Time sert kit

[Ryan]

*Knocks on wood* Got a tune up back in March and so far no plugs have blown out! I want to invest money in my truck given the great deal i got for it (1998 $1900 105k miles) So i'm thinking about buying a time sert kit to have on hand just in case a problem might arise. Found some on Ebay for about 400 bucks but i'm unsure of which ones to get. I guess the question is when i get the kit should i change then all or wait to see if a problem comes up? Which size do i get M14x1.25?? Thanks in advance!

 

[Thermo]

Ryan, I bought the kit. If you look, the kits should specifically say "for the 5.4L engine" on the kit. I bought my kit new for $400. Keep in mind that the kit will come with only 5 inserts. So, if you are planning on doing all 8 plugs, you will need to buy 3 additional sleeves.

This is my feelings and maybe I am a little conservative here, but you can't really go wrong my way, on using the kit. If you are doing a single cylinder, then leave the head installed, cut out the old threads, cut the new threads and install the sleeve. Just make sure you know that the cylinder is not at top dead center whey you work it and that the valves are shut for that cylinder too. You want the valves closed just to prevent throwing metal chunks around inside the engine, you want to keep them confined to the cylinder. You will also want to use lots of grease in the openings of the tools to trap any metal shavings followed by a very deliberate vacuuming of the cylinder for any metal pieces that were not trapped by the grease. When doing all 8 cylinders, the possibility of leaving something behind was too great for me, so I pulled the heads off of the engine and did the sleeves on the bench. Your call.

If you do pull the heads off, this will be a long weekend job. You have about 12-18 hours of wrenching to pull the heads off and put them back on, then you will have another hour or so to do the sleeves. I used this time to also do a mile port/polish on the heads to help gain some more power out of the truck. But, doing it this way is going to cost you an additional $400 for the top end rebuild kit and 2 sets of head bolts at a minimum when it comes to parts.

 

[Ryan]

Thanks Thermo. I think i'm going to do it your way! Seems easy enough. Ive been reading up on this all night! I called the Dealer for kicks and giggles and he quoted me $55 per cylinder to replace which is confusing seeing alot of people online were quoted $3500 lol I'm going to order the kit in the coming weeks and i'll let you guys know how it comes out!

 

[Thermo]

Ryan, I was one of those that was quoted $3500. That is for the dealership to go in and put 2 new heads on the truck. Not install the Timesert kit. Needless to say, I told the dealership where to go especially when the lady had the balls to tell me that at 100K miles (when my plug blew out) my motor was worn out and that I should just drop a new engine into place for a "mere" $5100.

 

[toms89]

For near the price of 2 timesert kits you could have 2 new fms heads with the higher thread count.

You would need gaskets for the head swap, swap in your cams plus romeo valve covers since the expy likely has windsor heads. OK .....so maybe the price of 3 timesert kits and lots of labor...




Ford Racing 2V-SOHC 4.6 5.4 Power Improvement (PI) LH Cylinder Head Assembly
Ford Racing 2V-SOHC 4.6 5.4 Power Improvement (PI) RH Cylinder Head Assembly

 

[Big White]

Tom, would those be the same exact heads that are on a 2004?

 

[scexy]

Another option is this:

Modularheadshop PI heads

I did this with mine when my inserts failed and it gave me an excuse to get a little more power out of the upgrade as well. The shop also provided new t-chains, guides, etc. and took my heads for an exchange. I called the shop several times and spoke with the owner who was very knowledgeable.

Now, I am 100% certain I will not have any issues...

It's a big PITA to do these heads but it's better to do it once and be done IMHO.

Just my .02 and some pics

 

[toms89]

Tom, would those be the same exact heads that are on a 2004?

I dont know if they used the romeo or windsor heads on the expys in 2004.

Another option is this:

Modularheadshop PI heads

Decent prices!

I went with tfs heads on my build because I didnt want to worry about launching a plug and have seen a fair share of modified lightnings have issues with inserts. Was considering the newer 8 thread ported PI heads but for the price difference I decided to give the tfs heads a try.