100,000 miles is the recommended service interval. Based on the experience of those on here, you can take your chances as early as 30,000 miles with *some* luck, but you still need to perform the work per the TSB. It *might* be even better, for warranty purposes, if you had a dealer perform the work for you.

-Joe

 

Good grief y'all. It's not carbon. It's rust. The metal of the spark plug reacts negatively to the aluminum of the cylinder head.

 

No, it's not, it's carbon build-up in the plug bore of the head. Please take a good read of the TSB info I posted a couple pages back. I've seen the actual cutaways with my own four eyes.

-Joe

 

Just had my plugs changed, 72k the dealer did it and had no problems, he did suggest bringing it in every 30-35k and having then removed and cleaned...paid $257.28 for the plugs, fuel filter and labour...I'm so Happy it went well.

 

And I'm willing to bet I've removed more of these plugs than you have.

Show me specifically in the bulletin where it says it's carbon.

 

i cracked mine and cleaned them at 10,000. i am losing the stock plugs tomorrow. i ordered autolites. they are cooler and less likely to build up carbon. mine carboned out to the extent that they missed at high rpm's. i cleaned them thoroughly but now they are unusable. light brown powder on the extensions is carbon soot. i didn't use anyisieze when i reinstalled them,but i will definately use it this time.

as a rule with any ford aluminum head. crack them at 20,000 and use anti sieze. if you wait for 100,000 it's almost too late. sorry to say it, but this is normal for MODS. that's why i do mine every once in a while. and i don't torque the hell out of them.

 

I just hit 20k today so I guess now would be the time to at least crack these plugs. I'm thinking of having the dealer change the plugs at 30k just to get this issue out of the way before the warranty is up.

 

I had mine changed by local Ford dealership last year ( Spark knock TSB) at 20,000 miles and the plugs were fine, I asked to see them and they had no rust at all. Tech said they came out easy with no problem. I believe him since he is a friend of mine.

 

Sorry... my bad.... I guess the guy I spoke with that DID the testing and developed the TSB didn't know what he was talking about... I guess that head section with the carbon locking the broken plug in place that we put on our fluoroscope was a fluke... As was the cutaway piece of the head with another broken plug.....

I'm quite sure it's not rust. Just because it's brown doesn't make it rust.

 

Show me specifically in the bulletin where it says it's carbon.

Edit - Show me specifically anywhere where it says it's carbon.

 

where the heck are we talking about rust? if it's on the thread it's rust. in face the autolites i have in my hand specifically toute corrosion resistance as a benefit. if its inside of the camber it's likely carbon. what is the issue here? the fact is the stock plugs are unacceptable no matter what. they are pressed and can fall apart under extreme conditions.(FI,NOS) they are way too hot and seem to be a carbon/fouling magnet. my stockers are having spark blowout and preignition from high temps. plugs should not do that.

 

This isn't carbon, and looks like rust to me.



This is the post the plug pics are from. https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...3&postcount=46

Here's the thread. It's a bible, better pay attention. https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=214810

 

Man that isnt rust its brown carbon

 

What was I thinkin!

 

Well, in that case, I'll be sure and tell the engineers who spent months researching the problem and engineering the solution that they have no clue what they're talking about.... :rolleyes

Carbon build-up can be and is brown. The head's not rusting because it's Aluminum, and the spark plug ground electrode shows no signs of pitting after the brown material is removed... so what's the source of the rust??