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spark plugs ??? #1179457 02/07/05 11:50 PM
Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 89 philadelphia C contour gl OP CEG\'er
OP contour gl CEG\'er C Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 89 philadelphia	i just had to replace my valve cover gasket 97 ford contour gl 79,895 all power 4 cyc since i had the cover off i replace my spark plugs i took out autolite plugs autozone didn't have autolite plugs they had champion double plat plugs are they good to use or do i need to still put autolite plugs in or are there any difference. i change valve cover gasket seen a small leak in front i also been having that pinging feeling so i felt as though it would help a little better .but i still get the engine tremble thanks for any helpful info R.A

Re: spark plugs ??? #1179458 02/08/05 10:14 PM
Joined: Oct 2004 Posts: 36 B big_mack New CEG\'er
big_mack New CEG\'er B Joined: Oct 2004 Posts: 36	What brand of spark plugs to use is a matter of personal preference. If they crossed the Autolite to the correct Champion number, you should be just fine.

Re: spark plugs ??? #1179459 02/09/05 02:09 AM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 7,117 West Palm Beach, FL - Going to... T TourDeForce Hard-core CEG'er
TourDeForce Hard-core CEG'er T Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 7,117 West Palm Beach, FL - Going to...	Originally posted by big_mack: What brand of spark plugs to use is a matter of personal preference. If they crossed the Autolite to the correct Champion number, you should be just fine. I don't think so. The Contour engines are particularly sensitive to what plug & wire you use. Go with some Motorcraft direct replacements for the best results. Autolites work well in the Duratec, but many Zetecs have been especially finicky and won't run properly with Autolites. So get Motorcraft, PERIOD! Check the archives & you'll find that Champions and Bosch are flat out JUNK in our cars. Never let one touch your Contour. Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.

Re: spark plugs ??? #1179460 02/09/05 04:48 AM
Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,693 Thousand Oaks, California, USA B Big Jim_dup1 Hard-core CEG'er
Big Jim_dup1 Hard-core CEG'er B Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,693 Thousand Oaks, California, USA	Originally posted by TourDeForce: Originally posted by big_mack: What brand of spark plugs to use is a matter of personal preference. If they crossed the Autolite to the correct Champion number, you should be just fine. I don't think so. The Contour engines are particularly sensitive to what plug & wire you use. Go with some Motorcraft direct replacements for the best results. Autolites work well in the Duratec, but many Zetecs have been especially finicky and won't run properly with Autolites. So get Motorcraft, PERIOD! Check the archives & you'll find that Champions and Bosch are flat out JUNK in our cars. Never let one touch your Contour. Wow! I think I detect a bit of resentment. First of all, Autolite is the vendor that makes most nearly all Motorcraft spark plugs, including the ones Contiques came with. The Autolite APP764 is the same spark plug as the 95 Duratec came with. In 96 Ford went to a fine wire single platinum plug for the Duratec. It weems to work well enough, but I prefer the double platinum so I use the Autolite APP764. Autolite does not sell the fine wire plug in their own label even though they make it for Ford. The Zetec Autolite and the Motorcraft are exactly the same plug except for the name stamped on it. I agree that Bosch makes junk plugs. I have not yet found an engine that they really run properly with. I still have a bad tast in my mouth for Champions from all the broken plugs and blown apart plugs that I ran into when I was a dealership tune up tech, but that was over 20 years ago. There were times that Champions were the best selection, such as on Chrysler products, where they worked better than Autolite or AC. When I have had to use Champions more recently, they have performed fine. I would still try to avoid them from past agrivation, but I will have to admit that they have improved greatly. If you have them installed already, I would leave them in and not worry about them until they gave trouble or until it was time to replace them again. Jim Johnson 98 SVT 03 Escape Limited

Re: spark plugs ??? #1179461 02/09/05 06:12 AM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 7,117 West Palm Beach, FL - Going to... T TourDeForce Hard-core CEG'er
TourDeForce Hard-core CEG'er T Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 7,117 West Palm Beach, FL - Going to...	Remember the cracked plug insulators that several folks went through with their Autolites? Nothing against Autolite, I have 'em in my Duratec. Motorcraft fine wire plugs solved the problem. How about the Zetecs that had mysterious misfires for months and finally tracking it down to crappy plugs, specifically Champions. I even tried a set of Champion plugs in my ZX-2 Zetec before I bought a Contour & found this site. The Champions in the ZX were returned within two hours. Just be a shame to send folks off to repeat these labors when they've already been tested through trial & error by others. Big_mack, sorry if I was a bit harsh, but I feel obligated to get good info out to my fellow CEGers. Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.

Re: spark plugs ??? #1179462 02/09/05 10:42 PM
Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 9 S sandman Newbie
sandman Newbie S Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 9	I'm new to the Contour world and I'm sure I don't know half what the other people on here know, but I can tell you what I used on mine that's seemed to work well. I've got a 95 GL with the Duratec 6. This last weekend I put in NGK Iridium plugs and regular replacement plug wires and it's definitely made an improvement.

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