Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Does Anyone Know If Autolite Makes Motorcraft Plug Wires?

I pulled out a set of Autolite Professional & Motorcraft spark plug wires at work yesterday, & could see no difference. Looked exactly the same except the Autolite ($48 - lifetime warranty) are black, & the Motorcraft ($67 - one year warranty) are grey - neither were numbered. My original Motorcraft wires are a darker grey, almost black, & are numbered.

I had a #3 plug wire (was touching the manifold) go bad at around 1000 miles, so I want to be sure to get super high quality wires that can take the heat for a reasonable amount of time. #1 was also touching the manifold, but no problems - it came from the factory with plastic conduit wrap on it. I have since used plastic ties to get them off of the manifold, & I put Motormite plastic conduit on #3. The other 5 are still original & no problems, but want to change them soon.

I noticed that many of you use FM 9mm racing wires. Are they as good as or better than the Motorcraft? Just wondering why they list for much less than the Motorcraft.

At work we always try to figure out who makes Motorcraft to try to save $$$$$. Some of you have posted (including DemonSVT, I think?) that Autolite makes Motorcraft plugs & Puolator makes their fuel filters. Have to agree w/you here - my manager says he has heard the same thing, & looking at a Purolator & Motorcraft fuel filter for the V6 side by side seems to confirm this - look exactly the same - even have the same red sealant(?) at the top.

Also, at Advance, our Stant thermostats for the '96 V6 are stamped Motorcraft! So some of you might save some $$$$ knowing that. The Motorcraft (Stant) do have the bleed hole, which is important, as I have heard these cooling systems can sometimes be tricky to burp (get all of the air out).

BINGO! You won't notice any difference between Motorcraft, Autolite, or even Magnecor in terms of performance as long as they are in good shape. Most people buy the colored Motorsports, Magnecors and Taylors for the engine bay dress up factor. Although I do believe the "stainless steel spiral wound" wires will outlast conventional carbon impregnated wires, a wire with a "lifetime guarantee" is just as good now isn't it!

...Ed

Thanks for your input.

The lifetime warranty is great, but I also want wires that will hold up well.

When my plug wire went bad at 1000 miles, I was stranded & had to be towed - car wouldn't even start! Under warranty then - Ford towed it & ran computer check - bad #3 wire - they said it was heat - they see it a lot.

Not under warranty now, & I don't want to get stranded again because of a plug wire burning up prematurely.

I'd like to get the blue FM 9mm racing wires - would look great, but reliability is more important to me.

Have a lot of you had the 9mm wires on for a long time & have they held up well to the heat?

Thanks for any input!

Get the Ford racing wires, they're goood.

Please explain to me how the wires dropped all the way down to the exhaust manifolds?

It's just not possible or feasible with the setup, routing, and length used.

Last time I looked at the Autolite wires compared to the Motorcraft they didn't look the same. Also the "aftermarket" Motorcraft wires "were" numbered. Maybe the quality has degraded and they are made by Autolite now; that would really suck... (The stock Factory wires are great quality! - 2 racing teams use them on 300+ HP engines!)

Stant does not make Motorcraft thermostats. I'll have to stop by Advance and look at one tonight as that's an interesting development. Most likely stant is buying them from Motorcraft and reselling them. Hopefully they are not cheap pot metal thermostats like the normal stants are!

Robert Shaw makes a brass unit, but they are hard to come by.

BTW - what is the temperature setting of the stant thermostat? Apparently they came in 2 heat ranges from the factory? (mine has a 180 and IIRC someone else with an older non-SVT had a 190 in it)

Yes Autolite makes Motorcraft plugs (global) & Purolator makes Motorcraft filters (US only) (Wix does in Canada)

I know the ford racing wires are made by MSD but I'm not sure about the regular wires.

No...not exhaust, the upper intake manifold. The #3 wire, at the back, by the coil pack, runs parallel to the intake & was touching it for about 8 inches. #1, also at the back, runs perpendicular to the intake as it loops up & into the coil pack, & was also touching the intake.

Have you looked at the Autolite Professional series? They are different looking from the regular Autolites, & are supposed to be of higher quality - those were the ones I was comparing to the Motorcraft.

Hmm...the Motorcraft that we get in at the store are definitely not numbered, & as I said, they are a lighter grey than the original factory Motorcraft.

I have heard at work that sometimes aftermarket Motorcraft plug wires are not of the same quality as factory Motorcraft wires, & that makes no sense, & is a real bummer. But maybe these Autolite Pros are good wires.

Hmmm...are you sure? My asst manager says he is certain that they do.

Well, remember we discussed thermostats in another thead - maybe that is what you are referring to?

Thermostat Temp

There is no SuperStat listed for the '96 V6, unfortunately. I always thought that Stant made high quality stats, & that the SuperStat was made of a heavy gauge stainless steel, had a differently designed valve that reduces cycling, & a heavier spring. Check out their product info:

http://www.stant.com/index.cfm?location_id=168

If you get a chance, look at a reg & super side by side, if you haven't already.

Anyway, the regular Stant that we carry for the '96 V6, #14138 on the box, looks like a regular Stant - it is a reverse poppet type, & is a thinner, duller metal. It is stamped Motorcraft, #RT 1104, & has 180 stamped on the center inside copper button. To add to the confusion, Motorcraft lists the RT-1104 as a 190, but it isn't - at least that's not what it's stamped. There is a # 188 stamped on the rim, but that is not the temp number - I think folks are seeing that & thinking that it is - that would explain some folks saying that their stat is a 188.

I only checked the Stant catalog & looked at the stat for the '96 V6 - I don't remember what temp they list for the 2000 - or if we even carry one -I'll look tomorrow. But I do remember that different years listed different numbers.

Janine - I worked for Western Auto/Parts America/Advance Auto for 4 years.
I have seen all the products in depth.

I think the Autolite Professional wires are good quality. Just probably not up the the factory stock wires IMO. (or Magnecore or FMS for certain) The coil pack ends are different so that's something right off the bat showing they are not the same wire set.
I looked at the Motorcraft vs the Autolites at over a year ago and they were different. The aftermarket Motorcrafts were identical to the ones on my car. So it does sound like they are not the same wires anymore. That stinks!

I know for a fact Stant does not make the stock thermostats for the Duratec. That is why I said it is very likely they buy them from Ford (Motorcraft) and re-sell them. Several other companies do not even make or offer t-stats for the Duratec. Robert Shaw is one of the only companies I found that actually makes one. (180 degree brass unit according to their catalog)

Stant doesn't make aftermarket thermostats for Motorcraft, but they do make them for Ford vehicles. Perhaps your manager was mistaken in this way?

Yes, actually, that is what he said.

So you are saying that Stant may have made some factory stats for Ford, but aftermarket Motorcraft stats are made by someone else, & now Stant is buying those for the Contour?

So who is making the Motorcraft aftermarket stats? Folks who have replaced their original factory stat say it looks exactly the same w/same markings as the Motorcraft (Stant) replacement. I'm hoping they are of the same quality - my original it still working fine - 7 years old in Sept. - geez, I can't believe my car is that old -seems like I just bought it!!!!!

Anyway, it looks like our choices are limited. NAPA lists one for $8.99 - anyone know who makes it? Wonder if it's of any higher quality. I think I'll go to my local NAPA tomorrow, & take a look at it if they stock it. They also have the thermostat gasket ($1.29), which we don't - neither does Autozone. Felpro doesn't even list one.