Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting PASSED INSPECTION! Plug Gap Question

Originally posted by dbbubba:

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My '95 with the Zetec passed it's state emmissions test yesterday with flying colors. The various emmissions were way below the baseline, so things must be pretty OK with the engine. Not bad considering that it just turned 170K

I read in another thread that gapping the spark plugs a bit closer will cause them to run cooler. Recall that I have had the problem with a few spark plugs having cracked insulators. Another guy said that the idle would improve if I gapped them at spec or even wider than spec.

While I appreciate both people's opinions I wonder which is the best for my engine at this point. According to the thread that suggested that I gap them closer this advice was given by someone who once worked for Autolite or another major spark plug manufacturer. The suggestion was given as a way to prevent the insulators from cracking since the plugs would run cooler.

I presently have them gapped at .045 instead of .050 and runs pretty good. The idle is even although I can feel the idle through the steering wheel. I always figured this was due to aged motormounts.

Any suggestions?

DB

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