Hmm, I think I found the miss.

[351m]

Hmm, pulled the spark plugs out of the car, noticed kind of an odd pattern in regards to the way the cyls were firing.

Left bank
#1 was bright white
#2 was the same but half of the insulator was grey
#3 was tan, not bad looking tho.
#4 was black and oily and had solid mountain of shit built up on one side of the electrode, it was dead.

Right bank was exactly the same front to rear BUT the rear plug was still firing, not quite as bad of a build up of shit on it. Yes the car does burn a slight bit of oil too.

There were Bosch Platinums that were put in the car 1,000 km before I bought it. I looked at them when I got the car, looked good then too.

Why is it the that rear cyls are some bad yet the front 2 are white, and how is it thatr both banks are near identical in this way? I will get a pic of the plugs laid out tomorrow.

[85MercPark]

Valve seals.

As the engine leans back towards the rear oil tends to pool there and leak though the valve seals.

Try using a good brand of oil or conditioner that helps restore seals.

[351m]

Hmm, sounds like a good idea. I think its time for better heads anyway.

[88grandmarq]

Late model 302 blocks are notorious for wearing the rear cylinders (#4 & #8), more so if the motor has been roughly treated and/or overheated.

first thing I would do is get rid of the stoopid bosch platinum plugs and use normal copper core plugs. make sure you have the correct spark plug for the cylinder head. stock E6 heads use an extended tip plug while E7 (HO) heads use an non-extended tip plug. You can also go at least one heat range hotter on the plug, maybe 2 heat ranges. this may help burn some of the extra crap off.
I would also use a heavier engine oil, to help reduce oil burning. you may also want to try some of that Restore engine oil treatment.

[cld783]

seafoam the shit out of it and then buy new plugs.. non bosch

[351m]

I just put Champion coppers in it. It was the cheapest and I didn't know what the ones in it would look like. I have seafomed it already, about 6 months ago, it gets driven hard so I guess that is a plus. For oil, I have straight 50w for it this time. As for the quality of the bosch Platinums, I have never had a problem in the past, (this car being the only exception but I didn't buy them)

My dad's oil burning '95 Ram van has had Bosch in it 2 times now, the first set was regular platinums and had about 75,000km on them when I pulled them out. It is now close to the same with Platinum 2s and don't miss a beat. It all seems to be what the engine likes for how they last.

[Blaze86Vic]

Late model 302 blocks are notorious for wearing the rear cylinders (#4 & #8), more so if the motor has been roughly treated and/or overheated.

This is VERY true. The reason is because of the Crank Case Vent, which is moronically ducted strait in front of the 4 and 8 intake runners. So all the crap that blows by into the crank case and is recirculated back into the intake is dumped on only 2 cylinders. You can change the routing for this and dump it in the center of the intake so that it doesn't do this anymore.

If you are running strait 50W, be sure to give the engine PLENTY of time to warm up the oil before you start getting on it. I would suggest going with something like 15W40 instead.

[351m]

I have thought about it, perhaps before winter I will switch to 5w50 or something like that. Oh yes, as for mine being treated roughly... It was a taxi for about 300,xxxkm, then the last 9k I have driven it daily with alot of time in the bush up to the bumpers in mud.

[gadget73]

Make sure the PCV system is working properly too. If its really clogged, it won't help any with the fouling plugs.

[351m]

That is on my list. I noticed ALOT of oil in the intake tonight. But... I have a trans problem to deal with first.

I drove the car for the first time since the tuneup and I must say, the engine feels nice, good power, actually feels like a V-8, kind of anyway.

[351m]

Holy hell, it has almost as much build up of crap on the #4 plug in 1 tank of gas as it did on the one that came out. Where is that crank case vent? It has to quite literally be pumping the shit straight into the intake.

[gadget73]

If you've got the standard EFI intake, its in the back at the center. Look straight down from the rear of the upper manifold, and its down there. PCV valve, the metal screen under it, and the rubber grommet need to be replaced if you're in there.

[351m]

Yup, I will be going in tomorrow. What a pain in the ass, I can't believe how quick it can make the #4 cyl foul. I do feel a slight vacum in the crank case though.