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In my quest to eliminate the miss I was experiancing in my '95 Contour GL I changed plugs to the incorrect Autolite AP 5364 that I bought at WalMart. Unknowlingly I used WallyWorld's little "computer" to find the "proper" plug. After several seasoned CEG folks posted the importance of using the Motorcraft AZFS-22PP I ponied up the $40.00 and bought a set at the local Ford dealership. When I removed the Autolite AP 5364 set I disvovered that the #1 and #2 cylynder plugs had SEVERELY cracked ceramic on the "outer" part of the plug. This is the part that says "Autolite AP 5364" and not the tiny ring seperating the electrode from the wire thing that you bend to set the gap. It is not the part inside the cylynder. I thought that MAYBE I cracked the #1 plug while removing it because ceramic parts flew all over the top of the engine. I hope and pray that none fell back in the open plug hole! BUT!!! When I removed the #2 plug it had a HUGE crack running up the side of the ceramic, too! The #3 and #4 plugs look normal. Here's what is scarey as hell... I installed these plugs about a week ago!  They were not old plugs! So, be aware! Interestingly enough... after I bought the Motorcraft AZFS-22PP set I looked at the set I removed a week ago when I installed the Autolite AP 5364 set. THEY WERE MOTORCRAFT AZFS-22PP! It ran like S H I T with them and I can't recall how old they were. Still, they look OK! The new MOTORCRAFT AZFS-22PP plugs made a huge difference. So, be aware of the Autolite AP 5364!!!! Danny Brown
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Joined: May 2002
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I have no life
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I have no life
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Is this for a duratec or zetec? Proper autolites for zetec are APP5344 and work great in my car.
98.5 SVT
91 Escort GT (almost sold)
96 ATX Zetec (i brake to watch you swerve)
FS: SVT rear sway bar
WTB: Very cheap beater
CEG Dragon Run - October 13-15
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 69
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OP
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Four Cylynder... Zetec....
Well, WallyWorld's little computer recommended the Autolite that I bought.
I was told by several sources that ONLY the Motorcraft AZFS-22PP would work in the engine.
It runs better than it has in quite some time.
Notice that I said I had removed an older previously installed set of the proper Motorcraft plugs to install the wrong AutoLites.
The older MotorCraft AZFS-22PP look fine!
EITHER WAY... THE AUTOLITES CRACKED!
DB
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 133
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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Posts: 133 |
Originally posted by dbbubba:
In my quest to eliminate the miss I was experiancing in my '95 Contour GL I changed plugs to the incorrect Autolite AP 5364 that I bought at WalMart. Unknowlingly I used WallyWorld's little "computer" to find the "proper" plug.
After several seasoned CEG folks posted the importance of using the Motorcraft AZFS-22PP I ponied up the $40.00 and bought a set at the local Ford dealership.
When I removed the Autolite AP 5364 set I disvovered that the #1 and #2 cylynder plugs had SEVERELY cracked ceramic on the "outer" part of the plug. This is the part that says "Autolite AP 5364" and not the tiny ring seperating the electrode from the wire thing that you bend to set the gap.
It is not the part inside the cylynder.
I thought that MAYBE I cracked the #1 plug while removing it because ceramic parts flew all over the top of the engine. I hope and pray that none fell back in the open plug hole!
BUT!!! When I removed the #2 plug it had a HUGE crack running up the side of the ceramic, too! The #3 and #4 plugs look normal.
Here's what is scarey as hell...
I installed these plugs about a week ago!
They were not old plugs!
So, be aware!
Interestingly enough... after I bought the Motorcraft AZFS-22PP set I looked at the set I removed a week ago when I installed the Autolite AP 5364 set. THEY WERE MOTORCRAFT AZFS-22PP! It ran like S H I T with them and I can't recall how old they were. Still, they look OK! The new MOTORCRAFT AZFS-22PP plugs made a huge difference.
So, be aware of the Autolite AP 5364!!!!
Danny Brown
Huh, that's weird, my previous post didn't show up, wow, bummer. Anyway, this is uncanny, I'm having the same exact problem, with the Autolites that every parts house says is the correct plug for the Zetec, which it aint. But anyway, I finally put in the factory Motorcrafts, and they worked great, for a month. But after I pulled them out, the #3 and the #4 plugs have cracked insulators, EERIE !! I have never heard of this before, ever. I went back and checked my Autolites, but they weren't cracked. But the Motorcrafts were, I also saw on another CEG post that someone says that the Zetec takes 2 different plugs, so I'll look into that when I go to the Ford parts counter at lunch.
Ken, 99 Silver Frost SE Zetec Atx, polished alloys, Kumho's, Pioneer hi power CD/AM/FM. Factory spoiler (added) Audi side lites, Borla stainless steel muff. Stolen, recovered in pieces. Looking for another Tour, preferably V6, 5 speed.
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 133
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 133 |
Originally posted by dbbubba:
When I removed the Autolite AP 5364 set I disvovered that the #1 and #2 cylynder plugs had SEVERELY cracked ceramic on the "outer" part of the plug. This is the part that says "Autolite AP 5364" and not the tiny ring seperating the electrode from the wire thing that you bend to set the gap.
It is not the part inside the cylynder.
I thought that MAYBE I cracked the #1 plug while removing it because ceramic parts flew all over the top of the engine. I hope and pray that none fell back in the open plug hole!
BUT!!! When I removed the #2 plug it had a HUGE crack running up the side of the ceramic, too! The #3 and #4 plugs look normal.
Here's what is scarey as hell...
I installed these plugs about a week ago!
They were not old plugs!
So, be aware!
Danny Brown
So, after going round and round with the parts guy, I finally walked down to the service dept and talked to the service manager. I made him look at my cracked insulators on my plugs. The service mgr said, and I quote; "there's no way your engine could cause this, these plugs were dropped, either by you, or by us". So I asked, specifically; "so there's no way my 99 Zetec engine could have done this to these plugs, right" ? He said NO. SO I'm thinkin your Autolites, and my Motorcrafts either got dropped, or their was a bad run at the factory, that's all it could be.
Ken, 99 Silver Frost SE Zetec Atx, polished alloys, Kumho's, Pioneer hi power CD/AM/FM. Factory spoiler (added) Audi side lites, Borla stainless steel muff. Stolen, recovered in pieces. Looking for another Tour, preferably V6, 5 speed.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 750
Veteran CEG\'er
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Veteran CEG\'er
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 750 |
I walked the same path: bucking/missing with (I admit old) Autolites, and today when I removed them noticed that the outer electrode was GREEN on cyl 3-4. What the heck is that ? plugs 1-2 were still the right gray/tan color. Dropped in a set of Motorcrafts, engine is much happier now. Btw, I got the set of Motorcraft plugs from www.rockauto.comfor $25 incl. shipping. Tiv
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 21,653
I have no life
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I have no life
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 21,653 |
The autolite plugs I posted are the correct ones and are just about the same as motorcraft (at one time ford made autolite plugs, not sure if they still do). The autolites that I pulled from my car originally looked fine, and ones I have now have 10k+ miles on them and look perfect. I prefer the autolites as they're a bit cheaper than motorcrafts and are the same quality. Are you suprised that when you used the wrong plug it cracked? Tell wally world that their computer is wrong and give them the right number.
98.5 SVT
91 Escort GT (almost sold)
96 ATX Zetec (i brake to watch you swerve)
FS: SVT rear sway bar
WTB: Very cheap beater
CEG Dragon Run - October 13-15
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 750
Veteran CEG\'er
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Veteran CEG\'er
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 750 |
Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
The autolite plugs I posted are the correct ones and are just about the same as motorcraft (at one time ford made autolite plugs, not sure if they still do). The autolites that I pulled from my car originally looked fine, and ones I have now have 10k+ miles on them and look perfect. I prefer the autolites as they're a bit cheaper than motorcrafts and are the same quality. Are you suprised that when you used the wrong plug it cracked? Tell wally world that their computer is wrong and give them the right number.
Are you saying that there are autolite plugs with the thin
center electrode ? What's the # ?
I've had these autolites (I'll look up the part. no) for
about 50k mi in the car - they were perfect until just
recently.
So in my case it can be just the old plug vs. new plug,
but the bucking is immediately gone.
T.
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 21,653
I have no life
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I have no life
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 21,653 |
APP5344 is the correct zetec plug. Plugs can get damaged at the parts shop,etc. so even if you have the right plugs maybe they are damaged and you don't know it. Or maybe if something happens to the correct plugs, then something is wrong with your engine.
98.5 SVT
91 Escort GT (almost sold)
96 ATX Zetec (i brake to watch you swerve)
FS: SVT rear sway bar
WTB: Very cheap beater
CEG Dragon Run - October 13-15
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 133
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 133 |
Originally posted by tiv:
Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
The autolite plugs I posted are the correct ones and are just about the same as motorcraft (at one time ford made autolite plugs, not sure if they still do). The autolites that I pulled from my car originally looked fine, and ones I have now have 10k+ miles on them and look perfect. I prefer the autolites as they're a bit cheaper than motorcrafts and are the same quality. Are you suprised that when you used the wrong plug it cracked? Tell wally world that their computer is wrong and give them the right number.
Are you saying that there are autolite plugs with the thin
center electrode ? What's the # ?
I've had these autolites (I'll look up the part. no) for
about 50k mi in the car - they were perfect until just
recently.
So in my case it can be just the old plug vs. new plug,
but the bucking is immediately gone.
T.
The Autolites are the plugs 'called for' in all the parts houses. So in effect they may be right. But if you are experiencing bucking/missing, 99 times out of 100 it is because of the plugs. Ford requires the fine wire, low resistance plugs that only the Motorcraft plugs supply. For some reason the Zetec/Duratec motors do not produce the spark voltage that's required to fire a regular plug like the Autolite double platinums. Now there may be other fine wire plugs out there, and maybe Kermit has come across some fine wire Autolites, or maybe his car doesn't demand the fine wires, I dunno. But for him, the Autolites work, and they absolutely did not for me, and for many others here on this forum. At 85K I pulled the factory plugs out, went to my local parts house, gave them my make, year, engine, etc and was handed a set of Autolites. I dropped them in and all was well, until about a month later, and I developed a miss. I pulled the plugs out and went back to the parts store, thinking I had a bad plug, so they replaced all four, even though they, nor I, could see anything wrong with them. 3 days later the car started to miss again. So I spent hours here, on this forum, talking, asking, posting, calling dealers, repair shops, everything I could. I finally ran across a parts guy at a Ford dealer who told me the Zetec/Duratec required a special plug, and he was right. Unfortunately I have developed the same problem, except this time it's not the wrong plug, the Motorcraft plugs were cracked. Now I wouldn't think this was unusual because sometimes the insulator does crack if manufactured incorrectly. But I saw that another Tour owner had the same problem, except he had Autolites. So the plot thickens, maybe it was just coincidence, I dunno, but it's a one in a bazillion coincidence if it is. If the Motorcrafts stay in place, without cracking I'll know it was just a weird thing, but if these crack, I'll know that something else far more sinister is at work under the hood of the Tour when I'm asleep.
Ken, 99 Silver Frost SE Zetec Atx, polished alloys, Kumho's, Pioneer hi power CD/AM/FM. Factory spoiler (added) Audi side lites, Borla stainless steel muff. Stolen, recovered in pieces. Looking for another Tour, preferably V6, 5 speed.
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