would all that 'shinny' stuff be melted piston on the plug or what?

This is just plugs 1-4..... 5-8 look the same (if not worse)

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...w.cfm?num=3061

So... thoughts? ideas? suggestions?


Johnie

 

Have you been running Torco stuff in your truck???

Thats what it looks like to me.

 

If you haven't been running race fuel or additives I would say it looks like coolant.

 

Have you put any leaded fuel in your truck? Jim

 

I have ran Xylene but hadn't put anything in the tank for ~600 miles before pulling those plugs.
I thought the "redish" color might be due to the fuel aditive but didn't know what to think of all the stuff that looks like melted aluminum all over the plugs, like these pictures show pretty well:

 

Looks like signs of plug meltdown to me.... Just a small case of pinging IMO.....

 

It appears what you have in a lean condition. VERY LEAN!

 

Where are the tuners ???,
I'd love to hear more opinions. I was always told Detonation or Lean means Green "like mine"
This happen the day it leaned out from a tank of bad gas and a clogged filter at the track. ****ING AMOCO


I've seen the red before, but not all that metalic coated crap all over it, Thats differant

Here's some pictures of typical plug problems
http://www.centuryperformance.com/spark2.htm
http://www.densoiridium.com/howtoreadusedplugs.php

 

I agree with Don, Ive seen the same thing with Torco and other High octane boosters. Most of the stuff you find at the local AutoZone is not going to cause this, but the real hardcore booster seem to. Give us some more info on mods and fuel usage.

 

I should mention that when I lost 2 cylinders on the passengers side due to very lean condition..head warpage/deck flatness problem..after a head gasket install..The area around one of the plugs that was ate down to the ceramic and then some, had some rather deep pitting..this metal had to go somewhere..I never put them under a microscope...the plugs that is...have a bore scope?
Sure looks like aluminium to me...

 

The deposits dont appear to be coming from the plugs ...

The plugs appear intact. I would get a borescope to look to see if you are pitting the top of the piston or the head. Not sure what xylene can do but its odd that its on all the pistons. Hoope fully your tuner will chime in here

Doug

 

Ok yesterday was a busy day at work so I didn't have time to snap of the pictures of the other 4 plugs yet.... Hopefully today they will give me a break hehehe

Anyway the mod list is very short, 2#lower pulley, FT valve body (I LOVE IT), K&N panel filter, Chip.

Now, I only ran the chip 3 times because of pinging. My tuner advised me to use TR6's which is what is in the truck now.
But the first time I tried to use the chip with stock plugs it pinged and I got off it right away. I contacted the tuner, he said TR6's is what I was supposed to have for my tune, which he had told me to start with but some reason, maybe the excitement of getting the chip I had forgotten until that point. I being unable to resist the extra power decided to try and run Xylene to "work around" the plug issue since I didn't have the time or resources to change the plugs at that time. I ran the truck 1 full quarter mile with the chip and one blast from ~50 to ~120mph with Xylene mixed in the tank.
Nether time did I hear any signs of spark knock.
I took the chip back out, until I could do the plug change.
I drove the truck like a week or so back in forth to work then drove it to NC which was a 550 mile trip. So like I said ~600 miles with no chip and no octane booster before the plugs were pulled.

Since the plug change I haven't heard any pinging and have ran the chip strait for 2 weeks now. (and love it too)

If all goes well at work today and nothing breaks I will be taking the pics of the rest of the plugs and pulling one or two of the TR6's and looking at them too... Again that is based on my work load.

I do have a fiber-scope here that I can looking into the bore with (I think its small enough) so If time allows I will do that too.

Thanks for all your thoughts and help so far.
Johnie

 

Been a little busy today but had time to take pics of the rest of the plugs (#5-#8)

#5 at first i thought somehow I had bent the electrod down and over but looking at it under the scope its obvious it was that way when Ford installed it... You can see where it started to melt the side of the plug down some.


I uploaded all the new pics and arranged them correctly in my gallery.


Could that one time I heard pinging have caused all that?

Thanks
Johnie

 

It really looks like a fuel additive for the color....

But the uneven wear and "ARC" looking stuff makes pinging look like it was happening as well.

Colder plugs help some, but if you put a chip if and ping all the time you need a reburn for sure....

 

Work gave me some breaks today but I only had time to pull one plug out of the truck. They look good to the naked eye:


But again under the scope I still see "something"... NOTHING like the originals ones (3 new pictures posted in the gallery) but something.

My fiber-scope will not fit into the plug hole, its to big and all I could see was blackness.

Maybe all "Lightning" or "boosted" plugs looks like this? I have never owned anything blown before but I know my Nitrous ran plugs in my stang never looked as bad as these stock plugs do.

Johnie