Had to replace the plugs this weekend cause i was gettin a bad misfire, turns out when the previous owner had the truck, he, or someone never bothered to replace the number 4 plug the last time they changed them, and it was a POS bosch plug with no tip left at all, so it made for some great fun. but anyways...when taking the plug wire out the little metal peice on the inside of it came out. We fixed it and just pushed it back in, but i though maybe i should go ahead and get a new one just in case. So i was wondering, is there anyway i could just get 1 plug wire instead of having to buy all 8? If so, could you tell me where at, cause so far the places i've checked only sell them in full sets?

Thanks for any help in advance

Cody

 

you can usually find universal kits (wire+connectors+boots) at a speed shop but they are not as good as most factory sets and if they are that old they are falling apart it may be time to change them anyway

 

thats true. honestly, i'm just not sure if they were changed or not before. and well, i'm not sure if it was the way i pulled it out, because it was way back in there and hard to get to, and it mighta just been in an awkward position pulling it out. but like you said, maybe i should. rather be safe than sorry, but i guess i'm just not too enthusiastic about paying 80+ dollars just for new plug wires.

 

under stood but these trucks are very picky about plugs and wires so your probably better safe than sorry

 

Get motorcraft plugs and wires *all 8* or ull be changing them soon. i went threw 3 differnt spark plug types and 2 differnt wire types before getting Motorcraft wires and plugs. my truck has been happy since then. and just get all 8 wires insted of just 1 you mine as well.

 

Ford will sell you just the wire you need, but expect to pay $20 + bucks for just the one.

Call Tousley Ford and they will sell you a set at 10% over dealer cost.

Jim

 

well...the misfire came back but now its not nearly as rough. still havnt changed the plug wires but, i changed the other 4 spark plugs today on the drivers side, and it still didnt get rid of it but its very subtle. Do you guys honestly think its the plug wire(s)? Or could it be the coil packs? Or something else? I just wanna make sure i find the route of the problem before i go out spend $100+ on 10 different things because of a guessing game.

Thanks

Cody

 

Is there a CEL?

 

It doesn't pay to be cheap, specially with the ignitions in these trucks- Just fix the damn thing right and use MOTORCRAFT plugs and wires or you'll being working on it again and again - taking up so much time that if you fixed right in the first place, you would have been done with it.

 

CEL like..code with the check engine light? if thats what it is then..yeah it did come on before, and the guy at advance auto parts told me it was a misfire, but never told me but which number was misfiring. And later, another guy up there told me that they wouldn't have been able to tell me which one anyways. but..there was a huge difference just after changing the plugs on the one side, and it started running smooth again until a few days ago when i noticed it was misfiring again just slightly. soo long story short..theres no CEL code right now, if thats even what you meant. :o

and yeah i know i wanna fix it right..thats why i wanna make sure this is the problem and its not something else. I know to use motorcraft, i've heard theres too many potential problems with other brands. But thanks for the help though.

 

O okay, I think it safe to say the Bosch plug was the problem. Hope the valve is okay. That piece that breaks off the plug can get caught between the valve and seat - bend the valve or chip the seat/ maybe both..

If nothing else remedies the problem - do a compression test on that cylinder. That will reveal a bad valve.

 

alright thanks man. we have a family friend thats been a ford mechanic for years so i might get a second opinion from him if this doesn't work..but more than likely i'll just go ahead and replace the plug wires and see how that does. I looked online at advance auto parts and it showed two different plug wire sets made by motorcraft. one just ignition spark plug wire set, and the other said ignition spark plug wire set: Duckbill boot. the first ones are only about $90 while the "Duckbill boot" ones are about $105. Does anyone know the difference, or what the duckbill boot means? theres also some auto lite ones on there, one says professional series and the other pro fit. both are about the same prices as the motorcrafts. how would these be? only asking because i've heard that motorcraft and auto lite were made by the same company.

jbrew, how would you do a compression test on the cylinder? just take it to a auto shop?

thanks for the help guys

Cody

 

Cody -

Honeywell is the mother corporation that makes the Autolite and Motorcraft plugs.

Understand that Motorcraft components are made to Ford specifications, Autolites are NOT. I tried to run Autolites at one time and my truck went 40 miles before having two cylinders misfiring. Autolites aren't the correct heat range for our trucks - they don't make them. Why would they, that's what the Motorcrafts are for.

That's why most of us have stickers under the hood that say -



Abide by that and you most likely won't have any problems.

 

Yes, you could do that. Or just buy a compression tester ($30 -$50) and do it yourself. I'll walk you thru it if you get one.

A Chilton's or Haynes manual helps. A subscription to ALLData.com would help as well. The very best and cheapest way for service info is purchasing the official Ford service DVD's on eBay. I have 3 - I purchased my first one on eBay for $9. The other 2 were sent to me from a tech on this site. So I could e-mail you the procedure if need be.

 

Go to hardware store and purchase a spray bottle. Fill it with water and when it is dark, start your truck, pop the hood and spray the wires with water from your new spray bottle. Stand back and enjoy the light show. Most of the current going to the plugs is being used to produce the fantastic light show. That is why it is misfiring.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier