Ike
03-21-2009, 09:35 PM
Folks,
Justed wanted to pass along my nightmare that will hopefully be over soon. In taking advantage of the nice weather I gave all the vehicles in the yard tune ups (new plugs, wires, oil changes, tranny checks, throttle body cleans, etc.). This included the 4.0 Stang last. Please read on knowing that you may have different experiences with aftermarket plugs for your ride, but this is what is actively going on for us.
I asked for the best plugs the auto parts store had and they sold me the E3 Spark Plugs with Diamond Fire Technology, item # E3.60, specifically for 2005 to 2009 4.0 V6 Mustangs. I had a new set of JBA plug wires and I got out the torque wrench, checked the specs., diagramed the coil and firing orders, then changed the plugs and wires one at a time just like with the other vehicles in the yard. Everything went smooth except for #3 being a little tricky to get going.
Went to fire it up to warm the engine for the oil change and it sounded like crap! First thing that I thought that was that I may have missed pushing the boot securely some place. No. Everything was secure on the coil, too. Rechecked the orders and all were correct. Tried it again and the same. Code reader said misfires on two cylinders, a coil problem, and I went and pulled the two plugs and checked the coil, again. Coil was fine, but the two plugs were not. One was crushed in on the end and the other had been hit. I'm saying NO FREAKIN' WAY! I pulled all of the plugs and all but one was this way. I could not believe it!
I called the closest Ford dealer/service center, 40 miles away in Fayetteville, NC, and they had a technician to call me. We tried to get things straight and I even installed a new set of Autolite plugs. She was still running bad.
Had to get it towed to the service center, $170, and they have had the Stang since Thursday. They diagnosed the problem as the E3.60 plugs, saying that they are junk, that they are having several 4.0 Stangs starting to come in with the same issues with aftermarket plugs. The E3.60s do not fit, and they stripped out the threads. So, now the Stang sits until Monday when they will attempt to rethread and install the correct factory plugs. So far, the total cost is at $800.
I have e-mailed E3 and have no response. The different auto parts places I've talked to, prior to the dealership service center call I made, all want to know the outcome. So, I'm not slandering E3, but reporting the facts told to me by the service center. I will never use this product again, needless to say, but make your own choice here!
The worst is that we just moved in December to turn the upstairs of my Mother's house into an apartment in order to live with her and provide care for her due to chronic health conditions, keeping her from going into a nursing home. We're faced with foreclosure on our house that we're desperately trying to sell, I've not been able to find work and we're facing bankruptcy, it's taken me months to save after the cost of the move in order to get lawyer consultation/assistance on things, and now all of that is gone in order to pay $800 for screwed up $37 worth of crappy spark plugs! The good guy always gets it in the end!!!!!!
Justed wanted to pass along my nightmare that will hopefully be over soon. In taking advantage of the nice weather I gave all the vehicles in the yard tune ups (new plugs, wires, oil changes, tranny checks, throttle body cleans, etc.). This included the 4.0 Stang last. Please read on knowing that you may have different experiences with aftermarket plugs for your ride, but this is what is actively going on for us.
I asked for the best plugs the auto parts store had and they sold me the E3 Spark Plugs with Diamond Fire Technology, item # E3.60, specifically for 2005 to 2009 4.0 V6 Mustangs. I had a new set of JBA plug wires and I got out the torque wrench, checked the specs., diagramed the coil and firing orders, then changed the plugs and wires one at a time just like with the other vehicles in the yard. Everything went smooth except for #3 being a little tricky to get going.
Went to fire it up to warm the engine for the oil change and it sounded like crap! First thing that I thought that was that I may have missed pushing the boot securely some place. No. Everything was secure on the coil, too. Rechecked the orders and all were correct. Tried it again and the same. Code reader said misfires on two cylinders, a coil problem, and I went and pulled the two plugs and checked the coil, again. Coil was fine, but the two plugs were not. One was crushed in on the end and the other had been hit. I'm saying NO FREAKIN' WAY! I pulled all of the plugs and all but one was this way. I could not believe it!
I called the closest Ford dealer/service center, 40 miles away in Fayetteville, NC, and they had a technician to call me. We tried to get things straight and I even installed a new set of Autolite plugs. She was still running bad.
Had to get it towed to the service center, $170, and they have had the Stang since Thursday. They diagnosed the problem as the E3.60 plugs, saying that they are junk, that they are having several 4.0 Stangs starting to come in with the same issues with aftermarket plugs. The E3.60s do not fit, and they stripped out the threads. So, now the Stang sits until Monday when they will attempt to rethread and install the correct factory plugs. So far, the total cost is at $800.
I have e-mailed E3 and have no response. The different auto parts places I've talked to, prior to the dealership service center call I made, all want to know the outcome. So, I'm not slandering E3, but reporting the facts told to me by the service center. I will never use this product again, needless to say, but make your own choice here!
The worst is that we just moved in December to turn the upstairs of my Mother's house into an apartment in order to live with her and provide care for her due to chronic health conditions, keeping her from going into a nursing home. We're faced with foreclosure on our house that we're desperately trying to sell, I've not been able to find work and we're facing bankruptcy, it's taken me months to save after the cost of the move in order to get lawyer consultation/assistance on things, and now all of that is gone in order to pay $800 for screwed up $37 worth of crappy spark plugs! The good guy always gets it in the end!!!!!!