Plugs changed , lost power

What a job , My knees hurt ,my arms are scratched up , back and legs are sore . And it does not run as good . I thought the new Iridium plugs were the way to go , maybe I expected something that was not there . Maybe it will just increase my fuel mileage .
It feels like it has more torque ,but less power .
The plug boots were literally glued on . I had had to use a 2 foot long torque wrench to break the old plugs free . That was scary .
Anyone else have this happen ? Rob:banghead:

Go with AC Delco plugs.. not that iridium crap.

how do u feel torque is more and power is less? l really do not know the difference.. when l drive, how would l feel the power and torque?

Did you gap them?

i went from iridiums to +4's and i lost power..i was planning on going back to iridiums.. is it because your 'birds not made for hot plugs? i heard the iridiums are good because they get pretty hot and thats good for getting rid of crud on it.. O_o

all i know is my old iridiums were totally clean..all burnt with nothing caked on..im plannign on going back to iridiums..

I had 59K on thew factory AC delco plugs and the gap was nearly .080 " .My book says .060" .
More torque : when pulling off at an idle , letting the clutch out . It did not pull the idle down as much .
I think that I have been used to driving in colder days and it always feels stronger in the cold . On my test drive , it was 80 degrees and low humidity.
I work grave yard shift , and at night it feels better than before .
Forgot about these things when I posted . Rob

I had 59K on thew factory AC delco plugs and the gap was nearly .080 " .My book says .060" .
More torque : when pulling off at an idle , letting the clutch out . It did not pull the idle down as much .
I think that I have been used to driving in colder days and it always feels stronger in the cold . On my test drive , it was 80 degrees and low humidity.
I work grave yard shift , and at night it feels better than before .
Forgot about these things when I posted . Rob


over time ive tried new plugs. ive noticed that the +2 or even the +4s are a waste of money and ehres why i think so andc i may be wrong. obviously the distibutor/coilpacks will only put out so much power. only soo much power can run thrugh your plug wires meaning that you can only have so much spark coming out the plug end. sure split it up give it 4 differnt sparking points. but it has to split the power up to send it to 4 differnt ones giving you smaller spark from each post sometimes ive seen and heard only 3 out of the 4 are speaking depnding on the power going into the plug. id stick with the AC delco plugs single tipped plugs. dont waste your money on splitfires or platinums 2s or anything else. like i said all this is my opinion and may be wrong but it seems logical to me.

Always use a plug with a single electrode.

Multiple ones distort spark.

Always use a plug with a single electrode.

Multiple ones distort spark.
Bingo!

Go with NGK TR55s. Friends run them in their stock/heads&cam/Nitrous cars with good results

I run NGK TR6 for boost.

I just think Iridium/+2/+4/Plats are a WASTE OF $$$$

Also, on your power loss, I'd check your plug gap and make sure you have them in there nice and snug.

Well I guess I'm the only one here who actually likes the NGK iridiums. Since I've put them in my car, about 10k miles ago, it's ran great with no problems. They're the only spark plugs I ever recommend.

i like iridiums, i just don't like the ones with more than one electrode.

The NGK iridiums are no better than the regular NGK plugs.

They just last 3 times longer.
But cost 4 times as much.

Well mine were $44.69 (for 6) and come with a 2 year warranty (yeah, I keep my receipts). So it really wan't too much out of my pocket for me to complain.

I get all 8 of my NGK's for $16.

I only run Delcos, I just wish they didnt cost 7 bucks a pop... I have nothing but problems running every other kind of plug in any of my cars.

I get all 8 of my NGK's for $16.

Yeah but.. I'm lazy, and the iridiums last alot longer. So it's saves me the headache of having to worry about changing them all out when I do tuneups. I guess you could consider the iridiums to be for us lazy people.

correct me if im wrong, but the spark jumps from the middle to the outside electrodes, so having multiple electrodes wont make a difference like 98k said?

well, other then that, yeah the +4's arent too awesome for our cars..im guessing for some other car they may be better..

I am going to buy some standard copper core plugs an change to them now that I have the method of changing them . Up on the engine with kneepads on . It took alot of time getting boots off since they were glued on . but now i can pull them off with ease . So I should be able to change them in the hour that Mr. Lous as stated . A racer friend recommended NGK copper for max power . But he said they would need changing by 10K miles . Rob

When I had my Mustangs I always used Ford Motorcraft. It's a Ford so put Ford in it. Like you guys, it's a GM so put AC Delco in it. Although, I did use Bosch Platinums (single electrode) the last time I tuned it up before I sold it in 2000. I noticed a little difference. Not really in horsepower, but more in responsesiveness. It seemed like it would rev a little quicker. A friend of mine tried them before me and said he noticed a difference between them and the Motorcrafts. So I tried them and liked them.

We all say we notice a difference from one to another but, maybe we are just feeling a difference between plugs with 10k-50k or more miles on them compared to brand new plugs. When I do get another Stang I think I'll just stick with the Motorcrafts.

When I had my Mustangs I always used Ford Motorcraft. It's a Ford so put Ford in it. Like you guys, it's a GM so put AC Delco in it. Although, I did use Bosch Platinums (single electrode) the last time I tuned it up before I sold it in 2000. I noticed a little difference. Not really in horsepower, but more in responsesiveness. It seemed like it would rev a little quicker. A friend of mine tried them before me and said he noticed a difference between them and the Motorcrafts. So I tried them and liked them.

We all say we notice a difference from one to another but, maybe we are just feeling a difference between plugs with 10k-50k or more miles on them compared to brand new plugs. When I do get another Stang I think I'll just stick with the Motorcrafts.


Could have just been the gap difference in the plugs or that your old plugs were that worn out. Also, think about what happens when that platnum tip comes off and decides to bounce around your cylinder until it gets shot out of the exhaust valve.

Like I said before, I know many people that run NGK TR55s as well as the boosted guys running TR6's.

There is a trick to doing the plugs, I get all but the #8 cylinder from up top, #8 is easier from the bottom. I use a 3/8 rachet with a crows foot and the spark plug 5/8" socket.

i'm going to follow your instructions DarkblueTA...considering i havent changed my plugs yet since i had the car..i just remember places asking for $800 for a tune up..my reply was I'll do it myself..

Remove coilpacks.

Could have just been the gap difference in the plugs or that your old plugs were that worn out. Also, think about what happens when that platnum tip comes off and decides to bounce around your cylinder until it gets shot out of the exhaust valve.

Like I said before, I know many people that run NGK TR55s as well as the boosted guys running TR6's.

There is a trick to doing the plugs, I get all but the #8 cylinder from up top, #8 is easier from the bottom. I use a 3/8 rachet with a crows foot and the spark plug 5/8" socket.


Uh....the platinum tips come off???!!! Hmmm......I definately will just stick with the factory Motorcraft plugs from now on then. Have you heard of that happening alot? What damage was done to the engines? Thanks.

UPDATE , I pulled the plugs out and checked the gap . BINGO , the gap was .048 to .050 . The parts store PC said "do not gap" . I checked them but did not adjust to my engine "dumb ass me " . Big difference as I drove it tonight . At least I only took about 45 minutes to change them this time . Anti seize on the threads made it SOOOOO much easier . Learning tricks the first time was a B***h . Rob

i'm going to follow your instructions DarkblueTA...considering i havent changed my plugs yet since i had the car..i just remember places asking for $800 for a tune up..my reply was I'll do it myself..

OMG...800.00 :screwy:

I'll do it for 100. :rofl:

Remove coilpacks.


I don't know about you, but on the 98 cars, you have to removed each one individually. Talk about a PIA. On the 99+ cars they are all on the plate and you can just take the plate off quick. Its not that hard to do the plugs w/the coil packs on. I'm left handed and can get the drivers side with my right hand...ya'll should be able to do the same with the passenger side.

:p

I am a bum.

And a fatass.
Helps having the little extra space the coilpack gives for the passenger side.

Uh....the platinum tips come off???!!! Hmmm......I definately will just stick with the factory Motorcraft plugs from now on then. Have you heard of that happening alot? What damage was done to the engines? Thanks.


Most it will do is score up your cylinder wall(nothing real bad but still its metal hitting metal) or it will fuse to the piston/area of the head where it may stay on there or may fall off again and go out the exhaust valve.

I don't run plats because of boost but also I see no add'd value in any of the cars we tried them in before.

I am a bum.

And a fatass.
Helps having the little extra space the coilpack gives for the passenger side.


:rofl: Watch the fatass comments buddy...just because I'm fat doesn't mean I'm not love-able. :eek:

I was refering to me.
Getting my big old hands in the right position to get the plugs out takes patience. No coilpacks is a big plus for me.

Love-able....keep that for the ladies. :wink:

I understand the extra space needed syndrome . And the akward position to get to them , especially if you are not willing to get ON the engine on your knees . I didn't remove the coil packs and I have the scratches on my arms to show for it . I did remove a pipe coming off the exhaust mainfold at #2 cylinder . That gave an extra 2 inches of space , up to 3 . been driving a week on them now with the spec gap and its great . Rob

I understand the extra space needed syndrome . And the akward position to get to them , especially if you are not willing to get ON the engine on your knees . I didn't remove the coil packs and I have the scratches on my arms to show for it . I did remove a pipe coming off the exhaust mainfold at #2 cylinder . That gave an extra 2 inches of space , up to 3 . been driving a week on them now with the spec gap and its great . Rob


Ah yes...the good old air tubes....which no longer reside on my car for good reasons. :)

Yes, removing them makes it easier...even if its just temporary. I just lean over the front fender. I guess if you're small/shorter you have to do some climbing.

I wish I was smaller , my issue is my arms cramp when I get into akward angles and my legs too . Rob