Motorcraft Platinum spark plugs after 132,000 miles

[762mm]

Well, I just finished one of the top two "urgent" maintenance items on my SSV : rebuilt the original alternator and installed 8 new Champion Iridium 9406 (which I gapped to the 0.054 spec)

I pulled the Motorcraft Platinums out of the Triton, which I assume were the originals. The plugs came out fairly easy, however the rear ones were a PITA, especially the one on the passenger side. I had to apply so much torque on the ratchet I was afraid I'd break something with that one... The new plugs went in with some anti-seize on them and were tightened by hand till they went in no more, then about 1/4 turn with the ratchet extra to make them snug.

I measured the gap on the old plugs and, strangely enough, they had inconsistent wear. Some plugs were 0.060 or a little more, whereas the worst one was in the 0.075 territory!


If you do this, here's an important tip: when you remove each boot, before putting the socket in there, blow the spark plug channel out with compressed air (using a long wand air gun). Then, once you start removing the spark plug about half way, stop, pull out the socket and blow it out again to get the debris that was squeezed under the plug out. The amount of debris, sand and even pebbles that came out of there was astounding!

Also, do them one at a time, so you do not contaminate the neighboring plug channels when you blow out the debris, because it literally flies everywhere.


Anyway, here are some pictures:




Old vs. new :




Original 8 plugs comparison :





Here's the tutorial I used :

 

[TobyU]

I see a lot of electrode wear all the time. I often see them at .068-.072.
I always gap at a tight .052 since I know they are going to erode away some.

Always inspect the boots very well and if they are too swelled up at the bottoms it is a good idea to change them out.

 

[TobyU]

I see a lot of electrode wear all the time. I often see them at .068-.072.
I always gap at a tight .052 since I know they are going to erode away some.

Always inspect the boots very well and if they are too swelled up at the bottoms it is a good idea to change them out.

 

[mquick5]

Any dielectric grease involved?

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[mquick5]

Duplicate post sry.

 

[762mm]

The boots were in good shape. I blew them out a bit with compressed air inside and I did use dielectric grease upon reinstall, of course.

I was thinking of changing the coils anyway (my MPG is only 12.4 for some reason), but am keeping the old ones for now...

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

GM (yes I know, not Ford) has issued a TSB instructing technicians not to adjust the gap on spark plugs with iridium tips, as the adjustment can cause damage to the iridium coating. The bulletin states to check the gap, and if not within specs, to discard or return the plug.

Here is some good information regarding anti seize compound on spark plugs: http://www.jagrepair.com/images/AutoRepairPhotos/NGK_TB-0630111antisieze.pdf

 

[762mm]

GM (yes I know, not Ford) has issued a TSB instructing technicians not to adjust the gap on spark plugs with iridium tips, as the adjustment can cause damage to the iridium coating. The bulletin states to check the gap, and if not within specs, to discard or return the plug.

Here is some good information regarding anti seize compound on spark plugs: http://www.jagrepair.com/images/AutoRepairPhotos/NGK_TB-0630111antisieze.pdf

The initial gap on these plugs was 0.041 and other iridium brands (NGK) at 0.044, so I had no choice but to adjust it. There was no Motorcraft version available. I made sure not to mess with the electrode though (which is the iridium component) and visually inspected each plug afterwards. I've driven the truck today on a mix of city / highway and it actually feels like it runs better. The engine is quieter too, it seems.

Good info on the anti-seize, I was already aware of it. I made sure not to tighten them like a 600 pound gorilla, only until it was "snug" to the feel (my torque wrench is busted and can't be trusted). The old #4 plug was so damn tight in the engine that I was actually worried it would snap upon removal (no anti-seize)... but it didn't. I guess they are tougher than they look, lol.

I was working on a cold engine by the way, which probably made removal of old plugs tougher. I've heard that working on a warm or hot engine can damage the head threads, though... and to go at it when it's cold.

 

[TobyU]

The initial gap on these plugs was 0.041 and other iridium brands (NGK) at 0.044, so I had no choice but to adjust it. There was no Motorcraft version available. I made sure not to mess with the electrode though (which is the iridium component) and visually inspected each plug afterwards. I've driven the truck today on a mix of city / highway and it actually feels like it runs better. The engine is quieter too, it seems.

Good info on the anti-seize, I was already aware of it. I made sure not to tighten them like a 600 pound gorilla, only until it was "snug" to the feel (my torque wrench is busted and can't be trusted). The old #4 plug was so damn tight in the engine that I was actually worried it would snap upon removal (no anti-seize)... but it didn't. I guess they are tougher than they look, lol.

I was working on a cold engine by the way, which probably made removal of old plugs tougher. I've heard that working on a warm or hot engine can damage the head threads, though... and to go at it when it's cold.

Their point is you risk more of a chance doing damage by adjusting on the special tip design than not. .003 is insignificant to the plug gap in the situation.
I don't think you'll ever catch me installing iridium plugs on an engine unless the customer just flat-out insist. There's really no point in paying that much for a spark plug. I put single platinum's on my own and occasionally at the price is right I might have had some double platinum's but a single platinum plug last me many many years and many many miles so there's no reason to pay anymore. I usually get the single platinums for 269-to 3.69 I plug. You can even get better deals you order them online but I would just assume to buy them locally since they're so cheap anyways.
I could care less what original equipment is and half of these parts stores will try to sell you a radians and tell them that's OEM for a car built in like 2000. What a scam.

 

[Trainmaster]

Good that you got that job done with no casualties. Congrats!

 

[762mm]

I paid the equivalent of $4 USD per plug at Rockauto. Local parts stores will rape you on any plugs, even if you pay shop prices.

Iridium plugs are in the $15-20 range up here. Hence why Rockauto is my to go place for 90% of parts on all our family cars / trucks.

Besides, iridium electrodes just don't burn. That's why some manufacturers are now using them as "lifetime" plugs, especially on sideways mounted engines with difficult access to the rear bank (like Lexus / Toyota). If I don't have to do them again in the next 10+ years, I'll be a happy guy and will gladly pay the extra $10 for all 8 plugs!

 

[TobyU]

I paid the equivalent of $4 USD per plug at Rockauto. Local parts stores will rape you on any plugs, even if you pay shop prices.

Iridium plugs are in the $15-20 range up here. Hence why Rockauto is my to go place for 90% of parts on all our family cars / trucks.

Besides, iridium electrodes just don't burn. That's why some manufacturers are now using them as "lifetime" plugs, especially on sideways mounted engines with difficult access to the rear bank (like Lexus / Toyota). If I don't have to do them again in the next 10+ years, I'll be a happy guy and will gladly pay the extra $10 for all 8 plugs!

I'll pass on manufacturers with "lifetime" plugs..of course the lifetime of the newer engines won't be 250-300K like the old ones we were accustomed to for over 20 years!

Even the 100K mile plugs and tune up was way to far.
Coils, wires, and especially boots start to misfire near 100K often plus there is plenty of crap that works it way down into there that I want to blow out before it gets too far past 100K or so.
Local parts stores are starting to rip people off badly on many parts. They don't seem to realize volume at lower prices would be better than sales continuing to dwindle at higher prices and profit margin. They keep digging their own grave. Eventually there will be an Amazon Auto Parts retail store or you will be able to go to dist center to pick up or have them to your house in less than 2 hrs as they do many places already.

I have no issue with Autolite platinum or Motorcraft platinum plugs that I get locally for under $3 each.

 

[762mm]

Thanks for the extra info, I fully agree on all counts.

Although mine is not misfiring and runs smooth, I'm thinking of dropping $300 for a set of new Motorcraft coils to improve my bad MPG if the MAF / throttle body clean doesn't help. I'm 90% certain I have the original coils in there at 132k miles.

Thoughts?

 

[Plati]

Thanks for the extra info, I fully agree on all counts.

Although mine is not misfiring and runs smooth, I'm thinking of dropping $300 for a set of new Motorcraft coils to improve my bad MPG if the MAF / throttle body clean doesn't help. I'm 90% certain I have the original coils in there at 132k miles.

Thoughts?

A lot of the people on here say don't replace COPS unless failing
and if you do --> buy Motorcraft, not el cheapo brand
but boots can be replaced and not a bad idea (I think) with dielectric grease

I like the tip about blowing clean before plug removal

 

[Trainmaster]

Coils are either good or they are bad. Replacing a coil that works is wasting money. I've had original coils in motors with 250K miles on them. They aren't a service item. i replace boots with plugs. The Ford boots are more costly than Chinese' Dina-Dragon brand, but here is where you'll get the carbon trails that cause misfires. They usually look pretty nasty after about 100K miles anyway.

 

[762mm]

Thanks for the tips on the coils. I'm no Triton expert, but the boots looked really good when I removed them. They were not deformed, were easy to remove and went back in beautifully, with a bit of dielectric grease at the plug end.

The engine does sound much better now, I have to say. I thought I had a phaser tick before when engine was warm, but I don't hear it anymore after the spark plug job. I'm hoping it will remain so (knock on wood!).

 

[TobyU]

When they have lots of heat, or miles, or oil the tips tend to be a little more porous and they enlarge and size a little bit so they're not smooth and symmetrical all the way down the outside length. That's what I replace them. You can also buy them locally at the auto parts store and they seem to be just fine on quality. You can hardly tell the difference between those at the local parts store or Motorcraft.
I rarely buy any Motorcraft brand parts because they simply aren't worth the extra money. I Do by Motorcraft dealer relays because I get them for $5.25 a piece and they're very high quality. I also buy motorcraft oil filters at Walmart because they are very good price and great quality. That's about the only Parts Motorcraft that have gone on my cars in the past 25 years.
I really don't think your coils are causing your gas mileage problems and it would just be a waste of money. As someone else said that either work or they don't. You can simply go to your mode 6 results on test results on a scan tool and see if you're getting any misfire counts. If you're not then the problem is not coils or boots. And if there were misfire Counts it's much more likely to be boots and not coils. A coil might be flaky for a couple of weeks but it will soon break down and be a solid dead miss.
You need to look into your long-term fuel trims. That can show you where your gas mileage is going.
I have to be one to stand up for the cheap eBay and Amazon coils.
People repeatedly post that there have been problems with him but there's only been a couple of people on this forum actually say they were the ones that had problems. Everyone else is just furthering the story and repeating it. I have had no issues whatsoever. I was skeptic but I tried them. I started out by Motorcraft coils with my commercial discount for 68 to $72 a piece. Then I started buying lifetime warranty BorgWarner at the auto parts store for $39 a piece. Then I saw them pop on eBay back in 2008 and I bought a set of 10 for a 6.8 for 87.00
I even got the cheesy yellow looking ones because I like the color. And they only come in black, yellow or red. I had absolutely zero problems with these coils for 8 years. Then I did have an occasional misfire here and there and in the next year I ended up replacing two of those coils for random misfires. None of them actually became a solid dead miss and at the 10-year Mark when I sold the vehicle the other eight were still in there.
I have put a good number of sets of these in and I've had no problems whatsoever. I just put a set in a 2nd generation navigator that was $44 for all of them.
So, when I start having repeated failures and short periods of time I will be sure to tell everyone but until then I will tell you about my great results with them. I see no reason not to throw a set of these $35 coils on everything I buy new. If I have a problem I just throw a set on. I keep all of the originals are all of the good Originals as test coils or quick easy Replacements if I have one go bad on some new car I buy. I just had a factory original one go bad this weekend at 49000 original miles. It was just fine last month and then I let the vehicle sit for another three to four weeks and soon as I start it I have ignition miss. So I went into my stash of factory original ones and swapped it out and no more miss. I'm just too busy right now to throw a whole set of the cheap ones in that vehicle and no reason to right now since I already had a nice replacement.
I have this problem a lot. It must be the fact that I end up buying older but very nice vehicles that are kept in dry garages. Once I get them I'm Shuffling around and they often sit outside in the rain for several weeks sometimes months without being used. This seems to be what causes me to end up with the ignition Miss on a vehicle that was just fine when I bought it.

 

[762mm]

Thanks TobyU for sharing your experience. There's definitely lots of good info there! I too have had great luck with aftermarket parts on my old '99 Explorer... Everyone said to use "only motorcraft ignition parts" on them, yet my aftermarket cables and NGK (first set) and Denso Iridium TT (second set) spark plugs ran great in it for close to 17 years! Same with aftermarket filters, oil, fluid, coolant, etc.

I've read some horror stories about the Expys too and how important it is to use motorcraft plugs, coils, etc. I bought the Champion brand spark plugs without much hesitation, at $4-5 a piece for iridium plugs why not? It all comes down to quality control and some (most?) of this stuff is probably made in the same Chinese factory as motorcraft anyway. The old motorcraft plugs I just pulled had "Japan" stamped on them, so they were more than likely made by NGK or Denso.

 

[Douglasf1378]

I had great results with E3 plugs on my F150 with a 5.4 engine. I know it is not a turbocharged engine but I was considering using E3 plugs on my 2017 Expedition. It has 90K+ miles on it so I think it is due for new plugs. ANy thoughts on the E3 plugs used in our EcoBoost V6?

 

[762mm]

^ I'm no Ecoboost expert, but with the higher pressures I think going with "the best there is" would be a good idea. I've read somewhere that E3 plugs were a Chinese econo brand and could be prone to failure or fracture. I have no experience with them, however.

Plugs are relatively cheap and fulfill a crucial role over many, many years, so I always go with the big (safe) players for peace of mind. My personal favorites are NGK and Denso Iridium. I got Champions this time because the NGKs were in another Rockauto warehouse than the rest of the parts already in the cart, lol (they charge international shipping twice when that's the case).

Check out Rockauto, you might be surprised by their price on good quality plugs.