On non-supercharged engines, gap them at whatever your owner's manual recommends. On a lot of those non-PI 4.6 F-150's the recommended gap is .050, but double-check that in the owners' manua to make sure - the 2001 & up 4.6 F-150 has the newer 231 HP PI version of the 4.6, and I don't remember off the top of my head if they changed that gap recommendation.

So check your owner's manual - you can also just look at the sticker right on top of your radiator cover, where the belt routing picture is, you should see the recommended plug gap range right there.

 

Right on Mike, who else is that good with the answers? No one. Proof, time and time again you WON'T be beaten. Please see my previous post again. Sorry for the ignorance...didn't know if these were any different.

FYI, 2001 4.6L non-PI = .052 - .056 gap. Guess I'll do .052 since these babies are grooved.

 

I called Denso Fri. evening and they said to do .050 because the groove added approx. .004. One of the Denso's had a "chip" of some sort in the porcelin just below the center electrode...it was so perfect and was on one I hadn't "gapped" yet so I figure it was a factory defect. My local Auto Zone swapped me so that was a pleasant surprise. The install went well...only took me 4 hours taking my sweet time and cleaning everything up as I went. The second plug back on the pass. side looked like it had been dinged on factory install. The ground was all the way over to one side of the electrode, bent to hell, and was gapped at .040. Hahaha...bet that cylinder had been running less than optimal for 54K now. Anyway, she fired right up so we took off to the lake just after midnight on Fri. Got everything knocked out down there and came home Sun. to change the fuel filter, new Vent Visors, rented the pulley puller and got the radiator shroud cover off. I'd like to go ahead and get the stock fan and pulleys off if anyone could offer me some quick advice on how do proceed until I get my instructions from TP...??? Thanks!!!

BTW, if you see this Mike, a few of my plugs were fairly WHITE looking...if this is a concern I can snap pics and tell you which cylinders they came from, etc. Maybe from running Max Performance tune at full payload? I found another thread here with pics and his looked somewhat white as well...maybe I'm good.

 

Just wanted to make sure you saw this Mike...whether or not I should be worried about the plugs, etc. Also, I was told about a $14 overdrive pulley for the alternator...are they worth looking into for my setup? I figured if they were, you'd be selling them...then again, HP is your thing so I don't know.

 

Hi Jackal,

You won't get enough of a head start to really make it worthwhile until you get your docs anyway, so I'd just wait in your instructions, as your tuning is done and everything is already on it's way by now.

We do see from time to time that the factory robots will ding a plug here & there upon installation - not too surprising. Now on the plugs being "white" - it's a matter of "how white" (don't send pics - if you want to know if you're safe, have the A/F's tested - do the datalogging as per the instructions we provide in our custom tuning email once you get your custom tuning & the other parts installed).

Running at max loads on a max performance tune will put more load on the motor, and thus more heat is produced - but as long as you do not exceed the max on-board weights and the A/F's are in line, that shouldn't be an issue. The "problems" come when you try towing on the MAX performance tune, because the EGT's will be elevated due to the leaner A/F's used in "performance" tunes compared to what is required in a "towing" tune.

What we always recommend is once you get your new custom tuning and get all the parts installed, do the datalogging like we describe in our instructions to verify your A/F's - generally speaking, as long as the fuel injector size & MAF meter are not changed, the engine is going to achieve the commanded A/F's, and these trucks aren't lean from the factory by any means - so there's usually nothing to worry about. Now this is **assuming** that the fuel delivery system & everything else is up to snuff - a partially clogged fuel filter can happen from just one "bad" tank of fuel, and thus cause a lean condition under heavy load.

It's a good idea every 2-3 years to depressurize the fuel system and blow it all out, making sure everything is clear - clean the injectors, and of course, install a new Motorcraft fuel filter every 15K miles (minimum). The MAF meter needs cleaning too - once a year we recommend disconnecting the battery and removing the MAF meter, and hitting it's wires (inside the "tube" containing the sensing apparatus) with a shot of electrical cleaner (of the variety that will NOT attack plastic), as those wires *will* get some dirt on them over time. And of course, the EGR tract needs to be clean, too. As long as the fuel system is clean, the MAF meter wires are clean, and the EGR system is up to snuff (and you're not using some type of cleaning agent that will "bleach" the plugs), you generally won't have issues with lean A/F's causing abnormally white plugs. In other words - normal routine maintenance - but what we call "routine maintenance" means at a level far above & beyond the rather pitiful guidelines the automaker provides in their maintenance schedules (which are designed solely to show the lowest possible cost of ownership over the first 100K miles). And make sure all this maintenance is done BEFORE you datalog, so that your data is not skewed by anything that might be lacking maintenance-wise from the items I've just discussed here.

No, I don't bother changing the alternator pulley - some 3 piece sets will use a 3rd pulley to actually speed the alternator back up, but I don't like doing that -for me, I'd rather have the alternator rewound to put out more amps across the board if I need more power. I also don't like the 3-piece sets that slow the alternator down even more for an additional 1-2 HP, for obvious reasons - you need the current. Our 2-piece set is designed to be used on the street, and is all that is needed. Most of the 3-piece sets you see are really designed for Mustangs, which generally have less equipment on board compared to everything that needs to be powered (or gets added on to) an F-150.

Good luck!

 

Thanks again Mike, my plugs look similar to what another member has posted pics of, and it was only on 1 or 2 plugs...could be from the Seafoam I suppose. No worries. I did the EGR tract with port / polish, fuel filters (just changed it again on Mon.), and MAF wires when I installed the WMS. Ready to ROCK!!! I'm also looking at a Red Top.