Engine’s happier when I abuse it

[Chapap]

If I drive normally, I get rich cel and have trouble idling. If I always do 3/4+ throttle accelerations in traffic, I don’t get the cel and idle better. Is this a sign of something? It could be that I’m just not getting to temp. Need to hook up a real temp gauge and see what’s happening.

1994 2.3. Every sensor and electronic component is new, plus injectors. I’m left with wondering about mechanical problems. Maybe timing wheels have slipped?

 

[dvdswan]

SWAG - spark not hot enough to burn all the fuel. coolant sensor not reading properly so ecm thinks truck is still cool. worn out plugs, wires, coils.

 

[Chapap]

SWAG - spark not hot enough to burn all the fuel. coolant sensor not reading properly so ecm thinks truck is still cool. worn out plugs, wires, coils.

Plugs, wires, coils new. The I replaced 4 “new” plugs again. The old ones were very coated and black. No help. Temp sensor is new and seemed to be reading correctly when I tested it. I’ve never heard of cold plugs. Is there a fix for that? I guess first step is to hook up a good temp gauge to see if it’s actually heating up. New thermostat btw.

 

[Roert42]

I’ve never heard of cold plugs.

Check your gaps

 

[Chapap]

Check your gaps

The 4 iridium plugs I just put in are supposed to be .040. I’ll check. That seems pretty close to .044

 

[Roert42]

Spark Plug Cross Reference HEAT RANGE CHART

www.briskusa.com

This article seems to explain heat range of spark plug pretty good. For some reason I was under the impression heat range was effected by gap, I'm sure it is a little, but not primarily.

 

[sgtsandman]

Are iridium spark plugs the proper plugs for your engine? Sometimes swapping plugs from factory spec. to ones that are supposed to be better and are said to fit your vehicle and engine, don’t.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Heat range is affected by how far out the ceramic insulator protrudes on the center electrode. This is a very rough explanation, but good enough. The more ceramic you see around the center, the colder the plug. This is in comparison with other plugs by the same manufacturer for the same application. Again, rough explanation. Gap has little to do with heat range.

 

[Chapap]

Are iridium spark plugs the proper plugs for your engine? Sometimes swapping plugs from factory spec. to ones that are supposed to be better and are said to fit your vehicle and engine, don’t.

Ive never had an issue with gap, heat, material in the past. I’ve never heard of plug type (iridium, copper…) being an issue, but I’ve never heard of heat ratings either. I’ll have to do some research to see if there’s a heat issue I’m having. I put some platinum autolites in first, so heat rating ought no be the problem. I’ll do some reading

 

[sgtsandman]

Ive never had an issue with gap, heat, material in the past. I’ve never heard of plug type (iridium, copper…) being an issue, but I’ve never heard of heat ratings either. I’ll have to do some research to see if there’s a heat issue I’m having. I put some platinum autolites in first, so heat rating ought no be the problem. I’ll do some reading

You might have the right plugs. I’m just pointing out a possibility. If the issue started as soon as you changed the plugs, that would be an indicator but it could be something that takes a while to show up as well.

Or the cause may be something else.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Chapap, only on real performance applications do you see a choice of heat range for spark plugs. Racers want to vary the heat range depending on the type of racing and endurance, but that seldom applies on the street. Usually Ford (or Chevrolet, Toyota, etc.) picks the best compromise for the plugs and the aftermarket matches it.

A "colder" plug is prone to contribute to oil and gas fouling at low speeds and when the engine is cold, as when the car is in city traffic. A "hotter" plug is prone to causing elevated engine temperatures and detonation in sustained high loads or high-speed running. Now you see why a compromise is needed. Nine times out of ten, if you really need to change the heat range of a plug for the street, you need to go colder. But for almost everybody this just isn't an issue. I've never changed heat range in any vehicle I've had.

 

[Chapap]

Chapap, only on real performance applications do you see a choice of heat range for spark plugs. Racers want to vary the heat range depending on the type of racing and endurance, but that seldom applies on the street. Usually Ford (or Chevrolet, Toyota, etc.) picks the best compromise for the plugs and the aftermarket matches it.

A "colder" plug is prone to contribute to oil and gas fouling at low speeds and when the engine is cold, as when the car is in city traffic. A "hotter" plug is prone to causing elevated engine temperatures and detonation in sustained high loads or high-speed running. Now you see why a compromise is needed. Nine times out of ten, if you really need to change the heat range of a plug for the street, you need to go colder. But for almost everybody this just isn't an issue. I've never changed heat range in any vehicle I've had.

It’s worth a look. I’m currently running rich, get detonation or knock or tick when hot, and idle rough when hot. I’m fine when cold tho. Everything seems to point to temp sensor, but I can’t find a problem with it. I changed every sensor and electrical thing on the engine and am at a loss. I figure there MUST be some something physical/mechanical causing this. Hot plugs kinda fit the bill from the little I’ve learned so far.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Spark Plug Cross Reference HEAT RANGE CHART

www.briskusa.com

This article seems to explain heat range of spark plug pretty good. For some reason I was under the impression heat range was effected by gap, I'm sure it is a little, but not primarily.

There are hotter and colder plugs. For my 2 stroke dirt bike, a BR8EG is hotter than BR9EG. Those are resistor plugs, I can also run a B8ES or B9ES... these are cheaper and last longer, dont foul as easy, but dont perform as well. I run a 9 most of the time, but back when I would foul plugs as a noob, I ran the hotter 8 to help with that.

 

[Chapap]

What about carbon fouled cylinder? Raises compression, causes issues? Don’t think it’d cause rich condition tho

 

[Uncle Gump]

Have you ever considered just letting us take turns abusing it? I mean... it seems to like it...