alright, I got all the plugs out and got everything back together. only had a minor couple of hiccups. I will say, I reccommend you start at the number four after emptying every ounce of coolant from the system, shit kept coming out of the metal pipe above #4 even after emptying half of the coolant out. I gave up and dumped the rest and did a coolant flush and refill with fresh 50/50.. also, number four is the hardest to get to since the heater hoses need to be removed. start at the hardest to get and you will get stuck before you're in too deep.
the rest of the plugs came out no problem. the fuel rail wasn't in the way at all thanks to using a wobble extension just unhook the injector wires to keep those out of the way for the plug wires (4.6)
I used dielectric grease on all the plugs and even rubbed some on the exterior of the boots so I can get them out easier next time. number four almost didn't come out.. it even helped keep the socket from sticking to the plug when I retracted it after inserting each new plug.
Findings: I put a new set of autolite platnum plugs and autolite wires in 15k miles and 11 month ago the plugs claimed to be gapped correctly when I bought them but found them to be at .051 when I checked after removal. my motorcraft ones are at .054.
the wires looked okay except for two of them. the inside of the plug connector was corroded, likely from forgetting to use dielectric grease.
the plugs looked okay-ish just looks like I need a new set of valve seals or a new engine, depending on where the oil is coming from. the plugs in the picture below are arranged 5-6-7-8 1-2-3-4. I am not all that great yet when it comes looking at a plug and knowing how it's burning. this is only the third time I have pulled a set of plugs, please let me know if something needs to be addressed
