So I replaced my spark plugs yesterday because the ones in the truck were the original ones 110,000 miles ago. 4 of them came out easy, and 2 of them gave me a bunch of trouble. The new ones would only go in halfway, so I backed them out, and yep... cross-threaded. I was in a huge hurry, so I took it to the stealership to have them get them in. Turns out they had to re-tap the block. Got the new plugs in. It started up great and I went home $240 later.


Now, I go start my truck after it sat cold for awhile. It took about 5 seconds to turn over. Once it started, it seems to run smooth. No shaking or anything. I just put in a new battery with high cold-cranking amps about a month ago. Also just did a new synthetic oil change last week.

It seems when the truck is hot, it turns over just fine, but when it's cold, it sounds horrible and takes forever to turn over. I will keep an eye on my gas mileage this week. Maybe a spark plug is misfiring lightly.

Any ideas?

 

I know it to be true!!! I had the same issue with E3 spark plugs in my 2.3. The #1 plug wire did not snap on to the plug like it does with the OEM's spark plugs. The plug wire popped off about 3 times after it warmed up and lost its grip on the top of the plug. I also had them in my Mustang and had issues with it taking more crank time statring when the engine was cold. I noticed that the threads on the E3's are very sharp, meaning they dont seat well with the threads in the heads allowing for less pressure to build in the piston. I took them out and noticed that the over all lenghts of the E3's and the OEM plugs were equal but the seat of the plug was lower making it sit deeper in the plug tunnel and harder for the plug wire boot to snap on...I went back to new OEM plugs in both the Ranger and Mustang. Lesson learned about aftermarket plugs....

 

My truck started up fine today. I'm gonna check all my spark plug wires and make sure they are seated correctly.

 

What brand of plugs.

 

I got motorcraft plugs


I checked out my truck earlier today, and one of the spark plugs wires wasnt pushed on the plug as far as the others. So I pushed it on, and the truck turned over fast. So hopefully it stays that way.