I've got a 1990 ford f150 xlt lariat. Ot has a 5.0 but with e6se heads. Anyone know the proper gap for these heads?

 

factory spec + .002

 

Okay ill have to pop the hood but the best I can recall its between 52 and 56 for a '90 f150 w/302.. so are you sayin to add to that?

 

Recommended stock spark plug gap is generally best to start with. Adjust from there, if needed/desired.

If you are running higher than stock cylinder pressures or weaker spark delivery electronics (old coil, rotor, cap, or wires) you might consider a smaller gap.

Lower cylinder pressure or stronger spark delivery electronics and you could get by with a wider gap.

Or these things may cancel out and the stock value will be ok.

Like many things, spark plug gaps are a variable in the equation: Air+Fuel+Spark Size+Spark Duration+Pressure+Volume=Power

 

Okay somewhere in the mist of reading all that I became overwhelmed.. Haha.. What I can tell you is the distributor, rotor, pick up coil, plug wires, and ignition control module are 100% brand new as of just a little over a month ago.. the Coil is still original old stock. Am considering changing it to an upgraded aftermarket such as accel or msd only bc I can get em for around the same price.. And as of right now the timing is set at 12-13 degrees BTDC. I'm not aware of the of the cylinder pressure at thias time. I just know I had to reorder ugs from autolite after the original plugs that were supposed to be the E7TE heads wouldn't fit. Then I noticed the heads were actually E6SE heads. Autolite sent me the xp platinum plugs to fit the E6SE heads but couldn't give me the specific plug gap.. So granting the info I'm giving you is incomplete can you recommend a gap?

 

I have a 1990 F series owner's manual. I don't know anything about the different heads, but the manual recommends Motorcraft ASF-42C spark plugs for the 5.0. The manual says to refer to the emissions decal for gap specifications. I would say .045.

 

I don't remember where I saw it documented, but there was a transition sometime in the late 80's where Ford changed the standard gap from .042-.046 to .052-.056 for the 302. I think the e6se heads are older models so maybe start in the .042-.046 range.

Put your timing at -10 degrees BTDC first, then figure out the gap. Bump the timing once you get the gap where it seems right.

This isn't rocket science as you can see by the gap ranges that are recommended. Start somewhere and adjust as needed. At least that's my strategy when dealing with unknowns.