Unusual

[S.A. Boggs]

My Ford F-150 developed an odd problem, it blew a spark plug. The engine is the 5.4 modified for truck racing, one of a limited number manufactured. I have never heard of this happening, yet it appears this is a common problem with my type of truck. The local Ford garage can fix it by drilling our and putting in a new spark plug receptacle for $250.00 The more I research this problem I have found it is a design defect that Ford knows about and won't do anything about.
I can repair the truck and then sell it.
CalVan has the complete repair kit for $250 with enough to repair 8 cylinders. My garage can do the repair in half an hour for a lot less in labor cost. I also have to replace the plug and injector as well.
I really like the truck and it does what I want, this has been the only issue.
Open to suggestions.
Sam

[dryheat]

Blew a spark plug? I can't even visualize that. But I own a Ford Edge and I'll never own another Ford. The only brand new vehicle I've ever owned and it's right up there with the accursed AMC Pacer I owned for trouble. I paid an extra 2K for the gold warranty and I am sure there's been 4K worth of work on this thing. 36,000 miles. Don't fall in love with a car. If it's got problems, let it go.

[Gun Smoke]

Sam, the same thing happened to me with my Crown Vic. It has the 4.6 which I believe is basically the same as the 5.4. It only happened once. The mechanic said they are bad about backing out and said it's really no problem if they are snugged down tight when replacing the plugs. The car now has 220K miles on it and runs great. I drive a truck too, but wife can't climb into it.

It's old, it's aging, but it's also irreplaceable. Repairs are easy, cheap and seldom.

I will never own a FWD car or anything with a 4 cylinder engine that isn't a motorcycle. I will not be forced into buying an SUV simply because they don't make cars any longer.

My wife feels the same way. She drives a Mercury Grand Marquis. We rented a Chrysler 300 once and couldn't believe the amount of road noise in the cabin compared to what we drive, otherwise we liked it. This may be what we have to settle for when replacing our Fords.

The police sure miss them. Most departments in my area use to get rid of their hard ridden Crown Vics shortly after turning 100K. The last ones they owned, most agencies doubled that to 200K knowing it would be the last ones. They went to the Chargers, then the Enforcers (Chev Tahoe), then to the Ford Taurus but this is the last year for the Taurus.

As far as your plug problem goes, whoever last changed the plugs probably didn't snug them down tight enough being cautious of the aluminum heads but it has to be done. I've owned 3 Fords with the 4.6, put a lot of miles on them, and this has only happened once.

The repair "kit" comes with a different plug from the rest but is platinum and should last you perhaps forever since, like me, you don't drive as much any more. That's what my mechanic told me. It uses the same coil but has a shorter boot to make up the space lost for the thread repair insert. This was only done to one plug, not all 8.

[gwp]

Blown plugs are common in the Ford Triton (3 valve V8) engine. I was making a delivery to Shawnee, OK, a 600 mile trip, when the pick-up blew a plug, caught fire and burnt the cab out.

[S.A. Boggs]

Blown plugs are common in the Ford Triton (3 valve V8) engine. I was making a delivery to Shawnee, OK, a 600 mile trip, when the pick-up blew a plug, caught fire and burnt the cab out.

U OK?
Sam

[gwp]

U OK?
Sam

That was a few years ago, two months after heart surgery. That is when I decided to give up the part-time job I enjoyed. I was able to unload the seven 70 pound boxes and my gear from the back seat but not the heavy plate in the bed. Setting alongside a foggy interstate at 4 AM, in the middle of nowhere, watching your transportation burn, is discouraging. Fortunately, my son in law was in Joplin, MO and I rode back to Indiana with him.

[bdm]

We had that problem with the ford 150s at the company i worked for they would put a helicoil in the blown spark plug hole

[dryheat]

We had that problem with the ford 150s at the company i worked for they would put a helicoil in the blown spark plug hole

Not cool.
The Crown Vic's caught fire when rear ended. Not pretty.

[Major Tom]

I owned a 1967 dodge; bought it new in Oct. 1967. It blew a spark plug clear out 6 months later.

[dryheat]

I guess this is where the warning about changing your own oil comes from; "they'll cross thread the plug/bolt".
I've always wondered how it's possible for even a kid to cross thread a bolt that is covered in oil. Yeah, OK, it's upside down but really?
Spark plugs can be problamatic(I'm going with it). Sometimes it's hard to even find where they go, and then get them started. "crossed threads", "buggered threads", yeah I've run across them. Stop before you do any damage. And I'm not a mechanic.
If they worked on airliners like they build cars(well, Fords) the planes would be falling out of the sky weekly.

[S.A. Boggs]

We had that problem with the ford 150s at the company i worked for they would put a helicoil in the blown spark plug hole

The local Ford garage is going to do this repair on my truck on the 13th for $250.00, not bad. I am ordering the complete kit for a local garage to do the rest of my engine. @ this time I am without a mechanic/garage. The man that had attended my vehicles for years had a heart attack before Thanksgiving and his wife closed the shop. It was a family run operation with he and his cousin. His brother recommended another place that I am now hooking up with.
I bought the truck from him and got a good deal two years ago this month. I am pleased with the truck and the carrying/towing capabilities and have had no other problems with it.
Sam

[lyman]

reminds me ,

a friend and I in high school were out and about in his parents Renault R5,

pulled up to a stop light and heard a big 'POP' and it sounded like the muffler dropped off,

car still running,

opened the hood to have a look see and found the spark plug hanging by the wire,

shut it down, screwed it in hand tight, and started right up and drove off,

[pcox]

I guess this is where the warning about changing your own oil comes from; "they'll cross thread the plug/bolt".
I've always wondered how it's possible for even a kid to cross thread a bolt that is covered in oil. Yeah, OK, it's upside down but really?
Spark plugs can be problamatic(I'm going with it). Sometimes it's hard to even find where they go, and then get them started. "crossed threads", "buggered threads", yeah I've run across them. Stop before you do any damage. And I'm not a mechanic.
If they worked on airliners like they build cars(well, Fords) the planes would be falling out of the sky weekly.

Most of the time when plugs get cross threaded it's because someone started it with a socket and ratchet. If you can't get to it to start it with your fingers, then stick it in a short piece of garden hose and start it.

[togor]

Anti-seize and a torque wrench are your friend when changing spark plugs. Esp. in Aluminum cylinder heads. Oh and dielectric grease on the boots.