Fiesta 04 misfire - lady noob

[mjellyicus]

Howdy

My 04 Fiesta, 50 000km, serviced regularly and fed 98 fuel has an epic misfire. It was annoying and getting worse, so I took it for a major service at my local garage who charged me $240 for sparks, filters and oils (parts cost only) said it was fixed but oh noooo, wayyyyy worse. I was able to drive it the 2km home, and tried to do a 1km school run but my engine light came on and it basically refused to go over 30km.

They said they put in platinum plugs for $25 each. As far as I can tell I still have the original leads, some Motorcraft GOQXD.

My bro has a EUC dongle thingy, identified a misfire in cylinder 1. Did the phone around and apparently my leads will cost $180+ which seems excessive. That's just asking for leads for fiesta 04, not a specific brand, from supercheap, repco etc. Nobody has any in stock which doesn't help.

So - obviously my local mechanic is a douche, but is it worth pulling the plugs and checking it, or just replace the leads? And how much should leads really cost?
I've got a couple of them in front of me, the spark end on one is orange with dirt or something, but the inside I can still see the shiny bit at the end, but on the one the computer identified as the problem theres no orange, but the core is dull. Can I just give it a clean with something?

[trumpy73]

Can't help with the missifre sorry but

a) Plat plugs are NOT better than copper (just last longer)
b) Plat plugs should NOT cost $25 each. You can get them on ebay for less than $25 for a set of 4.
c) NEVER go back to that mechanic

[robjh80]

Originally Posted by trumpy73

Can't help with the missifre sorry but

a) Plat plugs are NOT better than copper (just last longer)
b) Plat plugs should NOT cost $25 each. You can get them on ebay for less than $25 for a set of 4.
c) NEVER go back to that mechanic

Platinum plugs are expensive if you buy them anywhere in Australia (like anything else for that matter!) .. I don't think the OP's Mechanic was going to buy a set off Ebay and wait 2 weeks for delivery! .. he should have found the stuffed lead though ?

I got a price for Platinum plugs for the wife's Lancer the other day and they were $18.50 each .. the XR4 for the record has Iridium plugs and they are $35 each if bought locally, I got a set from Europe and they were less than half that price delivered!

A genuine Ford set of leads for the Mk. 6 Fiesta in the UK ... $76.00 (based on today's exchange rate)

http://www.fordpartsuk.com/shop/ford...d_set_2624.htm

[zabatron]

Corrosion of spark plugs and spark plug lead contacts is common problem on wp-wq fiesta,causing misfires.Water gets into the spark plug recess and sits there ,causing corrosion,especially if engine is steam cleaned or hosed down at car wash.Orange marks on leads may be a rust stain.
Bonnet rubber seals can also fail,leading to above problems.
The best way to check spark plug leads is to check the resistance with a digital multi-meter(a cheap $10 multimeter will do the job),dud leads will have very high resistance.You could try cleaning the dull spark plug lead contact with wet and dry sand paper or a small wire brush and then re installing it,if misfire goes away,that lead is your problem,but best to replace lead if it is faulty(you can buy just one from ford).May also be a good idea to remove and inspect spark plugs to make sure they have actually been replaced with new ones.
just a note on spark plug lead resistance:if the resistance of any of the leads is too high,it may lead to failure of the coil pack,and if left long enough,even ecu(computer) failure.