[th3onizzle]

Changed spark plugs in by zx3 with ones they gave me at the store and crank my car up and ran like crap..took them out and put old ones back in and still running like crap real hesitant and slight burning smell...inspected the new plugs and there was no damage what could be the problem?????

 

[HawkeyeFLA]

Are you certain you got the plug wires back on right? With the recessed opening on the ZETECs its often very easy to misalign a wire and it not go on. Did you use any antisieze on the threads that might have gotten into the combustion chamber?

 

[th3onizzle]

I changed them one at a time so thre all aligned properly also i used hardly any antiseize so it couldnt have gotten in there...

 

[penguin]

One possibility is the spark plug wires. It is not unusual for marginal spark plug wires to work fine until they get tugged/pulled/moved by someone changing the spark plugs.

Could you be a bit more specific regarding the symptoms, e.g., something more detailed than "runs like crap?"

 

[th3onizzle]

Sorry was just real frustrated at the time I was typing. It is real hesitant like it is misfiring also real hesitant to accelerate. Guy at the parts store said to let it run for a while that maybe some dirt or other material got in when I changed them. So I did and the check engine light came on. Today put a new set of plugs in and problem got a little better but not completely correct. Going to get new wires tommorrow and hopefully thats the problem.

 

[malim]

Check your code when in Autozone... you'll know the answer...

 

[bluefront]

You probably will have a misfire code, perhaps related to a specific cylinder. There's no code I know of that will say "plug wire". So the problem could be either a plug, a plug wire, a wire connector, a coil, etc.

Since wires are cheap enough, that's the next thing to try for sure. There are certain plug brands that effect certain ignition systems. I would avoid Bosch plugs like the plague......

 

[focusmaniaczx3]

crank the car and while it is running pull the plug wires off the spark plugs. start on one side and work your way over pulling them out one at a time listen to the engine each time you pull one out then put the wire back on. each time you remove a plug wire the engine should run worse but if you pull one and nothing changes then you have a problem. it could be as simple as that one plug wire being bad, a bad coil, bad plug or possibly a serious internal problem but i give that last one a slim to none chance. if that works and it is one of the plugs, wires, or the coil, plug the wire back to the plug and very carefully and preferably with good rubber gloves(unless you like the feeling of electricity coursing through you) remove the possibly mafunctioning wire from the coil and hold it fairly close to the coil. if sparks jump from the nipple of the coil to the wire then it is a bad wire or plug. if you get no sparks the it probably is a bad coil. there may be easier ways to check that but thats how i do it and yes ive had the crap shocked out of myself many many many times. hope that helps

 

[BOOSTA]

^^^^Yes exactly! My car was running like shit one day, was like it was running on three cylinders, and reaked of fuel from the exhaust. I pulled each plug off and came to the realisation that I had a bad coil.

 

[th3onizzle]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!!! I downloaded the code reader to my palm and it was the wires. The fourth cylinder was misfiring and i replaced the wires and no more problem.. Thanks again all

 

[malim]

Great to know that you had it fixed )

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Glad you got it fixed. I hope you purchased Lifetime Warranty wires. Those can save you a lot more over time. Plug wires are so freaking cheap that they can afford to give you the next pair for free, and so take advantage of it. As expensive as gasoline is, I'd change the plug wires every time I changed the plugs.

 

[inventiv]

HT Leads could be bad, or went bad once you moved them - can happen if they are too old. Try swapping them out as well with the plugs:

 

[amc49]

You can read the wire resistance in about 10 seconds each wire using a simple $10 voltmeter..........looking for less than 5K ohm resistance per 12 inches of wire length. Lower is better.