*&^(*&(#@*&$) Autolites....

[btolenti]

So I changed out the plugs in my 86 with some AC delco's.

IT RUNS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER NOW. I will never use Autolite plugs ever again.

 

[dyeager535]

I had two bad Autolites right out of the box, could never get the new engine to run right. Then I tested the plugs.

I'm no Autolite fan, but spark plugs are extremely fragile, one drop of the box can ruin a plug without it being visible. I've gone through 3 Delco plugs the same way...loose insulators, or just broke off after being dropped and "looking" good.

 

[pauly383]

How old were they ? I used to run Autolites #145 ( truck and marine ) in my Chevelle and Monte Carlo . I use delcos on my Blazer , but mostly because Autozone doesn't have Autolites . I never remembered any problems back then /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[btolenti]

They only had about 2000 miles on them, and were about 8 months old or so.

All I know is that the blazer is running 200% better now, it even idles smoother.

THe funny thing is that my mustang runs better with autolite coppers rather than the standard motorcraft plugs... /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif SO my statement earlier was wrong. I will never use autolites in my blazer ever again.

 

[pauly383]

Did the 2000 miles include many hours idling while wheeling ? Wheeling lets the motor load up more as we usually go up and down slowly . I change mine once a year regardless of whether I went enough miles or not . Oh well , glad your trucks is running better /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif

 

[btolenti]

2000 miles mostly freeway....

 

[i8yrsuv]

I have problems with auto-no-lites too !!!!!!! I think it was from mostly a cracked insulator !! /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif I think they are made by " DROF " . I have allways had good luck with Champions ...or free bees from Nippondenso in the old days ....

 

[rjfguitar]

I bought a set of cheaper Autolites for one of our ranch trucks, had a miss after I changed the plugs with the autolites. Turned out that their was no gap on one plug because it probably got dropped or something.

 

[btolenti]

All of the plugs I removed were in good condition....gapwise, etc.

They were even a good color! But the miss I had every once in a while (along with a code 42), is now gone now that I replaced the autolites with the delcos. The truck seems to run smoother on the highway too.

/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[dyeager535]

Both the plugs that I had that were bad (autolites) had some internal problem as well. One was arcing up inside the metal part, to the body of the plug, and the other just wasn't consistently arcing anywhere.

All of the Delco's I've had that were "bad" (either my fault or not) either cracked off where the insulator meets the metal body, or the insulator was actually loose in the metal body.

Just things to look out for. The days of just taking a plug out of the box, and even just gapping, without inspecting the plug, appear to be long gone. Not sure about NGK's or Bosch stuff, but then again, I heard NGK is making Delco's plugs anyways.

 

[Drey]

Im puting new Delcos in my blazer tommorrow hopefully it will help with the stalling and loss of power at full throttle. Ive personally always put Delcos in GM and Autolites in Ford and ive had sucess