To all 5.4L guys. a warning from my mechanic

[Dave_66]

blow spark plugs

Hi All,

I have a 2001 Eddie and so far I have had 2 plugs blow out. What I was told was that when they made the 5.4 (and 4.6) they only put about 3 or 4 threads in so after however many mile (85k for me) they will some times blow out. Both times it happened the place I took it to put a sleeve in and rethreaded it properly and I have never had a problem with them again and they only coast me $250 for each cylinder with the new solenoids I needed since they got trashed when the plugs blew out of the holes.

 

[slo-ryd]

I run a repair shop and I can tell you it's pretty common. The last one we had was an E-150 loaded with tile. My own personal experience was riding in my buddies lightning and it chucked one out at 80mph under about twelve pounds of boost....it was very dramatic

 

[gazbold]

You guys make changing the spark plugs sound like a relatively easy thing !

My 98 EB needs a set according to my mechanic. He wants $250 to change 'em.

So, being me.. I like to think I'm pretty good with a wrench etc.. So I bought a set of the Bosch platinums with the 2 ground electrodes. I've been meaning to get the job completed but man ! Those back ones are a real pain to work on.

Are there any "tricks" to make it any easier ?

 

[nvycrmn]

yeah, take it to the mechanic! hahahha. sorry, couldnt help myself. there should be a thread on here somewhere that has this information you seek. something about adapters and whatnot.

 

[jkill351]

i have an 03 that has spit out 1,2,3,4,7. i had my mechanic insert a timecert in all of them. he has explained that he has never changed 5,6,or 8 and that he has never had a timecert ever come out. as far as the newer head design they just get a carbon build-up inside the combustion chamber that kinda siezes the electrode portion below the threads. i dont know if the build-up occurs from the plug design or from the simple fact that the plug is long and gets changed every 100k. common sence would tell me that if a person was to shorten that interval and clean the plugs that would cut down on the build-up thus lowering the chances of seizure. im not a mechanic and i usually have someone else work on my expy, but after hearing what the fix costs it would seem like it would be worth the effort.

 

[trdragons44]

You guys make changing the spark plugs sound like a relatively easy thing !

My 98 EB needs a set according to my mechanic. He wants $250 to change 'em.

So, being me.. I like to think I'm pretty good with a wrench etc.. So I bought a set of the Bosch platinums with the 2 ground electrodes. I've been meaning to get the job completed but man ! Those back ones are a real pain to work on.

Are there any "tricks" to make it any easier ?

First get rid of them bosch platinum's (i have em in my truck not by choice) and run ngk's or motorcraft(preferred). With those plugs it runs with a noticeable stumble(compared to the same year truck running motorcraft ). and as long as the plug comes out without tearing the threads up you should be fine. $250 is kinda the normal for these 2V motors. ive personally seen upwards of 450 for all eight. and MOST BUT NOT LEAST...MAKE SURE THEY ARE PROPERLY TORQUED!!

 

[02Sexpedition]

I just had the intake plenum gasket replaced and 2 plugs, and one coil pack for $315..i asked how much he'd do the rest of them for and he said $100+parts. This guy is 70, and has been my mechanic for 9 years. Awesome guy, and certainly knows vehicles.

 

[ssbroly]

Take your time doing your plugs, you'll need the usual tools, several extensions, a good swivel, a good step ladder or something to stand on that is sturdy, a soft blanket to lay on the truck itself, and a 12 pack for afterward.
Looking at the engine, on the left side against the passenger firewall there is a big block looking thing with 3 or 4 electrical connectors going to it, after disconnecting the battery, disconnect the harnesses and unbolt the block looking thing,(I'll have to post a picture, I'm at a loss of words, sorry). This will allow you more access, not to mention leverage to the #3 and #4 cylinders

 

[ssbroly]

Last time I dug into it, took about 4 hours. And a lot of patience.

 

[huklebuk]

My wife's cousin has worked at a Ford dealership for about ten years now. He says the problem does exist but is not as common as some say that it is. The most important thing to do to help prevent it from happening is to ONLY use motorcraft plugs and torque to spec for 5.4 or 4.6, I think the specs vary depending on the born on date. Apparently the alloy in the motorcraft plug is the only one recommended for use in the 5.4 family of engines. Don't know if all of this is true or not, just on what I have been told.

+1 on the motorcraft plugs. I had a plug blow out and I was using bosche +4 the mech said that was the problem. Fixed it with a helocoil and has been working fine ever since. Make sure you change all the coil packs around 90-100k, they tend to start leaking and wearing out at this point.

 

[mikegigabyte]

Ive been reading up on these plug problems. Maybe someone could put me at ease. So far on my 03 4.6L I only have 41,000 miles. I went on fords website and got the pdf for my model and it shows these type of plugs
http://k-mansparts.com/images/AGSF-32-PM.jpg

So to me these dont look like those super long ones that break off in the head, but how can I tell if I have the 4 threads, or more? I dont plan on changing the plugs until needed, like 100,000 miles. Im pretty sure I dont have coil packs on each plug, I believe I have one coil pack box that all plugs wires come from if that matters. You can see I dont spend any time in the engine to remember what I have, ive only had to clean the idle air valve thing 2 times, and change my oil/ tranny oil and thats it.

I am concerned if they pop out. What causes this, certain driving conditions?
I ever get around to getting new plugs it may be worth the cost to have the dealer put in, just incase they break or strip. Not that im afraid to do my own work, I do everything myself but its a pretty hassle to have it sitting around not running if I mess up the threads or plugs when there are known problems with them.

Any way to tell what I have from the vin, ford just says no recalls. I still may have that in the window sheet telling everything I have should I look for that.
Ive only heard that the 3 valve is the one that uses those plugs that can break, im just now more concerned about popping plugs

Also if it helps some reason I have 2004 wiring harness for the stereo, dont ask me how that happened

 

[panda24619]

wht breaks is the 2 piece plugs. those dont seem to have them but almost all 4.6 and 5.4 engines have the 2 piece plugs. wht happens is the carbon build up around the electrode will stop it from coming out so if you go to change the plugs itll stay in there and ull get the top out then you have more problems. i dont how you get that out but i took mine to a shop that deals with spark plugs and what not. and they put in what we gave them which was motorcraft plugs. 1 piece though. make sure when you change them that they are 1 piece plugs. so that problem will never happen again. and the plugs that pop out idk what year that stopped but my cousins bfs old f150 had the problem and he had a 01 with the 5.4 and his plugs kept coming out. twice on the same one so he sold the truck.

 

[mikegigabyte]

I know its the 2 piece plugs that can break, but from what part number mine takes, and the pic of the box of plugs it looks like the 1 piece plugs ive always used for other vehicles. I think the 3 valve engines use those 2 piece plugs but im guessing mine must be a 2 valve.

 

[86caprirs]

And I was looking into putting the E3 spark plugs into my 5.4L in my 2002 EB.

 

[Midnight Rider]

I am officially part of the thrown a plug club,LOL

Mine waited till I was on the Corner of 5th and market in center city Philly to blow out.

The shop said he re-torqued the rest of the plugs and that I should bot have anything to worry about.
Is there any other preventive actions that I can take?

 

[ET2 Burris]

I have always used anti sieze on every plug for every car i have worked on
for 35 years. Never had a plug spit out. My 2002 5.4 got new plugs at 90k.
I now have put 20k on them. I have lost 3 cops since but even the plugs were inspected and re-installed.
No problems here.
Seems Thread sealant would cause more problems than it would solve.

Best answer yet, at 161k on 98 Expedition 4.6w I have had no problems.
Locking them down was the big reason for the blow outs. Usually a hole in the wall mechanic does the lock them down thing. I've seen it, best thing to do is anti seize and toque wrench to spec that is not as a bar.

My plugs were changed at 100k biggest thing for me is the EGR cloging.
Anyone got ides on that?

 

[TheGuyWho]

2002 5.4 with 157k miles… no issues…

I think plug blow out is a 50/50 chance. There's obviously enough people that its happened to to warrant concern, however I think a lot of people are a little too paranoid about it. Simply maintenance and up keep will help for sure. The majority of car owners don't change their spark plugs often enough anyways. They were never meant to last forever…

I will be changing my plugs and coil packs this upcoming weekend regardless, but mostly because I do not know when they were changed prior to my ownership. From what I have read the Motorcraft spark plugs are the best way to go, so that's what I got. Same with the coil packs.

Just so everyone knows, ALL Fords with V8's built prior to the middle of 2003 are subject to this blown plug problem. Mustangs, F series, everything… And like someone mentioned above, Ford changed their heads to a larger thread count in late 2003. Almost as many Cobra owners have this problem as Expedition owners…

I think Ford should have done a massive recall on this for a manufacturers defect, but hey, that's just me…

 

[jkill351]

so i have an 03 eb expy. ive blown 1,2,3,4,and 7. i still only have 75k and i baby my ride. i have a little idea about what is causing this problem. my thought is that once the cops start going they cause detination. that pressure caused by the cop sparking prematurely has nowhere to go except through the weakest point which is the plug. dont get me wrong the lack of threads does not help but the detonation is the real culpret. before every one of my plugs went i had cop trouble. so here is the solution ive come up with.
if ever i hear the telltail air leak i tighten every plug to 12ft/lbs and replace the cop above the leaky plug. ive stopped using the motorcraft cops with accell as a better replacement. they offer better throttle response, improved performance/economy, and the yellow with lethal voltage sign with a lower cost than motorcraft. i wouldnt recomend changing just 1 at a time as the thought of 1 plug having more energy than the rest sounds like a bad idea. and when you do change plugs and cops dont forget your dielectric grease. doing these steps has kept the remaining 3 unblown plugs in place.
i hope this helped.

 

[WCAWI]

A little extra info

If you have a plug blow out on a 2 valve and it takes the threads with it never use a Helicoil or any steel type insert. The heat dissapation changes the plug heat range. We've had people come in with the tips melted off plugs with Helicoils installed. All other cylinders were fine. Only use aluminum inserts like the tool from Full Torque does. Its a Ford recommended fix also.

 

[Transporter]

The plug breakage is for the 3 valve heads..so 2005 on up. Your 2002 will have the 4 thread heads (# threads for plugs) which have a tendancy to blow a plug, but the plugs will unthread much easier (and sometimes by themselves). There are updated 8 thread heads that came out in 2003 that fixed this issue.

The 2003 was NOT a fix as I have had two plugs blow out in the 160K miles I have on my 2003EB 4X4 even with 8 thread plugs. One came out so hard that it took the coil pack with it. Heard it hit the hood then bounce off the road and hit the undercarriage once. I would also say that the issue is not with the plug backing out as I was not able to tread a plug back into the head. The plug would simply drop all the way down to the seat without needing to be turned IE the threads in the head were gone!