Originally posted by SVTCANUK:
Concerning the arcing I was refering to the visible line on the colored portions of the insulator. If you run your finger nail along the coloured rings it will catch on these areas. Is this not a sign of arcing?



Yes, it is. The function of the ribs is to disturb a carbon track path, but there is probably a complete one inside the matching spark plug boot.

When the plugs are fresh, confirm that there are no such tracks inside the spark plug boots or replace the plug wires. Also confirm that the you don't have an oil leak into the spark plug well. Excessive oil into the spark plug well was one of the common problems with the Probe V6 engine that Ford corrected with the Duratec. Althogh rare, it still happens. It also helps to use some dielectric grease in this area to discourage carbon tracking as well.

Jim Johnson 98 SVT 03 Escape Limited