[ziggo0]

Second post....hmm...I have a 1995 Mercury Cougar 4.6L V8 with almost 210k miles on it. It is getting old and I can feel it when I drive. Idle sits anywhere in between 700 ~ 750rpm in P/N. When I shift into gear it drops into the high 490's and evens out just above 500. Is that normal...? What are some things I can change to help restore the engine (not necessarily performance...maybe...reliability?) I plan on going in town and getting new spark plugs...I can't even recall when they were last changed (at least 100k miles) - to my knowledge. Air filter is a bit dirty...I'm wanting to put a K&N Cone on it but it appears a lot of people are against it, why is that? Or am I mistaken? I plan on taking out the MAF and giving it a good cleaning...probably the TB as well. Is the fuel filter easy to replace? Can't be to expensive or hard...just trying to get it going best as possible. Thanks for your replies...

 

[tinman_72]

Go ahead and do a major tune up and see how it runs. Plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter maybe even O2's and see if your MAF needs cleaning. All those things together can make a huge difference. From what I hear, if you keep the oil and filter changed, 210k miles is no big deal.
The reason many people don't like the cone filter is that 90% of the time people mount them in the engine compartment which turns your factory cold air induction into hot air induction. If you mount it in the engine compartment be sure to build a heat shield for it. (The K&N does not include a heat shield.) Another option is to buy a PVC elbow from Home Depot and mount it in the fender, but then you run into the chances of getting it wet.

 

[ziggo0]

Hmm...I see, thanks for the information. Can you recommend me some spark plugs to get?

 

[Trunk Monkey]

A K&N Pannel filter and this cheap little trick will do wonders. I know this is written for a TBird but it should work just the same on a Cougar.

http://www.gagfish.com/howto/air/index.html

 

[94 Daily Driven 4.6L]

Those idle number sound about right and I agree with timnan 72.

I would also add, run a few cans of SeaFoam through the intake manifold and gas tank over the course of a few fillups. SeaFoam has always helped me a lot. You might also want to consider replacing the injectors from a low mileage 4.6L. They are cheap on eBay and often will provide noticeable improved drivability.

Good luck and 200K to 300K is still very livable with a properly maintained 4.6. :thumbsup:

 

[Bakstoy]

Welcome to the board ziggo0 Also hi nearly neighbor

 

[Trunk Monkey]

As far as plugs check out the "Spark Plugs and Wires" article in the Tech Articles. You'll also find instructions on how to change the fuel filter here. It's a very easy job. Just buy the fuel line disconnect while you're picking up all you other parts. should be sold as a set with about eight different sizes for about $10.

http://www.tccoa.com/articles/engine/index.html#

I run Autolite Double Platinums Part # APP764. They're factory gapped .044

The 8.5mm - 10mm Magnacor wires work very well and the wire resistance is around 3,000 ohms per foot. Your stock Ford wires will have around 9,000 ohms per foot. The aftermarket wires also have a limited lifetime warranty, Ford wires only have a 12mo/12K.

I run the Magnacore KV85 Plug Wires (8.5mm). Based on my experience with them I'd highly recommend them.

 

[IronChopz]

ziggo0, check your private messages for some info.

 

[General Zod]

factory gapping is 0.052"-0.056"

 

[mattcorby]

i tuned up my 4.6 bird at about 145k, i can't stress enough how much a dirty MAF can affect your performance. it's very easy, there's a tutorial how to do it somewhere on this site, it requires safety torx-bits, but there's a way around it. tap in a torx bit with a hammer, it will flatten out that annoying little knob.