Blown sparkplug on Trition V8 (2002) 5.4L 350 XLT

found out what it was.

a special helicoil insert or what?????

can fix it.

There was a recall on some of those engines you might check into that. You can have a helocoil installed. The problem is that Ford used wrong plug design and wrong torque spec. The threads did not actually strip out the way you think. Then aluminum in heads has a different expansion rate than steel plugs and over time the loosen up and rattle in threaded bore until it kinda loosens up enough to wear threads out from rattling and flame cutting. In future just check plug every 5K miles or so and make sure they are snug. (you want to install/torque them when engine is cold)

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

"SnoMan" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

This is BS. There is no recall, there is a TSB. If the plugs are installed properly and torqued properly, there is no need to check them every 5K miles. Ford did not use wrong torque spec - mechanics replacing the plugs do. The proper torque spec is 11 ft.lbs. (14 Nm) (or 9.5 to 20 Nm / 7 to 15 foot-pounds). As for whether or not it is the wrong plug design, I guess it is if mechanics can't put them in properly. I am confident than when the plugs are properly installed, there won't be a problem. Unfortuntely, it appears it take a real mechanic (skilled and careful) to do it correctly. Given the general level of mechanics working these days, that means you are likely to have a problem. This means it is a bad design. I owned two Expeditons with the supposedly "bad" plugs, and in my family we had three other vehicles with the supposedly bad design plugs. We never had a problem. I had the plugs in my 1997 Expedition changed at 100,000 miles (they actually looked good) and 50,000 miles later things were still fine. I had the plugs in my 2003 (with supposedly different plugs - but they looked the same) changed at 100,000 miles without incident. Mechanics who don't torque the plugs properly can cause all sorts of problem. If you don't torque them enough, they will loosen over time and destroy the threads. If you use too high a torque, you destroy the threads right away. I have seen it claimed that some engines came from Ford with the plugs improperly torqued. I can't confirm this. I talked to my local mechanics (not a Ford mechanic) and he's never seen one with the problem unless someone had changed the plugs.

Ford just released a TSB that authorizes the use of a particualr type of insert for non-warranty repairs (for warranty repairs, Ford says to replace the head). Here is the TSB:

TSB 07-21-2

4.6L 2V, 5.4L 2V, OR 6.8L 2V - SPARK PLUG THREAD REPAIR PROCEDURE - NOT COVERED UNDER NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY

Publication Date: October 17, 2007

FORD:1997 Thunderbird

1997-2004 Mustang 1997-2008 Crown Victoria 1997-1999 F-250 Light Duty 1997-2004 Expedition 1997-2008 E-Series, F-150 1998-2004 F-53 Motorhome Chassis, F-Super Duty 2001-2005 Excursion 2002-2006 Explorer LINCOLN:1997-2007 Town Car 1998-1999 Navigator MERCURY:1997 Cougar 1997-2008 Grand Marquis 2002-2006 Mountaineer

This article supersedes TSB 07-15-2 to update the vehicle model years.

ISSUE:

Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6L 2V, 5.4L 2V, or 6.8L 2V engine and aluminum cylinder heads may experience a spark plug port with stripped or missing threads.

ACTION:

Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition for non warrantable repairs.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Ford Motor Company now authorizes LOCK-N-STITCH aluminum insert and tool kit as a proper repair procedure. Follow the procedure included in the tool kit for using the tools and inserts. Tool kits and inserts can be ordered from Rotunda by calling

1-800-Rotunda (768-8632). Choose option two (2), part number 302-00001.

NOTE:FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS DETERMINED THAT REPAIRS MADE WITH THESE ALUMINUM INSERTS AND LOCK-N-STITCH TOOLS DO NOT AFFECT THE HEAT TRANSFER FUNCTION BETWEEN THE SPARK PLUG AND THE CYLINDER HEAD. [note from Ed W -

] NOTE:THIS PROCEDURE IS NOT AUTHORIZED AS A FORD WARRANTY REPAIR. FOR VEHICLES WITHIN WARRANTY, REPLACEMENT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD IS RECOMMENDED.

NOTE:THIS IS THE ONLY FORD AUTHORIZED PROCEDURE FOR SPARK PLUG THREAD REPAIRS.

NOTE:THIS PROCEDURE IS AUTHORIZED FOR ESP REPAIRS AND RETAIL REPAIRS.

WARRANTY STATUS:

Information Only - Not Warrantable

---------------------------------

Other intersting web sites:

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archives:

Regards,

Ed White

The BS is yours here. They did have a LOT of issue with plugs coming out of 5.4 and V10 with aluminum head in years past and ford did change the plug style and torque on them. You ned to get your ducks in a row here before you spot off like this. Whiel Ford does not recommand retightening them every 5K, I do on problem engine to make sure they are staying snug. If they are not found loose after a few times then you can skip it. It is/was a problem that Ford likes to keep quiet about because they do not want to have to "eat" a lot of them if they do not have too.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

You ned to get your ducks in

I hate it when a guy spots off without his ducks lined up.

Spdloader

Snowblower! Have you ever thought about or even tried using a spell checker? Your spelling is atrocious! Not as bad as most of you misguided misinformation, but it does run a close second...

Especially when he NEDS to get them in a row before he SPOTS off...

My 2002 F150 company work truck recently blew out the rear, passenger side plug. Just under 40,000 miles on the truck. The plugs were original, never removed or replaced. I have taken the truck in for all servicing, which up to this incident has only been oil changes. It would have been nice to have someone to blame for the problem, instead of Ford. It is kind of odd that only Ford vehicles are having this "mechanic" caused problem. An improper head design is the real culprit, or all aluminum head engines would have similar, critical torque requirements and plug blow-outs.

lol

You ned to get your ducks I hate it when a guy SPOTS off without his ducks l Especially when he NEDS to get them in a row before he SPOTS off... ______________________________________________

The message is what's important, not the language problem. I RECOMMAND that we all back off for a WHIEL.

Rodan.

Well.... I didn't mean to stir-up a hornets nest but I guess I did inadvertently, AND got some good info to think about in the process. The threads appear OK on the plug that blew out and I am checking to make sure each of the plugs are tight (not too tight). Thanks again.

Chuck

It takes a lot of effort to keep a bunch of ducks in line.

The message is the problem.

Like herding cats.

Spdloader

The problem is they blow out without anyone touching them. If that's not a bad design, it's bad mechanical work at the factory. If the owner never replaced or had the plugs replaced, Ford should do the repair free. If you Google "Ford blown spark plugs" you will see it's not a rare problem.

Al

I agree if the original Ford installed plugs blow out, Ford should pay for the repair.

Ironically, I have only had one plug blow out in my life - and it was in an iron head 4.9L six. It happened within days of having the plugs changed. The mechanic that did the work apologized and fixed the problem.

Ed

BS. There is no way, if the plugs are installed properly, that you need to check them every 5k miles. If you are so unsure of your mechanics that you need to check his work every few thousand miles, you need a new mechanic.

I am of the opinion that if it can be confirmed that a factory plug blew out in less than the plug service interval, then Ford is responsible and should pay for the repair. If a plug installed by a shop blows out, the shop should be responsible. If the shop can't take responsibility for their error, then they should not agree to take the job. My favorite mechanic refused to change the plugs on my 1997 Expedition at 100k miles because he had never done one and was not comfortable doing the job (he was afraid it would be so complicated it would not be cost effective). Therefore I had it done at the dealership. Apparently they knew what they were doing, because I never had a problem over the next 50k miles. When I wanted to have the plugs changed in my 2003 Expedition 5.4L, my favorite mechanic did it without hesitation. Between the first job an and the second, he had decided he needed to take on that sort of work. He apparently did a good job as well, since I had no problems with those plugs either.

If you want to blame Ford for a bad plug design, fine, I agree it is a bad design, but the fact is you don't need more than 3 or 4 threads to achieve maximum strength in a joint - assuming proper initial torque. Having only a few threads can be a bad thing if you don't properly install the plugs. Conversely, having 10 or 15 threads is no guarantee that you cannot strip the threads in an aluminum head. I suspect that most of the Ford blown plug failures are related to improper installation by shops, not by the factory (although some clearly are factory problems). However, if you have a part designed with installation requirements that are so critical that it makes "normal" field replacement difficult, then it is a bad design. I have asked my local mechanic (not a Ford mechanic) if he has ever seen a Ford modular engine with a blown plug and so far he has not. I realize this is a small sample size, but if the problem was as prevalent as some claim, he should have seen at least one in the last decade.

Finally, if you think the 1997-2003 plugs were bad, wait till you have the plugs changed in one of the three valve modular engines. They should fire the engineer that did that one. If I had a three valve engine, I'd have the plugs changed yearly or never have the plugs changed.

Ed

THere was a recall/TSB of sorts on it that I saw some time ago that I cannot locate at this time. This is a classic Detriot screw up. In this case it is Ford. Theyhave a big problem but rather than admitt problem, they try to pass it off to consumers. I have heard of a few getting them fixed for free out of warranty when they complained loud enough. Given the amount of these engines on the road, to "fix" all of them could easily run into the hundreds of millions of dollars and beyond so they try to shift blame. Kinda like the Explorer rollover thing when a rear tire blows. They blamed the tire (never mind tht door sticker underinflated it and vehicle was so unstable that a tire failure was almost a sure ticke to a roll over) to limit liablity even though Ford quietly did a MAJOR redesign of explore chassi in 03 little was officailly said but it was done to reduce roll over tendancies.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

You are just full of BS. Even the Firestone executives admitted that the tires installed on the Explorer should have been sufficient to carry the load imposed by an Explorer if only inflated to 22 psi (instead of 28). They were recommending the 30 to provide even more margin. And in fact, Explorers were never particularly prone to roll over no matter what the press tried to claim. Chevy S10 Blazers, Toyota 4Runners, Isuzu Trooper, etc all had much higher rates of rollover than 4 Door Explorers. The whole thing was a media driven feeding frenzy. And finally, 1996 Explorers were sold with both Goodyear and Firestone tries. Both brands had the same inflation pressure recommendations. Only the Firestone tires had a high failure rate. The supposedly dangerous 1990's era 4 Door Explorers were among the safest vehicles of the period. Among 4 door SUVs of the late 90's only the Jeep Grand Cherokee had a lower insurance industry injury loss rating.

The Explorer was completely redesigned for the 2002 Model Year - not

2003. The 2002 Explorer was completely different and included IRS. Your claim that this was primarily done to reduce the rollover risk is more BS, although I am sure improved safety was one of the reasons. On the other hand, the Explorer Sport and Explorer SportTrac continued with the older type chassis beyond 2002.

Ed

read

whew....