Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Funny color on plug insulator

Number 3 plug on my 2.5L has what looks like rust on it. It's also in the plug well and on the boot. Cleaned it up but am wondering what it is? BTW: Pulled 4, 5 and 6 plugs. All gapped way wide. 4 and 5 are around .065", 6 is a little less. I'm chasing a high speed miss. I'll pull the back ones as soon as I get back.

Al 2000 SE Sport.

It sounds like you have worn plugs. Mine are still close the the original setting when I change them at 60,000 miles. With that wide of a gap this is your most likely miss.

The stains on the plug wire boot are likey from water getting down into the plug well. Perhaps from splash or even from washing the engine. You might be able to clean it off but if there is any doubt the plug wire should be replaced. Depending on the pattern, this could also be a source of a miss.

Pulled all the plugs and wires. Found nothing except the wide gaps. Cleaned up number 4 plug and boot. Put it back together. I had the battery disconnected so the ECM will need a few cycles to get back to normal.
In case anyone is interested, I pulled the plastic cover off the front valve cover, removed the cruise control and moved the coil pack. After looking it over I figured it would be a lot faster that way. I cleaned the boot with some Alcohol from my race car:)Did not see any difference in the back plugs. Someone here said they would be in worse shape.

Al