best spark plugs for a '91 F/I Festiva 5-speed?

[festivaWES]

you can get mobil's clean 5000 synthetic for 10 bucks a gallon at wal-marts everywhere. It's what i run in my cars.

[GenevaDirt]

Champions....change them every year or 12K what ever come first. They are cheap enough. Same for rotor and cap.

I used to change wires every year also...the cheapest set I could get...to many problems...now I use the expensive silicone wires and change them every 24K or 2 years.

You can get the good lifetime warranty plug wires from Autozone.....and then change them as often as you want for free. I pull in the lot....tell the guy I want to change out the wires and they let me take them outside and swap them before they write anything up.

If you are so inclined and own more then one Festy....you can change the wires on one and then change the others a while later on the other for the low cost of the first set of wires.....not that I have done that...

[getnpsi]

I don't think mobil clean 5000 or 7500 are synthetics. They just contain a higher quality additive package designed to run longer to be able to keep up with longer drain synthetics. Since most cars never see the heat of racing or commercial service, they dont need the thermal protection of a synthetic, only the anti-wear anti-acid properties.

Getting back to Bob, hope you find what's giving you the bad numbers. My car that is smoking on start and 300 pounds heavier is still cranking out 35-38mpg. You should be kickin' my butt. You have newer plugs and wires, try addressing the fuel system or oil perhaps? Gumout regane 12oz is free w/rebate right now at Autozone.

[bobstad]

Going in to look at those plugs; soon as the weather is nice!

Thanks everyone. I'm going to clean and gap those plugs and see what happens, since other wise the car has always run faultlessly. The drop in mileage sort of snuck up on me which I'd begun to really notice, since the drive to Seattle and back of 200 miles round-trip is so consistently similar each time and done often enough to reflect a real trend if there is one.

One thing is that after installing new plugs in the car the last time,(the weather has been cold and wet lately or I'd of cleaned and gapped my plugs by now) I had nine round trips between Eureka, CA and here; 675 miles one way, and eight were as heavily loaded as I'll bet a Festiva has ever been.(I know I'll have challenges, but consider a fridge on the roof one load with many other things including three 4' x 8' sheets of 3/8" plywood; a hide-a-bed couch AND over-stuffed chair another time, with all but one load similarly immense; and that is just on the outside!)

If the gap is my problem, perhaps those heavy loads caused this to expand more than usual?(I'll give a heads up in a day or two whenever I get the plugs out, so all can know what they were like; what brand and type plugs too, etc.)

I've also changed the fuel filter since buying the car, but quite awhile ago; fall of '05, so if the plugs don't make a difference I could do that again.(I got one pretty cheap when the alternative was about three times as much; both choices from a Eureka KRAGENS store)

I just put in a new K & N air filter too; though that hasn't seemed to make any great difference one way or another, with only one trip to Seattle since installed.

Since my driving other than those freeway runs to Seattle and back, is often short trips around town I'd been figuring this was causing the lower gas mileage figures; but lately I've been filling up often enough to check on just freeway mileage and still am just able to get over 37 mpg.(one thing though is that I'm always a little suspicious of some of the gas mileage figures people claim with their Festys, using stock 12" rims and trusting the accuracy of the speedometer/odometer; which in my experience was way too high, so that I'd even gotten one 50 mpg reading or a little more; even though on a winding two-lane with traffic and one pass)

[bobstad]

I'm also thinking about wiring in a switch on the dash to break the circuit from the cooling fan thermostatic switch which is no good; to be able to turn the fan on and off from inside the car.

I have a rocker style switch which lights up when on(three prong) so that should be a nice way to do things; if I'm able to wire that, to get the light-up effect with the fan working.(I'm guessing there isn't too big a load involved and that my switch should be sufficient, which has sturdy looking brass type contacts; though I've no idea what I'd gotten the thing for now, which was a couple decades ago; which was never used and has taken up glove box space in now a fourth vehicle since purchased...I remember is made in Mexico)

[jglutz]

You can get the good lifetime warranty plug wires from Autozone.....and then change them as often as you want for free. I pull in the lot....tell the guy I want to change out the wires and they let me take them outside and swap them before they write anything up.

If you are so inclined and own more then one Festy....you can change the wires on one and then change the others a while later on the other for the low cost of the first set of wires.....not that I have done that...

I'm P.O.'d with AZ....I went to exchange a set of front pad's recently...gave them my phone number and 10 items came up on their screen...all but my pads....went home and dug out the reciepts...I have paid in full for three (3) sets of pads....went back with paper work in hand...and they hem'd and haw'd but finally gave in. When I went up to the cashier he claimed that frequent exchangers seem to vanish from the system. I said no thanks...went home and sent a complaint out to the Pennsylvania Attorney General, Office of Consumer Complaint...I recieved a responce three week later that they apologize for any inconvenience, they have experienced problems, and my records have been restored. I'm going to do the most responsible thing a consumer can do...keep my wallet out of their store.

In terms of their wires...their cheap ones...I had to put cable ties on the boots...their expensive ones...way to price'y for medium quality. NAPA...$30...very high quality

[FB71]

I've actually had very good experiences with my local Advance Auto Parts. Good service (they know by name ), reasonable prices, reasonable parts. I have no complaints about them. Now, the Auto Zone across the street... they suck!!

[mechanicaldj]

mechanicalDJ educated me on this back when we conversed. No to Bosch. And I think he said just use a standard plug, like what came in them originally.

I used Bosch, before talking to George, and found that I lost gas mileage.

if platinum or iridium plugs did not come with your car from the factory, DO NOT USE THEM NOW!!!!

i tend to stay with NGK V-Powers, never a problem and great gas mileage

[bobstad]

A likely culprit causing lower mileage figures?

Well; I got under the hood today; to clean and gap the spark plugs.(NGKs; an appropriate model)

What I found was the plug in the #1 cylinder(next to the distributor) had a different look from the rest; instead of a light tan coating, distinctly whiter in appearance.

Looking closer I noticed that there was an extra metal washer on the base of the plug, which must've been left over from the set of plugs just previous; since this is the first time any difference in the plugs has been noticed.

I guess that one plug firing a different distance from the combustion chamber, must've been what was giving me a lower fuel mileage all along. The reason this wasn't noticed sooner was the mileage figures were expectably lower during the 15,000 miles moving with very heavy loads on the roof of the car as well as inside.(about 30 mpg)

The gap on all plugs was a slightly loose .045" so I snugged them all down to a tight .045" after cleaning and gapping all of them.

Now we will see if my mileage shows any improvement?(there is a performance in Seattle March 31st facebook.com friend,(real-life tolerant of me if I'm cool) musical super star Amy Denio* says she will be at; so that is the coming "test run" which will be reported here in this thread; to give an accurate final diagnosis and we'd expect perhaps successful remedy to the mileage woes)

*(www.amydenio.com)

p. s. First pic; me, frog & Mom.(got horrific warts on both hands after this; cured by hypnosis, even though I noticed family M. D. using dull end of "sharp" prod on my hand when I peeked when my eyes were supposed to be closed)

[jglutz]

I've actually had very good experiences with my local Advance Auto Parts. Good service (they know by name ), reasonable prices, reasonable parts. I have no complaints about them. Now, the Auto Zone across the street... they suck!!

Same here in town AZ and Advanced are across the street from each other.
My ony problem with Advance is you wait in line and the idiot in front of me gets to the counter to have his wiper blades changed...they do it for free here...20 minutes later when it's my turn the phone rings and they always put the phone call as a priority....Anymore NAPA or Carquest.

[jrbauerjr]

Mileage????

Here's the numbers on my 91 Festy, the 40+mpg were when I traded cars with my wife and towed bar 'd to Oakland to swap with her. Otherwise only in the high 30's... Anybody got comparable numbers????

Jim Bauer

Date Place Miles Since Fuel Price MPG

4/17/2008 San Ramon, CA 119798 0 6.4 3.779
5/15/2008 San Ramon, CA 120045 247 6.8 3.889 36.18
5/22/2008 Dublin, CA 120244 199 5.7 3.919 34.73
5/26/2008 Oakland, CA 120534 290 8.0 4.029 36.39
5/30/2008 Dublin, CA 120854 320 8.6 4.189 37.30
6/3/2008 Dublin, CA 121195 341 8.7 4.269 39.06
6/8/2008 Dublin, CA 121426 231 5.6 4.459 41.38
6/12/2008 San Ramon, CA 121706 280 7.4 4.559 37.94
6/24/2008 San Ramon, CA 122024 318 8.3 4.579 38.50
9/8/2008 San Ramon, CA 122246 222 7.0 3.799 31.71
9/15/2008 San Ramon, CA 122489 243 7.1 3.779 34.05
9/22/2008 San Ramon, CA 122794 305 8.3 3.799 36.84
9/29/2008 San Ramon, CA 123047 253 6.7 3.659 37.69
10/6/2008 San Ramon, CA 123368 321 8.6 3.649 37.48
10/13/2008 San Ramon, CA 123568 200 5.1 3.439 39.22
10/21/2008 San Ramon, CA 123878 310 7.3 3.399 42.65
10/27/2008 San Ramon, CA 124139 261 6.1 3.019 42.86
11/5/2008 San Ramon, CA 124488 349 8.0 2.899 43.53
11/10/2008 San Ramon, CA 124785 297 8.3 2.459 35.59
11/14/2008 San Ramon, CA 125049 264 7.1 2.359 37.35
11/21/2008 San Ramon, CA 125319 270 7.0 1.999 38.52
12/1/2008 Concord 125619 300 8.2 1.879 36.61
12/5/2008 Dublin CA 125914 295 8.3 1.829 35.61
12/9/2008 fremont 126132 218 6.59 1.719 33.07
12/20/2008 San Ramon, CA 126407 275 7.5 1.699 36.90
12/28/2008 San Ramon, CA 126661 254 7.2 1.819 35.35
1/7/2009 San Ramon, CA 126919 258 7.7 1.939 33.42
1/25/2009 San Ramon, CA 127192 273 8.4 2.059 32.41
2/10/2009 San Ramon, CA 127471 279 8.7 1.999 32.22
2/20/2009 San Ramon, CA 127725 254 8.5 2.149 29.93
3/5/2009 San Ramon, CA 128066 341 8.6 2.139 39.51
3/12/2009 San Ramon, CA 128362 296 8.2 2.099 36.10
3/18/2009 San Ramon, CA 128593 231 6.4 1.989 36.21
3/24/2009 Oakland 128822 229 6.3 2.199 36.24

[festyxfi]

Bob, is that a love seat hanging off the back of your festy?

YOU ARE AWESOME MAN!!!...

FX

[CharlieZ]

the #1 cylinder(next to the distributor)

Oh no Rosie, I hope this ain't right!!

[bobstad]

Curious about Festiva mileage claims?

Here's the numbers on my 91 Festy, the 40+mpg were when I traded cars with my wife and towed bar 'd to Oakland to swap with her. Otherwise only in the high 30's... Anybody got comparable numbers????

Jim Bauer

Date Place Miles Since Fuel Price MPG

4/17/2008 San Ramon, CA 119798 0 6.4 3.779
5/15/2008 San Ramon, CA 120045 247 6.8 3.889 36.18
5/22/2008 Dublin, CA 120244 199 5.7 3.919 34.73
5/26/2008 Oakland, CA 120534 290 8.0 4.029 36.39
5/30/2008 Dublin, CA 120854 320 8.6 4.189 37.30
6/3/2008 Dublin, CA 121195 341 8.7 4.269 39.06
6/8/2008 Dublin, CA 121426 231 5.6 4.459 41.38
6/12/2008 San Ramon, CA 121706 280 7.4 4.559 37.94
6/24/2008 San Ramon, CA 122024 318 8.3 4.579 38.50
9/8/2008 San Ramon, CA 122246 222 7.0 3.799 31.71
9/15/2008 San Ramon, CA 122489 243 7.1 3.779 34.05
9/22/2008 San Ramon, CA 122794 305 8.3 3.799 36.84
9/29/2008 San Ramon, CA 123047 253 6.7 3.659 37.69
10/6/2008 San Ramon, CA 123368 321 8.6 3.649 37.48
10/13/2008 San Ramon, CA 123568 200 5.1 3.439 39.22
10/21/2008 San Ramon, CA 123878 310 7.3 3.399 42.65
10/27/2008 San Ramon, CA 124139 261 6.1 3.019 42.86
11/5/2008 San Ramon, CA 124488 349 8.0 2.899 43.53
11/10/2008 San Ramon, CA 124785 297 8.3 2.459 35.59
11/14/2008 San Ramon, CA 125049 264 7.1 2.359 37.35
11/21/2008 San Ramon, CA 125319 270 7.0 1.999 38.52
12/1/2008 Concord 125619 300 8.2 1.879 36.61
12/5/2008 Dublin CA 125914 295 8.3 1.829 35.61
12/9/2008 fremont 126132 218 6.59 1.719 33.07
12/20/2008 San Ramon, CA 126407 275 7.5 1.699 36.90
12/28/2008 San Ramon, CA 126661 254 7.2 1.819 35.35
1/7/2009 San Ramon, CA 126919 258 7.7 1.939 33.42
1/25/2009 San Ramon, CA 127192 273 8.4 2.059 32.41
2/10/2009 San Ramon, CA 127471 279 8.7 1.999 32.22
2/20/2009 San Ramon, CA 127725 254 8.5 2.149 29.93
3/5/2009 San Ramon, CA 128066 341 8.6 2.139 39.51
3/12/2009 San Ramon, CA 128362 296 8.2 2.099 36.10
3/18/2009 San Ramon, CA 128593 231 6.4 1.989 36.21
3/24/2009 Oakland 128822 229 6.3 2.199 36.24

What I'm always wondering on Festiva mileage figures, is if these are using the 12" stock rims?

On my car, which is a '91 5-speed L model, the twelve inch rims resulted in a much higher indicated than actual speed and correspondingly higher than actual mileage too.

With 13" rims and 155/R-13 tires depending on the brand of tire, I get much more accurate speed and mileage figures.

My best fuel mileage with 13" rims except for one fluke(using super-cooled fuel on a hot day) is around 43+ which happens only rarely, though 39+ on the open road is pretty usual; with anywhere from 27+ on up around town under various sorts of conditions.(I have a lead foot in traffic situations which make me nervous and want to be sure I'm well out of harm's way; which along with multiple short trips produce my worst mileage figures...while I'm a feather-foot out on long drives on the open road, and traveling at night when able to relax without other cars to think about, with the darkness keeping my speed at below 65 mpg is when my fuel consumption is least)

[bobstad]

who's counting?

Oh no Rosie, I hope this ain't right!!

Okay, maybe I'm part Arabic and read from right to left?(or is that Sanskrit?)