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FWIW, all 6 of the spark plugs that i just pulled off of my 98 (which i believe are the originals) say: "ASWF 32F Motorcraft Platinum."
...So that means they were single platinum?
1998 Mystique LS:
-2.5 Duratec ATX
-Vibrant White
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Yes. F is fine wire single platinum. The conventional sized platinum was P for single platinum and PP for double platinum. There is also a slightly thinner platinum with an E on the end for single platinum and EE for double platinum.
I could be wrong, but that is the way I remember the Motorcraft plug catalog.
Jim Johnson
98 SVT
03 Escape Limited
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The XP seem to be a fine-wire double plat - the best of both worlds. I'd try them if I needed plugs.
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Originally posted by �¡ Se�±iorSiesta !:
Originally posted by projectSHO89:
Originally posted by Spork-O-Matic:
Originally posted by projectSHO89:
Fine wires make the old requirement for PPs irrelevent.
Either will work fine and will give similar service life.
Steve
You are kidding, right? Double-plats are needed due to the way the coilpack works. It has nothing to do with the wires.
No, I am not kidding. Your information is out of date.
Steve
Do you have any idea HOW the Contour's coil pack works???? Spark goes one direction on one bank, then the other direction on the other bank.
.......
Yes, I understand completely how a waste spark system works. Demon already piped in and explained it so I won't repeat the technical facts.
I will repeat that the old requirement for double-plats is now obsolete when the new fine wire plugs are used.
If Autolite is making a new fine-wire plug with platinum on both electrodes, it will certainly make the dinosaurs happy. They don't have to learn anything new and they still benefit from technological improvements. Ah, ignorance is bliss... and someone will be happy to profit from that lack of knowledge.
Steve
Steve
98 Contour SE Sport 2.5 Duratec ATX The wifey's car
89 Taurus SHO - 246K miles
94 SHO ATX - 190K
1997 F-150 5.4L ATX - The Workhorse 150K.
ANY THREAD WITH "OMG" or "WTF" ETC IN THE TITLE WILL BE IGNORED!
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Okay, some proven facts: - Platinum is a superior electrode metal - it lasts longer and fires more efficiently.
- This applies to both electrodes - especially in a waste-fire system.
- Fine wire plugs provide better spark at less voltage, and increase performance and reduce wear.
So with fine-wire single plats, people get better performance than the double plats, with very near the same life. However, the same plug that fires through a second platinum electrode will last even longer, and should provide even better spark. The non-plat electrode on my fine-wire single-plats was worn .006 - .008 after 20k (on one bank only), and my double-plats after 20k were still .054. This is enough proof for me that if I want to keep a perfect gap for the life of the plug, double-plat is the way to go. Life: single plat < fine wire <(barely) double plat < double plat fine Performance: sinlge plat < double plat < fine wire < double plat fine
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Finewire is great for the electrode, but what happens when the spark is going the other direction and erodes the ground strap? Do they have fine wire ground strap??
Didn't think so.
And that was my point.
-Auto Mak or-
-Experiment or
-Station Wagon or-
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I have a foot that is bigger than a foot.
SuperChipFOR SALE
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Originally posted by �¡ Se�±iorSiesta !:
Finewire is great for the electrode, but what happens when the spark is going the other direction and erodes the ground strap? Do they have fine wire ground strap??
Didn't think so.
And that was my point.
There is no need for a fine wire ground strap.
Fine-wire plugs fire at a lower voltage threshold. This is a net reduction in power and slows the erosion of the ground electrode to a minimal level compared to a single plat plug that is firing the "wrong" direction.
Ford's own testing indicated that the fine-wire design with a single platinum fine wire center electrode last as long as a -PP plug with the added benefits of a less-stressed ignition system on waste spark systems.
Steve
98 Contour SE Sport 2.5 Duratec ATX The wifey's car
89 Taurus SHO - 246K miles
94 SHO ATX - 190K
1997 F-150 5.4L ATX - The Workhorse 150K.
ANY THREAD WITH "OMG" or "WTF" ETC IN THE TITLE WILL BE IGNORED!
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Originally posted by projectSHO89:
Fine-wire plugs fire at a lower voltage threshold. This is a net reduction in power and slows the erosion of the ground electrode to a minimal level compared to a single plat plug that is firing the "wrong" direction.
Does this mean that the stock Contour coil pack will lower its voltage to accomodate the fine wire plugs? This might work fine for newer ignition systems that are designed for fine wire plugs.
The stock coil pack is VERY powerful. Enought that there is no need to upgrade it with mondo PSI from TC/SC's.
How will these more powerful sparks act with plugs that are made for lower voltages?
Believe me, I am all for new stuff and new technologies. I just can't see upgrading one part when the whole thing would have to be upgraded to see benefits and/or work properly.
-Auto Mak or-
-Experiment or
-Station Wagon or-
-Computeriz or-
I have a foot that is bigger than a foot.
SuperChipFOR SALE
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Originally posted by �¡ Se�±iorSiesta !:
Originally posted by projectSHO89:
Fine-wire plugs fire at a lower voltage threshold. This is a net reduction in power and slows the erosion of the ground electrode to a minimal level compared to a single plat plug that is firing the "wrong" direction.
Does this mean that the stock Contour coil pack will lower its voltage to accomodate the fine wire plugs?
You must not understand how a coil functions. This was part of what was taught on how to read a scope pattern when such equipment was in common use at repair shops.
There are two concepts to understand. Available voltage and required voltage. Available voltage is the maximum voltage that a coil can produce. Required voltage is the voltage required to fire a spark plug. Required voltage rises as the plug wears, becomes somewhat fouled, cylinder pressure rises, as fuel mixture become leaner, and when mixture become excessively rich to the point that the plug fouls.
When required voltage become greater than available voltage there is a missfire.
Lower required voltage to start with from improved plug design could be a good thing, leaving more coil reserve.
Jim Johnson
98 SVT
03 Escape Limited
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Originally posted by Big Jim:
Originally posted by �¡ Se�±iorSiesta !:
Originally posted by projectSHO89:
Fine-wire plugs fire at a lower voltage threshold. This is a net reduction in power and slows the erosion of the ground electrode to a minimal level compared to a single plat plug that is firing the "wrong" direction.
Does this mean that the stock Contour coil pack will lower its voltage to accomodate the fine wire plugs?
You must not understand how a coil functions. This was part of what was taught on how to read a scope pattern when such equipment was in common use at repair shops.
There are two concepts to understand. Available voltage and required voltage. Available voltage is the maximum voltage that a coil can produce. Required voltage is the voltage required to fire a spark plug. Required voltage rises as the plug wears, becomes somewhat fouled, cylinder pressure rises, as fuel mixture become leaner, and when mixture become excessively rich to the point that the plug fouls.
When required voltage become greater than available voltage there is a missfire.
Lower required voltage to start with from improved plug design could be a good thing, leaving more coil reserve.
Not to mention the fact that my Contour came stock with fine-wire plugs. Are SVTs different?
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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