synthetic oil ok for my 2004 3.0 xtype? and I want to do a tune up what kind of spark plugs are best for my car??

 

2004xtype, first off, welcome to the Forums. I Think you will find lots of useful information here. But, we do ask a simple thing from you. Give a stop by the New Member Section and introduce yourself. We like to get to know one another and we pride ourselves in being a different type of car group. Besides, this will also give you a chance to learn how the movers and shakers are around here.

As for the oil/plug question. That has been tossed around here a lot. Without starting another war over "this oil is better than that oil", the general consensus has been that the car will perform pretty much the same whether it is on straight dino oil, straight synthetic oil, or some mix there of. Some members did not see any change between the oils and other members say that they saw an increase in mileage. All I can say is to give it a try, see what your situation is and go from there.

As for plugs, 2 things to keep in mind. 1) KISS (Keep It Simple ....) The fancy multiple spark plugs like the Bosch +4's, Splitfires, etc only do 1 thing which is lighten your wallet. They do nothing for the performance of the motor as the vehicle is equipped with a high energy coil setup already, so, the spark in the cylinder is not an issue. 2) a double platinum plug is what you want to look for. They run like $3 each or so. NOt that bad. Stick with a major name like NGK, Motorcraft, Autolite, etc. Will a $0.99 plug work in the car. Yep, it sure will. But, also keep in mind that after about $30K miles, you will be pulling those plugs out because they will be shot and barely allowing the car to run. While replacing plugs isn't a tough job, it does take time and you will begin to appreciate why they recommend the double platinum plugs.

Another side note with the synthetic oil. THe oil molecules are smaller so they will get into more spaces. While this is good for the internals of the motor, it can also be a PITA because it also will find every crack in the oil gaskets. So, running synthetic oil can lead to more oil leaks. It all depends on the condition of the motor and what all has been torn apart.