That as well as driving style and brand of gas used which leads to excessive deposits on the electrode sleeve.

 

Hey, havnt read much of this thread but i thought i would let everyone know that at 70 000km's, ford told me to change them so they would NOT be siezed... well, they tore thecab off of my truck... ripped apart the engine.... broke 7 plugs off.... broke ford's special tool they have designed to remove the broken plugs... and yeah, 3800 dollars later my truck runs the exact same as it did before! actually worse because i had to go back in twice to make them finish putting panels back in and tightening things up! it wasnt a good few days for me... and yes i have pictures of my truck in peices

 

holy **** dude. I thought mine was bad. If you don't mind, I'd like to see the pics. But if you don't want to relive the nightmare, I'll understand...
The first shop was planning on pulling the motor, but they got it out without. The dealership I took it to to finish the job did it right. I wish i took it to them in the first place. Clearly, not all dealerships are created equal.

sorry 'bout you luck dude. my pain in the *** happened a couple weeks before christmas. can't wait to see my cc statement...

 

The dealerships are making the owners pay for this repair when plugs break ?

Something is not right here.

 

I just turned over 100000 and am due for a plug change.What years does this affect?Is it possible to spray something like PB Blaster on them and let it sit a while?The truck is not my daily driver so letting it sit a while to let it soak in a while is possible,if it would help.

 

04-08 5.4liter 3 valve engines, with some 08's having redesigned heads and no plug issues.

 

this really sucks. im gunna wait a while and go talk to the dealer about my plug cahnge. im at 50k so ill wait a couple then fight with the dealer

 

I have a 05 gator with a little over 60k on her and attempted to change the plugs out. Followed the TSB procedure and snapped the first plug i tried. Dealer wanted $260 to extract the one. Porcelain and shield were stuck in the hole. Thought i was screwed and was going to just buy the Rotunda tools but found this instead http://www.tooltopia.com/lisle-65600.aspx. Tool is a lot cheaper then the rotunda tool and worked like a champ! So far i've changed 4 plugs and 2 have broken. It's too cold here to finish the job now.

 

Well, if this whole spark plug issue ever does come to a head with Ford, the fact that the problem is so prevalent that the aftermarket even created a special tool for the extraction would be good ammunition for the consumer!

I'm torn on what to do with my truck -- since it's not likely to accumulate more than 30,000 to 40,000 miles in my lifetime, I'm leaning toward doing nothing with the plugs and letting my son (or whoever owns the truck after me) worry about it......

 

If your truck is NOT at 100K and you are not having driving issues then don't worry about changing them. People here freak out about these plugs and want to swap them out before their time. I have seen very few problems from the plugs themselves. They are actuallya good design as far as functionality is concerned. Leave them alone unless they are broke or past there projected usage.

 

Your theory on this is like leaving cancer in your body until it spreads so much that it is terminal!.......... Yikes! Preventative maitenance is the way to go!.....

 

I got nervous and had my plugs done at 65,500. They all came out fine and I was told they would have come out fine with 20,000 to 30,000 additional miles. The new plugs performed no better than the ones removed. Same mpg, etc. All I got was piece of mind. I plan on going to about 90,000 on this set. I do think it is very important to use a gasoline with a good detergent.

 

Your Theory suggests that there is a problem with the plugs. THERE IS NOT!!! THe problem is with removing the plugs. If you will never reach the recommended replacement time and you have no drivablity issues, WHY WOULD YOU REPLACE THEM?

If you want to throw the money at it for peace of mind then go ahead, but everyone here is under the impression that the plugs MUST be replaced as soon as possible. When that is not the case.

These plugs are obviously a different design and style and people have to change there thinking on how to mainntain them.

 

My dealer even told me never leave these plugs in for 100K miles! That is just askin for a broken plug! (s) upon removal!.......

 

I'll just trade mine off at or around 100k. Since I'm currently a little over 58k I got another 2 and a half to 3 years before I have to trade it in.