What do different conditions of old spark plugs mean?

So, I pulled out my spark plugs and replaced them with motorcraft platinums (I had put in motorcraft copper plugs, last time). I find they have a white powder coat on the ends, and I am sure that means something specific. But what? Here they are after I took them out (cyl 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 6, 7 8):

old_spark_plugs.jpg


I also remember an article or thread somewhere that showed what the different potential conditions of different spark plugs meant was going on.

"...means it was running rich"
"...means it was running lean"
"...means you should run a colder plug"

That kind of thing.

Anyway, help with info on what my white powder coated spark plugs might mean, or a link to a thread/article online that covers the subject, would be appreciated. I put the new ones in and my car runs great again, BTW. That was the issue with the intermittent hesitation and power loss I was having. :D
 
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These are the basics to remember....
White means lean,Black is oil passing threw the rings,and getting burnt up,Wet is fuel,and Tan in color is a perfectly running engine.
What you have is is really not good,the good ol saying mean is lean is true,but it could cause you grief too,i would be getting your air/fuel checked out. ;)
 
How many miles have those plugs been in there. MOST ford plugs with higher mileage have a bit of white like yours, it's just the way they tune these things from the factory, I would not be concerned... In fact I am more concerned on what is leaking down the plug wells on the two plugs that the porcelain is BROWN...
 
Thanks for all the replies!

First off, it is the Haynes manual bit I was remembering. I just found mine again yesterday in storage, so that is it. Thanks for mentioning that, I thought I might be going crazy. Also, thanks for the link to that Autolight .pdf. That is pretty cool, too.

I had the copper plugs in the pic in there for 8-10K miles, then started getting a P0301 (cyl 1 misfire) code.

I checked that out and saw a very corroded connection between the cyl 1 plug and it's COP. I swapped the COP with cyl 5, and the code came back to cyl 1 after I deleted the code w/ my reader.

I am curious about what specifically I should check for cyl 1&2 if it is oil vs coolant. Gaskets around I should check? Hoses? Not sure and would really appreciate the help.

I want to get the car Dyno'd again soon, and I'll do it with the A/F ratio to make sure things are going OK if that is a good idea, too.

Thanks, everyone!

:SNSign:
 
Thanks for all the replies!

First off, it is the Haynes manual bit I was remembering. I just found mine again yesterday in storage, so that is it. Thanks for mentioning that, I thought I might be going crazy. Also, thanks for the link to that Autolight .pdf. That is pretty cool, too.

I had the copper plugs in the pic in there for 8-10K miles, then started getting a P0301 (cyl 1 misfire) code.

I checked that out and saw a very corroded connection between the cyl 1 plug and it's COP. I swapped the COP with cyl 5, and the code came back to cyl 1 after I deleted the code w/ my reader.

I am curious about what specifically I should check for cyl 1&2 if it is oil vs coolant. Gaskets around I should check? Hoses? Not sure and would really appreciate the help.

I want to get the car Dyno'd again soon, and I'll do it with the A/F ratio to make sure things are going OK if that is a good idea, too.

Thanks, everyone!

:SNSign:

You need to pull the valve covers and check the gaskets....have new OEM gaskets handy....I bet the problem is oil getting past those gaskets....