Originally posted by Kennard:
Everyone I talked to had never heard of this problem, with the exception of a few of you here. This problem is somehow related to the plug wires. I think it's the boots that went bad from me pulling them out to R&R the plugs the first time. I think I cracked them when I pulled them off the plugs, and somehow the spark is shorting out to the head through the middle of the plug instead of arcing across the gap. Therefore the broken insulators. But it's that part of it that I don't understand, it seems like there would be alot more resistance to go through the insulator and out to the head than to just continue on to the tip and across the gap. But I got the same questions from almost everyone, "are you sure you didn't break them yourself" ? "Did you drop them ? Did you overtighten them ? Did the plugs flop around inside the plug wrench" ?



Kennard,

You haven't spoken to any Technicians at your local FORD Dealers.

When my car was NEW, I had gotten a CEL twice.
The first time they dismissed it, and the second time I had TWO PLUGS and TWO WIRES
replaced because of misfires caused by broken plug insulators.

I asked how they could break, and I was told that sometimes the ceramic material
could have a hairline crack in it when the plug is assembled.
The crack is not enough for the plug to fail inspection or a quality test,
but when the spark plug is put into use and it heats and cools over a period of time,
the crack will grow and cause the plug to fail.

Detonation will accelerate this process.


Pete... 2004 Mercury Marauder 300A Black Clearcoat/Dark Charcoal LEATHER DOB 10/31/2003 DOP 1/2/2004 www.mercurymarauder.net