I was just wondering if there are people out there with the 3v engine that have gotten their spark plugs changed and not had a problem?

I just bought an '07 and was thinking about anti-seizing the plugs now then continue every 25k.

For grins I called the dealer to see what he would charge to do the job. No way were they would do it. He said 'I know what your talking about, but we don't see that problem very often anymore. Ford changes part numbers and specs all the time and maybe they fixed the problem' (end quote)

Didn't give me warm fuzzies at all. As far as I know the block part number hasn't changed and neither has the plugs. Anybody know different?

Have people had the plugs changed and not had problems? Maybe I'm making to much of this.

 

supposedly, 06s and 07s have nickel anti-sieze on the shank to solve the problem.

 

Dam, I wish I knew that. I spent at least 2.5 hrs on the phone tracking some down and $20 on a bottle. That's great news if true though.

Can anyone confirm??

 

Although people on this forum make it seem as if 99% of the trucks have this problem, in reality they are definitely in a minority. It's not as widespread as a forum can mislead you to believe.

But, if you have a new truck and want to have some peace of mind you might as well do it now when it would still be very low risk and easy.

 

What is the recommended timeframe/milage for a plug change-out?

I don't understand why dealers are charging customers after they [the dealer] broke the plug off in the first place - regardless of warranty/mileage.

It's like a tire shop snapping off a lug after torquing it too much - they broke it so they'll fix it.

 

If you've followed the forum for a while, you notice that "problems" run in cycles. We've had times where you would have thought that all clutch packs were bad, all differentials whine, all brakes were defective, all trucks had steering wheel nibble, all trucks had vibrations, etc.

 

Yup. My point exactly. People "Create" their own problems. Sort of like "global warming," now anytime it is above a cool 73 degrees outside people start spouting about how global warming is getting so bad

 

I have a fairly new 2007 5.4 3v screw, 7500mi., I am not going to touch the plugs for at least 90-100,000mi, or till I notice a performance decrease! Heck that just may be 9-10 years from now, by then FORD may have it's 6.2 twin force Boss out, & I'll just trade her in on that beast, in reality, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... people on this forum are making way too much about this issue......just enjoy the ride, till it's time for a trade......

 

Can anyone confirm/disclaim this??

 

The best guy to respond to your question is probably Quintin, he's a Ford tech. Hopefully he will chime in at some point.

 

Pulled my plugs at 50,000 miles, and immediately reinstalled the original back in each cylinder.

At 100,000, pulled each of them and replaced them with brand new plugs.

While a couple of them squeaked and all of them were tight all the way out, there was no problem removing any of them. When I took them out at 50K and 100K, they acted identical.

I think I wasted my time pulling them at 50K. YMMV, but I wouldn't worry about it.

Amazes me that so many people are so bent about this "issue", when most of them won't see the 100K mark with their truck...or if they do it won't be for three to five years.

 

Keep in mind that if this is a real problem for Ford, they will keep working on a solution and will update their TSB. They will find better solvents or procedures to handle the problem (and the mechanics will learn from their mistakes). I figure the longer I wait, the better chance there is that there will be better solutions.

 

Some food for thought -- I just had new plugs and wires installed in my '97 Ranger (101k) with the 2.3 liter 4-banger engine. It was not an inexpensive repair, and to be honest with you, I can't notice even the slightest bit of difference in the performance of the truck with the new plugs.

I'm thinking I may have been better off just leaving the old ones in there and running with them until they gave me trouble. The only way I'm justifying it now is that I intend to run the truck for at least several more years, so it's kind of an investment into the future performance of the vehicle......

 

Just talked to a friend who is a Supervisor at the 5.4 Engine plant and plugs are and have been installed dry, no nickel anti sieze or anything since 2004. I have two positive confirmations of the info.

 

This is my thinking on this whole spark plug issue as well. If the vehicle is running fine, there's no benefit to replacing the plugs. You just end up going through alot of aggravation for nothing. The plugs on these 5.4's are a bugger to get out even if they don't break, when they do now it's a nightmare (try digging out 'ol #4 on the passenger side behind the PCM and under the heater hoses and wires). As long as my '04 keeps running fine I won't worry about it, if it develops an issue then I'll deal with it and whatever costs are involved.