k, been looking on the internet for few hours on this tool now, instead of hitting the eletrodes on the floor or prying it open to get the perfect gap, how about this tool?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FPVTCQX?tag=torqueboss-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

its quite expensive but on aliexpress, you can get one for abut £15 posted which isnt too bad.

what do you guys think?

You might be over thinking this a bit, I've never used a tool like that myself. 

As long as you buy the correct plugs from a decent brand, they'll probably be gapped correctly anyway.  Just worth checking with a feeler gauge in case of damage in transit really.

13 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

You might be over thinking this a bit, I've never used a tool like that myself. 

As long as you buy the correct plugs from a decent brand, they'll probably be gapped correctly anyway.  Just worth checking with a feeler gauge in case of damage in transit really.

i have always bought the same boshe ones from ebay for all my cars. i have never done this gap thing til only yesterday when reading up on here. 

do you think most seller will have different gap size sparkplugs?

just ordered this now:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154365097668?epid=14017013976&hash=item23f0e076c4:g:QMQAAOSwFh5gR2cc

10 hours ago, froggy8 said:

i have always bought the same boshe ones from ebay for all my cars. i have never done this gap thing til only yesterday when reading up on here. 

Your type of engine is developed and factory fitted with NGK TR5B-13 spark plugs. The original Ford (FoMoCo) spark plugs for this type of engine are also rebadged NGK TR5B-13 spark plugs. I always use the NGK TR5B-13 spark plugs for a 1.4/1.6 Duratec engine since these spark plugs are original but also cheap and widely available.  

Both the original FoMoCo spark plugs and the NGK TR5B-13 spark plugs are pre-gapped at 1.3 mm. (the number 13 in the NGK part number stands for the electrode gap in tenths of mm). For a 1.4/1.6 Duratec engine the gap must be adjusted to 1.2 mm.

History showed that leaving the electrode gap at 1.3 mm on a 1.4/1.6 Duratec engine will result in premature failure of the coil pack. This was a well known issue about 15 Years ago. 

i messaged a random seller on ebay for a gap size, he replied back saying its 1.3mm.

Believe what you want but 1.2 mm is prescribed by Ford.

5 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

Believe what you want but 1.2 mm is prescribed by Ford.

i apologize, i was meant to say that if i bought them sparkplugs then i would have to make the gap smaller.

i already knew my engine is 1.2 gap so you are correct.

Certain members on here offer bankable advice and should be taken as gospel, mine while NOT gospel point in the right direction if i've experienced it.

If advice is given and not followed, then it may not be offered in the future. Asking elsewhere and others just muddies the waters.

4 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

Certain members on here offer bankable advice and should be taken as gospel, mine while NOT gospel point in the right direction if i've experienced it.

If advice is given and not followed, then it may not be offered in the future. Asking elsewhere and others just muddies the waters.

i agree, i have only just joined and already so many people have chipped in to help me.

this is a very good forum. 

i will try help out if i can but i am not that experienced with cars although i have been driving ahwile. there are still alot of thing i dont know/understand.

Wilco ( jw1982) is a very knowledgeable member on here and knows far more than me, and Ive been working on fords since 2004. 

I serviced the Hocus Focus yesterday and the plugs that came out were FoMoCo so I assume that is genuine Ford, they were still gapped to 0.8mm. I gapped the new Bosch plugs to 0.8mm, fitted a new air filter, pollen filter, oil and oil filter. I must admit I was dreading doing the service on this as I'm so used to RWD 1980/90's cars but it was a lot easier than I thought! 

When I started it up after doing the service I thought it cranked for a bit longer than normal and seemed to stumble. I thought I had imagined it but I have been out driving this evening and it drive fine but every time I turned the car on after stopping somewhere it struggled to start and stumbled for a second before idling. 

I thought it must be the plugs as the electrode on the replacement plugs are much larger than the electrode on the FoMoCo plugs. So I whipped the plugs out and refitted the original ones and normal service has been resumed.

I'm sure plenty of you on here will know this but I thought I would post it anyway in case it helps someone in the future. These are the plugs euro car parts list as being the correct plugs for the 1.6 ecoboost

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/bosch-spark-plug-408772090

However they are the wrong plugs it would seem, the Denso plugs they list for nearly £13 each look like the ones that came out

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/denso-spark-plug-408775520

So be warned, I'm going to phone Ford tomorrow and see how much a set of their plugs are.

maybe adjust the gap to 1.2 and see how it goes, now your confident enough to do it.

12 hours ago, Jimpster said:

maybe adjust the gap to 1.2 and see how it goes, now your confident enough to do it.

It is because the plugs are iridium plugs and the replacement ones aren't, I think it means the coils have to work harder to ignite the mixture. I'm not 100% as I don't deal with modern cars very often. I did my apprenticeship restoring Rolls Royce and Bentley's from the 1920's up to 1980's the newest one I worked on was a 2012 Flying Spur and that was a gigantic pile of poo! Rust everywhere at 12k miles.

Many many moons ago i had a Triumph Triton 500, which would only run on Gold Palladium plugs as was then, was the only bike i owned that scared the ***** outta me. A Suzuki 650 ran a close second as it loved to go over roundabouts haha

35 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

A Suzuki 650 ran a close second as it loved to go over roundabouts haha

I'm just about to put my 2006 Suzuki Bandit GSF 650 back on the road after a break of nearly 4 years. Just have to sort out the MOT, insurance and tax and I'll be ready to go for a run 😀

1 hour ago, Jimpster said:

Triumph Triton 500

Was that the Triumph 500 twin in a Norton featherbed frame?

7 minutes ago, mjt said:

Was that the Triumph 500 twin in a Norton featherbed frame?

No idea on frame etc i just bought as a Triumph Triton 500 full race spec at the time i was 19 and stooopid LOL

I used to change bikes more often than my underwear back then, they brought in the compulsory bike test and i moved to cars. 1st was an Austin 1100 Van den plas, £30.00 from the local auctions in which i learnt to drive. Sold it for £24.00 and bought a Volvo 244DL in which i passed my test.

 

1 hour ago, mjt said:

Was that the Triumph 500 twin in a Norton featherbed frame?

A 500 Triton would have been pretty rare, as I recall. Most had a 650 from a T110, Thunderbird or similar (the original frames of which were not regarded as the best handlers, to say the least) in a featherbed from an underpowered Norton model 50 or ES2. 

 

 

like i said i'm clueless i just rode them but on this i hung on for dear life LOL

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_motorcycle

During the period in which Triton motorcycles were constructed, the Norton Featherbed frame was regarded as the best handling frame.^[1][2] Triton bikes aimed to combine the "best engine" with the "best frame" by replacing the standard Norton engine with a Triumph parallel-twin engine.