Finally after reading all the horror stories about the F-150 5.4 spark plug issues i had to bite the bullett at 60K miles, was getting P0300 codes, massive misfires at full throttle etc...

Took an hour, broke 2 off in the head (expected more) tried the homemade tool here on the forums and didnt work well for me. Went to napa and bought the extractor for 94 bucks and man was that a lifesaver! Truck runs sooooo much better.

Further, i average about 25k miles a year (18 k miles since may so far) and i need GPS.

A decent GPS unit will run about 250-300 bucks, but you can buy a netbook for that price, and Delorme GPS Software with the USB GPS antenna can be had for 30-40 bux. Biggest problem was the cost of Laptop mounts for trucks, man they are expensive! 400 bucks average!

Went to Home Depot and picked up some half inch black pipe, 18" and 6", a coupler and two flat mounts. As long as you dont have center console your good to go. I had a laptop cooling pad (14 bucks) and you can figure out the rest by looking at the pics. The best part is that the bottom mount can slide under the center seat mounting plate with no screws (very tight fit), and if you want to remove it-






[URL=http://img3.imageshack.us/i/33215747.jpg


its as simple as unscrewing the top section and leaving the bottom in. Saved alot of money and works flawlessly.



Im new to the forums, in North Tonawanda NY, and if anyone needs a plug change give me a shout. I now have all the tools and 2 5.4's under my belt.

 

Can't see the pics.

 

same

 

[URL=http://img3.imageshack.us/i/33215747.jpg

 

havin pc problems guys (internet connection while driving) so they should show up shortly.

 

Not bad at all. How much does that mount shake around on you? Long as you stay on pavement it should do fine.

Might want to get some paint on that thing before that rust starts eating a hole in your floor.

 

looks good

 

Doesnt shake much at all mainly because the laptop is 2 lbs, and its kinda bein held by the seat foam.....

As far as painting, im gonna powder coat it next week. figure thatll last longer and look better.

 

If I may bother you guys about the spark plug issue. I used the Lisle tool and removed a busted plug on my 2004. I now have a small piece of porcelin in the cylinder no larger than 0.18 by 0.20 inches. The piece could be in two or more pieces. Any ideas on how to inspect inside the cylinder through the spark plug hole? Will this piece blow out through the exhaust? How can I remove the pieces?

 

It could blow out thru the exhaust, but I would not count on that happening. If left in there, they could damage the cylinder walls, the piston, rings valves, etc. Find someway to get it out, like maybe some bubble gum on the end of a dowel rod or something. I can't stress enough, you need to get it out of there. If all else fails, you may have to pull the head to get it out, otherwise you risk serious damage to the engine.

 

I had the same problem, what i did was hook up some clear tubing to a shop vac. I used a 4-5 foot piece from a pump bulb siphon, the cheap ones for pumping gas etc..abt 3 bucks at the auto parts store, i want to say its 3/8ths of an inch wide... a little duct tape on the end of the shop vac hose, pop a tiny hole in it and stick the tube in. Stick it thru the spark plug hole and it should work for you. whatever you do DO NOT TRY TO FORCE IT OUT BY TURNING OVER THE ENGINE! if it gets stuck in a valve seat it could damage it pretty bad. thats the thought i had but the amount of compression in the cylinder its either gonna bounce around in there, go out the plug hole or in the valve. I didnt like those odds. let us know if it worked for you....

BTW, that Lisle tool is awesome isnt it?

 

and again, the offers open, if anyone needs some assistance doin theyre plugs in WNY, feel free to PM me... Its not all that bad if you have the extractor.. i got a brand new set of plugs (extra, new in box) as well....

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give the vacuum idea a try and let you know.

 

I bought a netbook this spring, and "retired" my old Thinkpad T20. The Thinkpad slides under the flipdown center console in my 03 (XL split bench) and the screen is fully visible folded all the way back. I use that with Microsoft Streets & Trips and a USB GPS module. No laptop mount to hassle with, and the passenger seat is fully usable. The 14 inch screen at 1024x768 does a great GPS job.

 

05RedFX4 and Big Huey - Thanks again for the advice and suggestions. I did the small hose vacuuming and got two pieces out that probably accounts for 95% of the porcelin broken off. Placing the pieces together indicates a small sliver may remain. It would be very thin (razor) and two to three pin heads in size. It would seem this small piece if in there would be brittle and break up into even smaller pieces. Do you think this small a piece is a problem? The lisle tool is rugid and works with the only problem being you can have porcelin pieces break off and fall in the cylinder like what happened to me. I wish there was some way to look inside the cylinder.