Well, I just changed the plugs for the first time and I put Autolite 103s in. Well, I am highly disappointed, at idle, the truck starts to shake a little and then it sounds like I have a bigger cam or something...wooom.....wooom.....wooom. Weird to say the least however, I have ordered some TR6s from PSP and I plan to put them in next weekend. I don't even want to drive the truck it's that bad. IMO, it does not run "right" if at idle the truck is shaking and you can feel it in your back and see it in the mirrors. I will say that when accelerating and running normal by doing anything else other than sitting at an idle, the plugs seem fine and I have no acceleration problems (maybe a little "flat"). I am really not looking forward to struggling with that 7mm bolt on the closest plug to the firewall next weekend but, if it give me a smooth idle, It will be well worth it. BTW, the plugs did not fix my tick(why I changed them in the first place).

 

I'm not familiar with those plugs(are they the OEM plug numbers?) but unless they are 3 or 4 steps 'colder' than the OEMs, you shouldn't have an "idle shake".

There is something else wrong:

1. What gap did you set them at?

2. Believe it or not, a clogged fuel filter can cause a miss at idle.

3. Vacuum leak(s)?

4. Leaking EGR valve or plugged PCV valve?

5. Dirty air filter?

Dan

 

It could be something else, but the probability is that you may of gotten a bad set of plugs.....this is why I allways buy 1 or 2 extra sets of sparkplugs .....also check to see if all your vacume lines are all hooked up and that all your injectors and coilpacks are plugged in correctly.....good luck

 

Thanks for the replies

1) I set them at the recommended .44

2)I changed the fuel filter 6K miles ago and it was running okay prior to plug change.

3)I'll check again

4)Not sure I'll check

5)New K&N drop in about 10K ago

Thanks for the suggestions but, I spoke with SAL as PSP and he said he had the same experinece with these plugs. They are OEM replacements.

Jim

 

The Autolite 103 had the worst throttle response of any plug that I tested. I really don't remember about the idle because they were only in for a couple of days. I can't remember any real idling problems but I do remember how pitiful the throttle response was.

The ground electrode was really wide compared to the center electrode and extended well beyond the center electrode. I think it shrouds the center electrode so much that it kills throttle response.

It was the only plug I tested that had worst throttle response than the stock plugs. I know exactly what you mean about feeling flat.

The TR6 is a good choice. It is a good all around plug. I have tried several different gaps with the NGK's. The factory gap is .044"-.046" The wider the better for performance but you need to start closing the gap with more boost.

The funny thing is that .035" produces the best idle. You would think that wider would be better at idle but that's not the case with the regular plugs. At .035" the NGK's get closer to the idle quaility of the iridium plugs.

 

Thanks, I ordered some TR6s today from SAL. I hope this clears up the problem. I had a hell of a time with the number 8 7MM bolt today.

Jim

 

Try using a short extension with a nonswivel 7mm....I never use my swivel on #8

 

I can provide some background here...

I'm a 2.3 turbo guy (who also owns an '02 L). The 103's (aka Motorcraft AWSF22Cs) are a step colder from a 764 (stock 2.3 turbo/351W). The 103's are a must for my 2.3T when I run N20, but they foul out right away, even at .040 gap (pretty wide for a high-boost application).

If you want to get by cheap, try out the 764's or Motorcraft AWSF32Cs.

Cory

 

103's and TR6's are to cold for the street on a stock truck. If you closed the gap down it would idle better but loss of power would increase with stock boost.

 

Thanks promod, I actually figured that one out about 1hr into my stuggles with that bolt. The time consuming part was trying to get my 7mm socket back after it dropped behind the coil pack. I finally decided to go get a magnetic pick-up tool and of course I got the thing out after about 5 minutes. Anyway, do you guys think I will get the same idle problem with the TR6s? Maybe I should just order the motorcrafts through the dealer? They said it would take a few days to get them in so I could start pulling the autolites this week and have it ready to go for next weekend. It's supposed to rain here most of the week anyway so I won't be driving the L. I want to make sure I don't have this problem again when I change them out this weekend. This is not something I would enjoy doing every weekend. I want to put some plugs in and fuggetaboutit!!!

Jim

 

Try pushing all the coil packs back in, when my plugs were changed one of the packs was not pushed down enough and it did the same thing. Shaking the truck and not soundng right.

 

Hey Simmy, TR-6's are a buck 69 at Advanced Auto Parts.Why order them? And if they are out of stock, they WILL have them the next day as their warehouse is in Pa..

 

Thanks Mark, do you have the part #? I went to Advanced Auto Parts and they had no idea what I was talking about. I'm even considering just ordering the Motorcrafts from the dealer and paying $$ for them just to get back to a normal idle.


Jim

 

you probably left a coil pack either improperly installed or unplugged altogether.

it's also possible that you left an injector unplugged.

you also might have smushed an electrode closed on one of the plugs while you were trying to install them.

I'd bet it's an installation error, not bad plugs.

before you go throwing parts at it and wasting money on more plugs, you should go back and check over all of your coils and connectors.

later,
chris

 

I checked all the coil packs and they are all connected properly. In addition, all injectors are plugged in and properly seated and I took care not to smash any electrodes during the install. I've checked 3 times and they are all okay.

Jim