[5.4ever]

I recently purchased an svtf with 71k miles... It runs decent

I bought to commute to and from work. I work overnight so i NEVER catch traffic.

I always put regular unleaded gasoline. I drive over 100 miles a day so im trying to save money here[] I never go higher than 2.5k rpm in any gear...

I recently added new plugs and changed the coil. She was running bad but when I did this, shes running ok again... By "ok" i mean. she isnt hesitating like she was prior to the coil change. BUT, now I can hear some detonation in the motor while accelerating under load. THIS NEVER HAPPENED before I changed the plugs. the plugs that were in there before were autolites[thumbd]

so I put in Motorcraft copper plugs(the ones that are highly recommended here) would this be the issue. I think they are one step COLDER???[dunno]

Any ideas what it could be? I dont wanna hear someone say its the octane because I dont rev past 2.5k and before I changed the plugs, It never did this.

Can it be the gap? the autolites were gapped at .45 while the new plugs were gapped at .60(per instructions here)

Any help would be greatly appreaciated

 

[Holden]

I'm not sure, but you may have lost us with "regular unleaded gasoline"...

 

[5.4ever]

I'm not sure, but you may have lost us with "regular unleaded gasoline"...

What?? why???? Please dont tell me that everyone here believes ITS A MUST to run premium at all times????

I owned two svt cobras, an 03 and an 04. And altough I would put 93 oct 90% of the time, when I was going to take long trips or anytime my blower wasnt going into boost, there is absolutely no reason why 87 octane isnt acceptable...

Like I said in my OP, I never, ever rev this little engine up (its a 4cyl for christs sakes) I only use it as a commuter, and IT never pinged before....


Anyone else care to actually help? Thanks

 

[ViperThreat]

^^ its a necessity. our cars require 91 octane bare minimum or they will run like crap.

The SVTf engine is not your typical piston engine, the VVT and whatnot make it much harder to deal with, and though im no expert on the details, i can tell you that its a pretty long way from the cobra engine, and alot more finicky.


Also, your engine loves high revs.. try taking it up to 7k sometime, its no cobra, but its a pretty zippy little engine at high revs.

 

[azdamay]

You want us to know you've owned two Cobras... yet in another thread you admit you've never even changed spark plugs before. The "Terminator" has a compression ratio of 8.5:1, the engine used in the SVT Focus has a compression ratio of 10.2:1. Use premium. SVTF owners telling you to use premium are speaking from experience. The car does not run well on lower-octane fuel.

Honestly, why buy a car like an SVT Focus to use as a cheap commuter car that you never take over 2,500 RPM? It's sort of missing the point of the car. You could have saved a lot of money and just bought an old Escort. The Escort would probably be more reliable, too.

 

[5.4ever]

^^ its a necessity. our cars require 91 octane bare minimum or they will run like crap.

The SVTf engine is not your typical piston engine, the VVT and whatnot make it much harder to deal with, and though im no expert on the details, i can tell you that its a pretty long way from the cobra engine, and alot more finicky.


Also, your engine loves high revs.. try taking it up to 7k sometime, its no cobra, but its a pretty zippy little engine at high revs.

it is required yes, but trust me when I say that we went over this so many time in svtp.com when youre just cruising or shifting very early, the higher octane isnt needed. And I will repeat myself, I never rev it up that high. Theres no point. Its a four banger giuys. If I want to go fast Ill jump into my corvette or zx6r and go bananas.

You want us to know you've owned two Cobras... yet in another thread you admit you've never even changed spark plugs before. The "Terminator" has a compression ratio of 8.5:1, the engine used in the SVT Focus has a compression ratio of 10.2:1. Use premium. SVTF owners telling you to use premium are speaking from experience. The car does not run well on lower-octane fuel.

Honestly, why buy a car like an SVT Focus to use as a cheap commuter car that you never take over 2,500 RPM? It's sort of missing the point of the car. You could have saved a lot of money and just bought an old Escort. The Escort would probably be more reliable, too.

[burnout]

you dont have to believe me... but since it seems like youre so good at looking thru peoples history, why not go ober to svtp and look up 5.4 ever. You will see a pic of my black terminator along with my old gsxr600... and if you wanna look even more, go over to the corvetteforum.com and look me up there....see my c6 vette??? like it???

still dont believe me??? em1.com my old civic si account should still be there... how about kawiforums.com, I recently bought a zx6r, awesome bike btw....


And yes, i admit to saying that, but how else am I going to get help from here unless I seem completely oblivious... even then, its so hard to get help... like now. I asked a question and get a lecture[thumbd]


back to the question at hand...

can someone tell me if the copper plugs and/or gap cause detonation??

Thanks

 

[5.4ever]

You want us to know you've owned two Cobras... yet in another thread you admit you've never even changed spark plugs before. The "Terminator" has a compression ratio of 8.5:1, the engine used in the SVT Focus has a compression ratio of 10.2:1. Use premium. SVTF owners telling you to use premium are speaking from experience. The car does not run well on lower-octane fuel.

Honestly, why buy a car like an SVT Focus to use as a cheap commuter car that you never take over 2,500 RPM? It's sort of missing the point of the car. You could have saved a lot of money and just bought an old Escort. The Escort would probably be more reliable, too.

and to answer youre last question, I bought it because it looked like a decent looking car with decent miles at a decent price(3.5k)

and I will repeat myself one more time, just because its an svt doesnt make it powerful. its rather weak compared to my em1 and especially vs my other vehicles...

not bashing anyone here. im sure most of yall have fun with it, but its purpose for me is strictly a commuter... no gear bangin[]

 

[azdamay]

...but since it seems like youre so good at looking thru peoples history, why not go ober to svtp and look up 5.4 ever...

No thanks, you're clearly not worth the effort. Have a super night, sport.

 

[5.4ever]

No thanks, you're clearly not worth the effort. Have a super night, sport.

wtf? Im asking for hlep, you come in here with your bs, and now Im "not worth the effort??" you shouldve stayed the [][][][] out of this thread in the first place...

now Im the bad guy huh[dunno]

 

[ViperThreat]

Not to diss svtp.com, but its pretty obvious that they arent familiar with the SVTf engine. We are running much higher compression, we have Variable Valve Timing, and are making as much HP per litre as your Cobras(and we dont have forced induction). Because of this, our engines are much more sensitive to the details.

Either way, you can run numbers on paper all you want on forums, the fact of the matter is running the SVTf on anything other than 91+ octane has a proven track record of pinging, and poor performance. Its not that we "believe ITS A MUST to run premium at all times" its that we KNOW.

And truthfully, im wondering why you bought a SVTf to use as a daily commuter? I honestly cant think of a single car worse than a SVTf to use as a daily, the powerband, mileage, etc all make it a terrible commuter. The SVTf was built to shred mustangs down twisty canyon roads and tightly knotted tracks, not be grandmas timid commuter car. It sounds to me like you would be much better served with a protege or civic.

Finally, to answer your question, i have not heard of spark plugs being the sole cause of detonation, though i dont doubt that its possible Truthfully though, if your plugs are gapped correctly, then there should be no problems.

 

[ViperThreat]

wtf? Im asking for hlep, you come in here with your bs, and now Im "not worth the effort??" you shouldve stayed the [][][][] out of this thread in the first place...

now Im the bad guy huh[dunno]

You ARE the badguy, because you just jumped into a forum asked a question, and bashed the answers you recieved. Some of the people on here are far more accomplished mechanics and know more about the focus than three of you and I combined could. So when you start bashing the info that they are so graciously providing you, the only thing you are doing is making an [bootyshak[bootyshak[bootyshak of yourself.

Your reputation and status on other forums is Moot, and just because something works on one car does not mean it works for another.

 

[5.4ever]

Not to diss svtp.com, but its pretty obvious that they arent familiar with the SVTf engine. We are running much higher compression, we have Variable Valve Timing, and are making as much HP per litre as your Cobras(and we dont have forced induction). Because of this, our engines are much more sensitive to the details.

Either way, you can run numbers on paper all you want on forums, the fact of the matter is running the SVTf on anything other than 91+ octane has a proven track record of pinging, and poor performance. Its not that we "believe ITS A MUST to run premium at all times" its that we KNOW.

And truthfully, im wondering why you bought a SVTf to use as a daily commuter? I honestly cant think of a single car worse than a SVTf to use as a daily, the powerband, mileage, etc all make it a terrible commuter. The SVTf was built to shred mustangs down twisty canyon roads and tightly knotted tracks, not be grandmas timid commuter car. It sounds to me like you would be much better served with a protege or civic.

Finally, to answer your question, i have not heard of spark plugs being the sole cause of detonation, though i dont doubt that its possible Truthfully though, if your plugs are gapped correctly, then there should be no problems.

first actual sentence that may help...[wrenchin]

You ARE the badguy, because you just jumped into a forum asked a question, and bashed the answers you recieved. Some of the people on here are far more accomplished mechanics and know more about the focus than three of you and I combined could. So when you start bashing the info that they are so graciously providing you, the only thing you are doing is making an [bootyshak[bootyshak[bootyshak of yourself.

Your reputation and status on other forums is Moot, and just because something works on one car does not mean it works for another.

wtf??? I asked a question, and no one! I REPEAT NO ONE HAS TRIED TO ANSWER IT!!! Immediately they started dissecting what I said...

If you were to go to a friends house and say "hey friend I need help with my marriage, i think my wife is cheating on me" but before you could finish, your friend starts to tell you that you should first try and learn how to park better because your blocking his driveway... same shit here.

If anyone would have read what I wrote, they wouldve seen that I DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS!!!!

now as soon as I changed the plugs, I get detonation....

my question is what could I have done to cause this???

and if anyone would said "try blah blah blah blah... oh and when you figure this out, try boosting the octane, it might help" that wouldve been acceptable but no... everyone focused on that small detail[screwy]

lastly, not to bash on anyone but svtf is not gonna "shred" a v8 mustang in any way.....

and to me its very comfortable, better than my si which was also a commuter. and mileage I now get about 27mpg.. not bad

 

[Dehacked]

just a thought

try running premium and using fords suggested plugs, which i think are platinum but i'm not sure on that. its the cheapest possible try I would think.. sometimes if a few things are a little off it can cause everything to be more off.

 

[ViperThreat]

first actual sentence that may help...[wrenchin]
lastly, not to bash on anyone but svtf is not gonna "shred" a v8 mustang in any way.....

Dont be a fanboy about mustangs, they have a solid rear axle, which may be great for drags, but until the latest model (which has a split rear axle), there werent many mustangs that could keep with a stock SVTf in the corners. Hell, i could out-handle a 2010 gt500 in my old 2000 zx3 with stock suspension. (i know because i did, and the other car was driven by a driving instructor at firebird raceway.) Ill give mustangs props for their power, but arguing their handling (pre 2011) is just silly denial.

Either way, you did ask a question of sorts. You stated that you were having a problem and gave relevant information about the problem. The answer you got was based on the "minor detail" because that "minor" detail is one that is actually quite large. They may have not answered your particular question because they knew that the issue was most likely not your plugs but the fuel.


So sorry to be of help.

 

[5.4ever]

try running premium and using fords suggested plugs, which i think are platinum but i'm not sure on that. its the cheapest possible try I would think.. sometimes if a few things are a little off it can cause everything to be more off.

Hmmm, I think this would be the solution. But, Im wondering what changes did I do to cause it. Could it have anything to do with the ignition coil I installed?

What I was going to do is put the damn autolites back in there( i kept them LOL) and see what would happen....

thanks btw

Dont be a fanboy about mustangs, they have a solid rear axle, which may be great for drags, but until the latest model (which has a split rear axle), there werent many mustangs that could keep with a stock SVTf in the corners. Hell, i could out-handle a 2010 gt500 in my old 2000 zx3 with stock suspension. (i know because i did, and the other car was driven by a driving instructor at firebird raceway.) Ill give mustangs props for their power, but arguing their handling (pre 2011) is just silly denial.

Either way, you did ask a question of sorts. You stated that you were having a problem and gave relevant information about the problem. The answer you got was based on the "minor detail" because that "minor" detail is one that is actually quite large. They may have not answered your particular question because they knew that the issue was most likely not your plugs but the fuel.


So sorry to be of help.

What??? Maybe the smaller, less powerful focus can turn quicker but the v8 powered mustang will outrun easily in the straight away... unless youre talking about the tightest track in the world where there is nowhere for the v8 to stretch its legs....[dunno]

 

[standard]

Everyone here has answered your question. Why don't you spend an extra $2.00 fill it up with premium or at least mid grade, or just sell it and buy a Honda so you can put regular in it and get 45 mpg.

 

[5.4ever]

Everyone here has answered your question. Why don't you spend an extra $2.00 fill it up with premium or at least mid grade, or just sell it and buy a Honda so you can put regular in it and get 45 mpg.

NO! no one had until just now. Everyone assumed it was the OCTANE when I clearly said, it was running fine with 87 octane all along... meaning the change in plugs or coil triggered the problem...


I even said I didnt want to hear shit about it, because I knew it wasnt directly that!

But nooooo, everyone had to make a point about me using lower octane gas


If I put my stock plugs back and it stops the problem, what then? was it the octane?

What if I put 93 oct and I still have it????

Im trying to figure out what it is I did that........ you know what [][][][] it, im through trying to get to anyone here, thanks for any help anyone tried to provide[sleeping]

 

[COSVT03]

You say octane doesn't matter.

But when you use low octane gasoline and create large deposits of carbon which heat up (enough to cause detonation) the gasoline in the slightly higher compression 10.*:1 cylinder doesn't matter?

One of the other additives in higher octane gasoline is to help prevent carbon buildup.

I would LOVE to help, but it sounds like you have the science behind gasoline and combustion engines figured out.

 

[COSVT03]

...What if I put 93 oct and I still have it????

Will you still have it?

YES, It's already to f%&^ing late!!!
You put in the cheap shit, it built up the carbon and lined everything with SHIT.
So even if you put in the high octane in, it's going to take MONTHS for it all to be softened up and blown out the exhaust.

Also, it'll need a timing belt by 80k if it hasn't been changed yet.
Go ahead and wait on that one for the 2.5k bill to replace all that

[gunfire]

 

[Garantis28]

1. Run 91+ octane in your SVTF, or it will ping, no ifs ands or buts about it. It's a high compression motor, with fairly aggressive camshafts, and VCT. It WILL ping with anything lower than 91 octane, especially in the heat.

Saving a few bucks a week in gas is not worth risking putting a hole in a piston. Then all that money you saved will be going right into getting your motor rebuilt.

2. Take out your spark plugs, and make sure that they are in proper working condition. Google "spark plug reading", and look for fouling, ect. Make sure they are gapped correctly.

That should solve the problem, and if it doesn't we can re-evaluate the symptoms from there.