What type of spark plugs did the AUII get?

Juzman · 30-10-2008, 04:21 AM

just wondering if anyone knows as it will determine what type of service I get for my car at 100,000ks

The guy at the center said Ford started putting iridium plugs in around the AUII vintage but wasn't sure... he said if they were iridium that I wouldn't need to get them replaced until 150,000ks... but if they weren't they'd need replacing this service at 100,000...

any help? Car is late 2000 futura.

Cheers
Juzman

sikford · 30-10-2008, 07:24 AM

they we're spose to be the iridium but when i checked mine just before i did the service they for the wrong plugs, so i put the NGK Iridiums in it, much better now and they do last longer, doesn't mean you shouldn't check them from time to time though.

MNM96 · 30-10-2008, 08:52 AM

Some people were unaware there were Iridium fitted to the AUII on. Some repairers replaced them for std plugs during their servicing too early. If the car is running well they will be fine. The dealer will check to be sure that they are.

They are considerably dearer, at about $18 ea compered to about $4 ea, but, as stated, last 150K.

RG · 30-10-2008, 08:57 AM

150k from a set of plugs, please tell me no one actually believes that.

No plug lasts 150k, even with Iridiums I would not leave them in for any more than 30-40k max. 15-20k for normal plugs.

The Mighty Red · 30-10-2008, 09:36 AM

I have done 100,000k's with my Bosch plugs and they are still firing perfectly

Mr Hardware · 30-10-2008, 10:32 AM

Russell speaks a large amount of truth, No plug lasts 150k unless you like driving on extremely, extremely shagged plugs and you're only doing highway running and you only use petrol and yada yada yada.

I replace mine every 30k, and mine are standardies. NGK BPR6EY's, cos they're 0.8mm and a grade cooler for the LPG.

Go to the NGK website, it'll tell ya.

Juzman · 30-10-2008, 10:36 AM

thanks for the replies, how can you tell if your plugs are near the end of their life though? I mean my car seems to be running fine, starts fine...

what are the tell tale signs of worn out plugs?

RG · 30-10-2008, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juzman

thanks for the replies, how can you tell if your plugs are near the end of their life though? I mean my car seems to be running fine, starts fine...

what are the tell tale signs of worn out plugs?

Increased fuel economy, less power, rougher running. The best way to see the difference is when you put newies in.

Kind of like shock absorbers, they deteriorate over time and you don't notice how bad they were until you see how good the new ones are.

Juzman · 30-10-2008, 10:46 AM

I see...

I guess I'll go for the Kmart full service ($199 - cheapest I've found so far) then and ask for iridium replacements

thanks for your help

broken_suave · 30-10-2008, 10:52 AM

urgh, I wouldnt trust K-mart with my car.. The times that my parents put theirs into k-mart, the car came back worse than it was before. And a mate gets his done at K-mart, and I end up doing a few things for him afterwards.

It seems that a lot of the K-mart mechanics dont really care about the quality.

RG · 30-10-2008, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juzman

I see...

I guess I'll go for the Kmart full service ($199 - cheapest I've found so far) then and ask for iridium replacements

thanks for your help

Noooooo, not K-mart. Or Ford lol.

Find a decent local mechanic, where abouts you at?

blueoval · 30-10-2008, 11:39 AM

forget K-mart. You do a better job doing it yourself.

Iridiums are good, but not a necessity. Depends if you have extra cash burning a hole in your pocket. Otherwise NGK stocko's FTW

Ive seen NGK normal plugs last 40,000km on a subaru before. I wouldnt let it go that far personally but they do last a while longer than you'd expect.

Mr Hardware · 30-10-2008, 11:55 AM

At $3.25 each, just get normal plugs and change em every 30-40k.
Simplest way.
And iridium plugs aren't worth it, 4-5 times the price for only twice as long, if that.
Normal plugs changed regularly. And make sure they're NGKs, ok?

RG · 30-10-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

At $3.25 each, just get normal plugs and change em every 30-40k.
Simplest way.
And iridium plugs aren't worth it, 4-5 times the price for only twice as long, if that.
Normal plugs changed regularly. And make sure they're NGKs, ok?

Agreed, I even do this with my 347. Iridiums just aren't worth the extra cost as there are no real benefits.

Juzman · 30-10-2008, 03:41 PM

lol ok Kmart is a no go... I guess you get what you pay for...

I live in Toowong Brisbane, I live very close to Westpoint service center (next to the Regatta) but not sure I trust them...don't know why, just get a "dodgy vibe" from the place

...my local mechanic I used to use has moved to Belbowrie...

I'd never use ford in a million years.. they wanted $550 for a full service! Outrageous...

Anyone recommend a good one in the central west of Brissie?

Midas are almost as cheap as Kmart...

fordAU · 30-10-2008, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell

Agreed, I even do this with my 347. Iridiums just aren't worth the extra cost as there are no real benefits.

I agree with that, you put me on to standard NGK's and that fixed a ping problem I was having, also the gap size with the NGK iridiums was wrong which doesnt help matters.

SirHenry · 30-10-2008, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juzman

lol ok Kmart is a no go... I guess you get what you pay for...

I live in Toowong Brisbane, I live very close to Westpoint service center (next to the Regatta) but not sure I trust them...don't know why, just get a "dodgy vibe" from the place

...my local mechanic I used to use has moved to Belbowrie...

I'd never use ford in a million years.. they wanted $550 for a full service! Outrageous...

Anyone recommend a good one in the central west of Brissie?

Midas are almost as cheap as Kmart...

Plug wise I swear by the Bosch Superplus with Yttrium good plug esp for value for $.

Prolly Shane and the crew at Ultratune Wacol they seem to know their stuff.

If your after a "decent" Ford dealer see Stan at Denmac Ford Darra this guy is damn good.

sly · 30-10-2008, 10:40 PM

Splitfires FTW!

bodes-sh · 30-10-2008, 10:52 PM

just on the topic of iridiums, you can apparently get them from toyota i think, for about $5 each, or used to be able to...there was a thread on here some time ago with the info in it. if you can get the part number, or do a cross reference for the ngk to denso ones, you may be ok. as i said, i'm not sure what they're worth now though...

MNM96 · 31-10-2008, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell

150k from a set of plugs, please tell me no one actually believes that.

No plug lasts 150k, even with Iridiums I would not leave them in for any more than 30-40k max. 15-20k for normal plugs.

I replaced mine at 105k, were fine. I had a set I kept when closing my business, and if the boxes weren't getting a bit shoddy, I would have left the old ones in! They were in excellent order.

PS, NGK warrant their Iridium Plugs for 150k against fault!

MNM96 · 31-10-2008, 06:16 AM

Look, I have run some tests, back to backing Iridiums against Std NGK Plugs. The dollar factor over the life of the plugs are the sameish, but you have the added expense of the extra replacements. The Iridiums were designsed for, in particular, FWD V6 cars where, like the Magna, you have to remove the intake Manifold to replace the rear 3 plugs. Many cars are like this, Maximas, Hondas, Vans, where ever it is a pita to get to the Plugs!

At the end of the day, its either or. If you are fitting them your self, use std plugs, as over the life of an Iridium, you would get new plugs 5 or 6 times, while the Iridium would be slowly wearing out.

BTW, anyone who really thinks of using anything but the NGK product, is kidding! NGK make the best Plugs in the world, bar none! NGK FTW!

blueoval · 31-10-2008, 09:54 AM

agree with you there MNM96. NGK are definitely the best brand for fords.

Also I used Iridiums on my Subaru, mainly due to the difficulty in replacing the spark plugs with limited access to the area. My mechanic was always cursing me when I asked him to replace them. After getting the iridiums fitted, it was just a matter of checking 1 plug every 30,000 or so. Never had a problem with them, but like you said, they are perfect for cars which have difficulty changing plugs.

RG · 31-10-2008, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNM96

I replaced mine at 105k, were fine. I had a set I kept when closing my business, and if the boxes weren't getting a bit shoddy, I would have left the old ones in! They were in excellent order.

PS, NGK warrant their Iridium Plugs for 150k against fault!

Wish I knew that before, my TR55IX ones were screwed after 35k

:

I agree with you about the NGK plugs being the best, nothing comes close in mine.

SirHenry · 31-10-2008, 06:55 PM

My thoughts are that a lot depends on your own experiences with each brand. Personally I wouldn't let NGK go into any car of mine, the ones I have used have been dodgy (ie cracked cores, rough engine performance) for me Bosch all the way!

MNM96 · 31-10-2008, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirHenry

My thoughts are that a lot depends on your own experiences with each brand. Personally I wouldn't let NGK go into any car of mine, the ones I have used have been dodgy (ie cracked cores, rough engine performance) for me Bosch all the way!

I had a Business and received a plaque for supplying and fitting 10000 Spark Plugs. I reckon I had no more than 10 failures in that time. Each time, I replaced a set, and returned them for warranty, and always received replacement, a well as payment for time lost.

The times I have encountered Bosch Plugs, I have had people come and see me with dramas. I can't comment what there Wtty was like, as I didn't have any dealings.

Mr Hardware · 31-10-2008, 08:02 PM

^haha nothing like the voice of experience speaking. NGK for life.

**Stav** · 31-10-2008, 08:04 PM

NGK have a very weak brittle ceramic insulator.It is very bad.I dont know how many millions of times I have removed and reinstalled plugs but I can say that once the insulator cracks it goes to buggery.
For their reputation they arent the plug they are supposed to be as far as I am concerned.

**Stav** · 31-10-2008, 08:08 PM

My advice is that if you have ngk ..make sure you have a vacuum cleaner to suck the highly probable ceramic breakage from going into your engine.If NGK dont like my comments then we can meet and I can show them the flaw in teir product.

SirHenry · 31-10-2008, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stav

NGK have a very weak brittle ceramic insulator.It is very bad.I dont know how many millions of times I have removed and reinstalled plugs but I can say that once the insulator cracks it goes to buggery.

For this very reason I will never have them near my car again.

RG · 31-10-2008, 08:12 PM

I can honestly say that all the times I have used NGK plugs I have NEVER broken one, not even getting it into cyl 5 on the AU past the Herrod Headers.

Anyone who has ever done this will tell you it is a damn hard job trying to get it in there properly.