I remember reading the manual when my truck was new (about 2000) that my truck could go 100k between tune ups. My first impression was that they must really be something when you get around to doing it.

I have mentioned other places, that I had a guy that owed me money change my plugs at 100k (about 2007). He bitched and whined about it, but I just thought it was a tough job, not impossible. And it isn't impossible, but it is a real pain in the ***. That guy sent me into the Mojave desert, pulling a trailer with some plugs that weren't torqued correctly. I ended up shooting a plug out and having to make a road side repair. That story is not horrible as the plug did manage to go back into the hole.

Well, 5 years later I did my second spark plug change. What I did was pay a couple guys to do some work for me that have a ramshackle and probably illegal car repair shop in a small town in rural Oregon. And don't get me wrong, these guys were absolutely great. You do not have to wear the uniform of a Ford dealership to be a good mechanic. The guy originally quoted me $35 to change the plugs. Once he opened the hood he said, "I had no idea those things were so buried, I need more money." He accepted $50 to do it.

I had bought some brake pads (front and rear) and I had them (two brothers, Fred and Albert) install those as well. His quote for the pad change was $45. Not too shabby.

So my girl and I went to a local diner and had breakfast while these two guys tore into my truck.

 

When we come back they were both working. Fred on the brakes and Albert on the plugs. Albert said these plugs were a real bear to get out, and I agreed.

Fred told me I had snapped the bolt off of my Sway bar to my A frame. I had to run to the auto part store and grab one. We walked our dog into town and took our time. I had told my girl that we would probably be there all day.

Fred installed the broken part and continued with the brakes. They went pretty fast. He has air tools and so on. It went as fast as it could. However, the spark plugs were a different story. Albert had to take a lunch break in the middle of that. Albert is not the smartest guy, diagnostically speaking, but he is a heck of a part changer, and he is a patient man. Patients is the key here. As he worked his way to the final plug, the one closest to the driver his patients was starting to break down. he had to remove the fuel rail to get the that plug.

I start looking at my plug wear and comparing it to the chart in his manual. Most of my plugs had an excessive gap, an the electrodes were eaten away. The manual said this would cause erratic RPM and a noticeable loss in power. I had been having some power loss issues, but the RPM was not too bad. I was all over the spectrum in what I thought the root problem couple be (EFR, dirty ports, fuel pump etc). Because my idle was so smooth I was at a complete loss, before the spark plug change. I was looking at those plugs and the gap was over an eighth of an inch or more (settings are .052-.056). As I looked more closely I seen that some of the plugs were not the same as the others. The replacement plugs I had bought in 2007 for that other fellow to replace were Autolite, but two of the plugs closest to the driver, those that required removal of the fuel rail were Motorcraft. That guy that changed my plugs at 100k about 5 years ago didn't change two of the plugs. Those plugs had 225,000 miles on them, a quarter of a million miles. The electrodes were almost completely eaten away.

The guys finished and we settled up. They had replaced 4 brake pads, replaces the sway bar tie bar thingy, mounted a spare tire and replaced the plugs. About 7 hours of work, the bill was $135. I gave them 7 twenties and a couple of other little things I had, bought them a couple beers. I headed back home.

The truck runs like new. It has not had this much response or power in years. I had slowly gotten use to my truck getting really bad. I had ordered an 8 pack of COPs from Ebay and they should be here Friday. I don't think I even need them ($69 btw). I had planned to clean and/replace my throttle body, EGR and any other sensors I thought I would need. I still may do it, but man does my truck run good. I could put another heavy trailer on it now and cross the Rockies if I needed to.

And about these Mechanics... If anyone lives in Oregon and wants to use these guys let me know. They are great guys and could use the money. They live in a really depressed area and are happy for the work. I told them they will get all my wrench turning from now on.

 

I hope you put MOTORCRAFT plugs back in, and I hope they torqued them to 28 ft/lb.........

 

Sorry, but I wouldn't let my truck with ANY "shabby" mechanic. Probably 'cause I can do most stuff on my own, but still..... it's just Askin' for problems. Just my .02c.

Sounds like you got LUCKY

 

Me neither. I bet they didnt use the right plugs or torque them properly. Just a guess, considering they knew nothing about that engine/plug design. That is going to leave you on the side of the road sometime soon, with a large repair bill. And whatever plugs he put in there will start to rear their ugly face soon as well.

What "small town" do you speak of?

 

After reading all the horror stories with plugs on these trucks I took mine to a large reputable shop/mechanic who has done the job many times before on these trucks.
It ended up costing me $160 + the price of plugs. Would gladly pay 2 hours of labor for someone else to do it, and do it right.

Glad everything worked out well for you with the second set of mechanics OP.
That;s horrible that the first guy would just completely blow off changing to two plugs that were hardest to get to.
It's blows my mind the thought process of these kind of guys.. I guess he was banking on you selling the truck before having to do the plugs again.

As for the second set of mechanics-It's hard to believe those guys can survive charging such low prices for all that work. As long as they do a good job and take pride in their work, that's all that matters.
Also nice to see you're eager to support the little guys out there.

 

I see you are from B-town.. I am in Tigard myself and the work I had done was in Lafayette.

Go ahead and spend all you want on your truck, but most of it is just wrench turning. I can do that stuff, I use to do all my own work. I am just having more work done by others now. And any time you turn you car over to some one else you never know what is going to happen if it is the fancy dealership or a shade tree. These guys in Lafayette have totally earned my respect and future business.



These guys that did my plugs own a sort of business but they lived in an economically depressed area. They just kept saying how nobody has any money these days. They are great guys and I will give them my business again and recommend them to others. It would be worth it to drive an hour to their little town for work done. I told them they are my mechanics now.

And I helped them, I was only out of their site when I ran to get a few things at the parts store, a couple blocks away. The parts guy knew them and gave me their discount when I picked things up. I watched these guys and advised them of my concerns. They did torque the plugs correctly as I watched them. It went really well and I am very happy. Since their doing the work I have gone through two tanks of gas, over some mountains and to the beach and it ran better than it has for a long time. Those old old plugs in the back were eaten away to nothing. It was a massive difference.

I have some new COPs coming in a coupe days, and although I cannot imagine it making a difference I am going to go ahead and change them out. I am getting some shocks in the next couple of days and having them put them on as well.

And for you guys that like to spend top dollar on every aspect of your truck consider this, I am able to do more for my truck when I cut cost on all the individual projects. I have spent a lot on my truck in the past month and it shows. New tires, new brakes, new PCV valve, new hoses, fuel filter, etc... After the shocks and COPs I will slowing down on the repairs. It all really needed to be done and it is nice when you get it all done at once. My old tired truck is running like new, or at least it seems that way to me. It has been a big change.

 

Did you use MOTORCRAFT plugs this time, I hope?

What torque spec did they use?

 

The torque is correct, and what the hell difference does Motorcraft spark plugs make? You go to all threads saying this stuff? I mean it is cool, but after the second time you say it I call it nagging like an old woman. And one other thing, an educated man likes to see specs and references to why you make a claim like that, not just some man yelling in the wind plugging some company name. If you want to get through to me show me some specifications that back up your claim, not just some opinion of a stranger. For all I know you are that guy that mumbles to himself on the subway.

 

Rookie... Nooobie... WHAT EVER.........glc is a respected member and knows his .... research before you blast an elder. Just my opinion. Question someones comments..... RESPECTFULLY. You just might learn something new... about the attitudes and personalities of these trucks. It's ppl like you and (again former lltoolj) that I decided to stay "behind the scenes" and speak when needed........ as others on here.

It is a known fact here that the FORD torque specs for our spark plugs will (if you want to roll the dice) cause a plug blow-out... leading you to not only possibly be stranded in the middle of nowhere at an an ungodly early hour... but possibly need a head repair when you do get it home.

You want to Roll The Dice? Your choice... and possibly YOUR MONEY. Good luck with that. I, for one ...having been one here several years... take the "elders" advice..... and my truck serves me well.

Jus Sayin' .................... Blast me back if you want. I don't ask for 'proof'.... I look for experience, even though I made a living on 'general' auto repairs for years and fix my own vehicles short of having a rack. Do you know what that is??

 

The factory torque spec (15 ft/lb) is too loose. You have only 4 plug threads in the head, and as you have seen, the plugs can loosen and blow out.

www.blownoutsparkplug.com

Read FAQ 51 and 52. This guy is a Ford master tech and has quite a side business going repairing blowouts.

We have documented instances of non-Motorcraft plugs in the modular engines falling apart, burning up, fouling, etc. Autolite and Bosch seem to be the WORST. Motorcraft plugs are made to Ford specs and aren't any more expensive than any others. NGK's seem to work okay, as do Denso Iridiums.

Stick around and spend some time actually reading threads and you just might learn something.

 

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Give it up, - the guys a jerk. Don't waste your time man.

 

If these guys were "good" part replacers, they wouldnt have had to take the fuel rail off. I did all my plugs myself in about 2 and a half hours the first time ever doing them and didnt have to take the fuel rail off. I dont get why everybody makes a big fuss while doing these. They arent very hard at all...

 

I have been working on cars since the 70s. My father is a mechanical engineer and I am an electrical engineer. I have enough on the ball to do it myself, and have many times. Working on cars use to be a hobby.

Maybe I owe you an apology, but I do get it the first time. If you want to get my attention put up some some statistical data. And if some company has plugs that are routinely falling apart and causing serious money to be spent on engines they are subjecting themselves to a class action lawsuit and a bad reputation.

I just know that every thread that I wrote in someone spouted only Motorcraft. I got that when I replaced my PCV valve.

Thanks for the advice, but the deal is done and this is probably the last set of plugs I will put in this engine. We will see when it rolls 325k