When I changed my plugs on 11-01-05 with 25,776 miles, I didn’t use any penetrating oil and the engine was cold. Thankfully, all 8 came out without breaking.

The new spark plug removal protocol Ford has come up with seems like a sure thing



bad plug video

 

Well, I am one of those worried and ready to sell BECAUSE, When my 2004 5.4 got to the 25,000 mi mark, I thought I would change plugs. Have always done it before. Then I started reading. I change oil, plugs, filters, tires and basic mechanicing, but... having to take the valve covers off of that mass of wires and hoses. I think that is a little out of my league.
I called the local Ford dealer to ask them to change my plugs and he said, "Oh they don't change till 100,000 mi". I said I wanted him to change them anyway and he REFUSED. That is right. He would not take the truck in to change the plugs. I called a second dealer, further away, and they passed me to about 3 different people, in the end, indicating that I brought it in, well, they would see what they would do.
So, Now I have 45,000 mi on the truck and no new spark plugs.
I live in the country and if a plug broke off, the truck would be down, I would have no way to get to work, soon no job, and, I guess, plenty of time to try to figure out the maze of hoses and wires and valve covers, etc.
I guess I could take the truck to some home mechanic, but then they would surely break off and he would not know what to do. That is why I have been desparately waiting for this new tool to be designed by Ford.
With all the Fords on the road, how can Ford avoid this issue?????? There will be a class action lawsuit, but in the meantime, I need to drive to work daily.
But now that this new tool is out, I will call the Ford dealerships , AGAIN.

 

My mechanic told me he already had a protocol for removing these plugs before Ford came out with one. Don't wait on a dealership. There are plenty of quality techs out there. And has been previously mentioned, this scenario has been blown way out of proportion.

 

My dad's fleet vechiles are all Fords, they run them for 3 years and normally put 150,000+ miles on them. He took his in to have them changed at 100,000 and they came out with no problem and the dealership said they looked brand new. The company runs fuel injector cleaner thru the engine at 50,000 and did their routine maint. and had no problems as a lot of people on this board are having. It seems to be the luck of the draw but I agree I would not get rid of my truck because I am afraid to change the spark plugs. It seems that although the price is steep if your that worried about changing them yourself take them to the dealership and let them change the plugs, pay the money, and move on with it.

 

Quintin and jpdadeo
Thanks for your feed ins. I suspect you have also read the 6 or 700 posts on various Ford Webs on plug removal that had photos of broken plugs, and the disappointment of having to pull a head to remove the broken part of the plug. There was also posts on how dealerships would not pay for a broken plug that they broke and head removal because they just would not. This is reason enough take a look at engines that have no risk with broken plugs, i.e. sell Ford, buy something else, after having Fords for 36 years.

jpdadeo, the broken plug removal tool looks like a modified easy out tool. To those who think I am yelling wolf in a treeless forest, why did Ford put out a broken plug tool if there is no concern about broken plugs? I have changed plugs on my past rigs all my life and I have never heard of a broken plug removal tool.

I searched Jegs, Summit and Google. I could not find the tool jpdadeo posted. Any help, please?

 

Req, here's the TBS



TSB 06-5-9

FORD: 2004 F-150

ISSUE:

Some 2004 F-150 vehicles with a 5.4L 3-valve engine may experience difficulty with spark plug removal which may cause damage to the spark plug and leave part of the spark plug in the cylinder head.

ACTION:

Refer to the following Service Procedure for techniques to remove the spark plugs and extract broken spark plugs.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

General Spark Plug Removal

To remove spark plugs without damage, it is necessary to adhere exactly to this procedure before removal is attempted.
1. Make sure the engine is warm (hand touch after cooling down).

CAUTION: DO NOT REMOVE PLUGS WHEN THE ENGINE IS EXTREMELY HOT OR COLD SOAKED. THIS INCREASES THE CHANCE THE THREADS COULD BE DAMAGED.

CAUTION: BE SURE TO WEAR SAFETY GLASSES FOR STEP 2.

3. Remove the coil-on-plug assemblies and thoroughly blow out the spark plug wells and surrounding valve cover area with compressed air.
4. Back out the spark plugs, no more than 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn. Apply penetrating oil (AeroKroil or equivalent) and fill the spark plug well just above where the jamb nut hex sits. A minimum period of 5 to 10 minutes of soak time is required. The penetrating oil will wick down to the ground electrode shield in this time.

CAUTION: EXCESSIVE PENETRANT, OR REPEATING THE PROCESS SEVERAL TIMES WITH TOO MUCH FLUID, COULD INTRODUCE ENOUGH LIQUID VOLUME TO HYDRO-LOCK THE ENGINE.

CAUTION: DO NOT USE AIR OR POWER TOOLS FOR PLUG REMOVAL. THE PLUG MUST ONLY BE REMOVED WITH HAND TOOLS.

6. Slowly turn the spark plug out. Some screeching and high effort may be noticed but, not in every case. The expected removal torque is about 33 lb-ft (45 N-m) but should decrease on the way out. If it is higher, try turning the spark plug back in a half turn, then back out again. If the turning torque still seems high, repeat the back and forth rotation along with some penetrating oil to reduce turning effort.

Separated/Broken Spark Plug Removal

If the plug does come apart even after following the General Spark Plug Removal Procedure, it will break in one of two modes:
Mode 1: The ground electrode shield is left behind as an empty shell (Figure 1).


Figure 1 - Article 06-5-9

Mode 2: The porcelain center and ground electrode shield is left behind and only the upper jamb nut comes out. In this case more soaking is required and long-reach nose pliers should be used to grasp and remove the porcelain center from the ground electrode shield (Figure 2).


Figure 2 - Article 06-5-9

Once there is only an empty ground electrode shield left in the cylinder head, perform the following steps to remove the shield using Rotunda Special Service Tool 303-1203 (Figure 3).


Figure 3 - Article 06-5-9

 

NOTE: THIS TOOL IS ONLY DESIGNED TO WORK WITH AN EMPTY GROUND ELECTRODE SHIELD. IF THE SPARK PLUG CAME APART IN MODE 2, THE PORCELAIN CENTER MUST BE REMOVED PRIOR TO FOLLOWING THESE STEPS.

1. The combustion chamber must be protected from contamination during the extraction process by using a modified vacuum cap (382444-S) as a stopper-type plug. This is because the remaining ground electrode shield will be thread-tapped, so the cap is needed to prevent thread chips from falling into the cylinder bore. Cut a vacuum cap to a 3/8" (10 mm) length for each ground electrode shield that needs to be removed.
2. Install the modified cap with a long drill bit or suitable wire (Figure 4), sized for the internal diameter of the cap. The rubber cap should bottom-out on the electrode strap of the ground electrode shield once installed.


Figure 4 - Article 06-5-9

3. Thread-tap the ground electrode shield Using a 9.0 x 1.0 mm "plug" tap (tap profile is about 3-4 reduced diameter threads on the tip end).
a. Coat the end of the tap with general purpose grease as shown in Figure 5.


Figure 5 - Article 06-5-9

b. Turn the tap about 3 to 4 turns into the ground electrode shield once the tap begins to cut. As the shield is tapped, for every 1/2 turn, the tap should be backed up 1/8 turn to "break chips" and prevent any cut material from coiling-up and laying in the spark plug well. All of the thread chips will embed in the grease pack or drop inside the vacuum cap when following this procedure. A suitably sized tap wrench of about 7-9 inches in handle length will aid in reaching down the well. If not available, use an 8 point socket with a ratchet and drive extension. Keep the shank aligned with the axis of the spark plug bore cavity to prevent possible thread bore damage. Use care not to damage any spark plug threads on the way in.

CAUTION: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE GROUND ELECTRODE SHIELD WITH THE TAP AND WRENCH. THE TAP MAY BREAK IF THIS IS ATTEMPTED.

c. Carefully back out the tap while maintaining the residual grease coat on the tap which contains some chips. Take care not to touch the sides of the spark plug well bore during removal.
4. Once the ground electrode shield is tapped, thread Rotunda Special Service Tool 303-1203 into the ground electrode shield to extract it from the spark plug well and encapsulate any remaining chips from falling into the combustion chamber.

NOTE: SEE FIGURE 6 FOR DETAILS OF THE TOOL AS INSTALLED IN THE HEAD.


Figure 6 - Article 06-5-9

a. Install the stepped end of the tool pilot bushing into the spark plug well ensuring it bottoms out.
b. Screw the center shank into the ground electrode shield. Do not over tighten the shank, to prevent thread stripping.
c. Install the nylon washer and jack nut until finger tight.
d. Turn the jack nut with a socket and 3/8" drive ratchet until the ground electrode is freed from the cavity and withdraw the tool assembly. Several turns of the nut are required. Upon removal, any remaining chips not caught earlier by the tap grease will be captured by the rubber plug sitting at the bottom of the ground electrode shield.

NOTE: ONCE THE SPARK PLUGS HAVE ALL BEEN REMOVED, NEW PLUGS SHOULD BE INSTALLED USING A FILM COATING OF NICKEL ANTI-SEIZE ON THE GROUND ELECTRODE SHIELD OF THE NEW SPARK PLUG. DO NOT COAT THE ELECTRODE STRAP OR THE PLUG WILL MISFIRE. THE NEW PLUGS SHOULD BE INSTALLED WITH NO LUBRICANT ON THE THREADS AND TORQUED TO SPECIFICATION, 25 LB-FT (34 N-m).

PART NUMBER PART NAME
AeroKroil Obtain through www.kanolabs.com or by calling 1-800-311-3374 (orange aerosol can)
382444-S Vacuum Cap

 

Am I ovelooking something here or is Step 2 missing???

 

The CAUTION is step 2 & also step 5

 

OK, I guess that kind of makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up. And now, we return you to the regularly scheduled spark plug fiasco.

 

Does this only apply to the 04 models?
I have an 05. If I let the dealer do mine and they break a plug while it's under warranty will I have to pay extra for them to get it out?

 

jpdadeo
You are gentleman and a mechanic. I did Google, both URL and the Search block, but no success with TB-8494-A. However, now with your help I have printed out another of many pages that my Helms factory manual does not have. I now have a small printed out library of spark plug guides and data in addition to my Helms. BTW, the Helms is really lacking. Again, thanks.

 

Thanks so much for that printout. TSB 06-5-9 and the pictures.
I might try this myself, after all.
I looked up the Jeg Catalogue and called them and the $3.50 tool they have is a spark plug removal socket with rubber coating. They do not have the Ford Tool.
I can also report that the Ford dealer in Ft. Worth still would not change my plugs as I only have 45,000 mi on the truck. The one in Denton, said they knew nothing of any problems with any spark plugs and knew nothing about any tool. The one in Lewisville kept putting me on hold and I gave them the hold. Finally, the one in Grapevine said he had a man who did all the spark plug work and he went and came back and said that yes, he had the new tool and had heard stories, but none of his had actually broken. (I did not get to find out how many '04's and up he had actually worked on). But I will go with the one who at least admits, there is a potential, possible problem.
What I have to decide is whether to try now at 45,000 or wait till, say, 60,000 mi. I could put the fuel treatment in and see if it cleans up anything on the plugs.
Decisions.

 

Thanks for posting that information. I have saved it for the future just incase.

 

Looking back through all of this leaves me with one question: Do I need to have any concern about my 05 with the 4.6? Is this only a 5.4 problem?