine.