Vehicle: 98.5 Duratec
Symptoms: Installed spark plug thread 'sleeve' yesterday, as the spark plug in the #5 cylinder had jumped out of place, leaving no threads. This happened to another cylinder almost 2 years ago, so I wasn't too surprised to see it happen again (a former owner had the spark plugs changed at one of those quick lube shops when the engine was still hot
).
Anyhow, the engine fired right up this evening, but was making a terrible metal-on-metal tapping sound (about 3-4 taps every second). I immediately shut off the engine and pulled out the spark plug I had installed last night to see if somehow the cylinder was striking it. The spark plug was unfazed. Looking down the spark plug hole, I noticed that the #5 cylinder appeared to be in EXACTLY the same place (all the way up) as it was last night. Coincidence? Or a sign that something down below is broken?
Do you know what a spun bearing or broken connecting rod sounds like? If so, let me know and I'll post a short video clip.
I believe the build quality of Contiques took a dive starting in 1998. My 96SE continues to be a faithful soldier, but my wife's 98SE is very moody, to say the least.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
