94 t-bird

ok this is gonna be a pretty lengthy post. Dont have codes sorry. Got a 94 bird 4.6 V-8. Started out was rough idle and felt like it was gonna die all the time. Driving uphill results in backfire, running A/C sometimes causes the car to die completely (have to let it sit for 30 or more before itll start and go again). The other day driving through town a spark plug blew out of the hole, cant get plug all the way in, can only get 2 or 3 turns in before it stops. On the same plug i noticed the plug wire housing was ripped (where the wire meets the plug itself). I temporarily put electrical tape around the wire and now my rough idle is almost gone. However, now when i accelerate it chugs and acts like it isnt gettin fuel. We only paid 750 bucks for the car and that was over a year ago but its our only transportation and kinda need to get it runnin a lil better. Any help would be appreciated.:banghead:

sounds like there might have been some physical damage to that one plug - like something slammed up against it, or maybe something was left by mistake and someone shut the hood on it. That may be why you can't get the plug in very far - stripped threads. I don't know what else to say though, except that may be why it was only 750 bucks. Good luck with it, tho.

That plug might not have been tightened down enough or the threads could've already been screwed up before that plug was put in there. I would try a new set of plugs and wires cause that seems to be your idling problem. If you still cant get that plug in (like the threads in the head are messed up) then I would take it to a machine or engine shop and see if there is anyway they can either chase the threads or tap them without getting shavings in the cylinder.

Believe it or not Ive seen plugs get thrown out of dirt bikes many of times before. Mostly because someone finger tightened them and forgot to tighten them with a ratchet before taking off.

well yah ok, common sense, change the plugs and stuff. So we bust 70 bucks, and BLAM runs like a dream. Still getttin a check engine light, but thats the least of my worries. Thanks guys, if you hadnt suggested it i woulda waited another 6 months. Peace.:smokin:
One last thing..Im gettin a good amount of white smoke out the tail. This gonna cause me problems in the near future?

If its really white smoke that may be a problem NOW. That may be a sign of a leaky head gasket. Typically not a REAL common problem on the 4.6 (unlike the 3.8) but a real pain in the ass to fix as you have to take about half the motor apart to fix it. Do you have any other syptoms? Loss of power having to keep filling you coolant. Water in the oil?

At the moment the smoke coming from the tailpipe is the only symptom, there was also oil on one of the sparkplugs, like a Oring was bad. There is no water in the oil and coolant stays filled (needs a good flush but stays full).

I just recently had some of the same issues and worried myself sick before finally making a move (and I am pretty car savvy!) I started with the easiest, cheapest thing that I could think of to start the process of elimination, after a bout of the pros and cons--I used one bottle of 2.50 bar's stop leak-liquid that goes in and you drive it for about 20 min. and it worked for me and was cheap. If it doesn't do anything at all then you have at least established a place to start and an idea of what isn't wrong! Good luck!! Schellie