Michael Johnson wrote:
> Ivan K. wrote:
>> Michael Johnson wrote:
>>> It is all hype. Unless you current wires are trashed you will NEVER
>>> get an additional 15 hp or 15% improvement in mileage from a set plug
>>> wires. Never believe the claims from these yahoos. All they want is
>>> your money and they will flat out lie to get it.
>>
>>
>> Sure I understood that there is exaggeration involved
>> in this advertisements. The fact remains however that
>> the "check engine" light has stayed on for a day or so
>> on at least three occasions over the last two months
>> (it just happened again this afternoon) and I believe
>> this means I should go a head and get a major tune-up.
>> Also, I acquired the car second hand and who knows
>> how well the previous owners took care of it.
>> Also, there are currently 70,000 miles on the
>> care.
>
> You should pull the computer codes and determine the real cause of the
> problem. Just throwing parts at it isn't a wise use of your money. My
> guess is there is an emissions problem that can be caused by any number
> of parts and most of them are not tuneup related.
>
>> Should I just get stock Ford spark plugs, plug wires and
>> coil wires, or are there some after market parts
>> that might give be a bit better performance
>> and/or fuel efficiency?
>
> Pull the computer codes and start from there. Otherwise you are just
> spending money and throwing parts at the problem in the hope it goes
> away. If your gas mileage is typical for that year and model of car
> then replacement of plugs, wires etc. isn't needed, IMO.
>
>> Those guys on HorsePower TV recently did
>> such an upgrade to a vehicle and there before
>> and after Dyno tests did show some improvement.
>> I always felt the people on that show were
>> sincere, but maybe I am just naive.
>
> Ever notice how those shows always slide in the names of the parts
> suppliers? They do this because they get paid to do it. Anything can
> be manipulated to produce a desired result. Like I said, don't blindly
> believe anything from someone trying to make a profit from you.
>
>> Thank you for your input, Mr. Johnson. I will
>> _definitely_ look into the subframe connectors and/or
>> rear end gears in the next year or so.
>
> If you really want a performance improvement spend your money on
> something that will guarantee results like gear swaps etc.


yes...I agree with Michael 100%. I've spent hundreds on guessing which
part might be bad. Finally learned my lesson. If you don't have a code
reader, I'd recommend going to a smog shop and ask the smog tech to pull
the trouble codes. Even if they charge you for a failed smog, its worth
the money. Might be something simple like an O2 sensor or something
along those lines.