I have a 2005 f150 5.4l 3v with 104k and recently had the spark plugs changed on it by a local shop with a good reputation. A few days after the plugs were changed, while idling in traffic i began to smell raw fuel coming through the vents in the cab.

When the truck gets moving, the smell goes away. I also smell it when i first start the truck. I have taken it back to the repair shop that changed the plugs originally and they replaced the evap hose since they thought since it was soaked in fuel that that had to be the issue....WRONG.

I took it back again, and they said, oh the PCV valve wasnt replaced correctly and this was the issue...again WRONG

Now being more than frustrated i decided to take it to a local Ford Dealership. Well it was there 4 days and although they can smell the fumes they cant seem to fix the problem. They did compression tests, smoke tests, fuel system tests, checked the fuel injectors and came up with nothing big fat 0....I have read on here some people with the same issue and was wondering at this point, should i take it back to the original repair facility and have them tighten the plugs? Or should i attempt to remove them and have them replaced or tighten myself (with assistance from someone who is more mechanically inclined than myself? I am really frustrated (pissed is more like it) at this point.

The smell isnt as strong as it was but its defninitely still there. When running the air conditioner on re-circulate the smell doesnt seem to be there...any guidance is appreciated, i picked up the truck this afternoon from the dealership and would like for this nightmare to go away sooner rather than later.

gb

 

Have the shop do it, even though they did a not a good job. If you do it yourself and mess up there's no warrenty but with right now you can have it fixed for free until they fix it...

 

If by chance when the shop was doing the plug change did they mess around with removing the fuel rails?

Why mention this is that an oring could've been cut, not seated correctly, or misshaped when the fuel rail was reinstalled.

 

Also make sure they also torqued the plugs correctly. By adding antiseize to the threads the plugs will not torque correctly, I have heard of people having fuel fumes from this. No anti seize is needed on the threads just on the sleeve of the plug.

 

My truck is doing the exact same thing. I had my plugs changed 2 weeks ago and now my cab smells like raw fuel whenever I'm sitting idle and the air is on. You can also smell it outside the truck. I took it to the Ford dealer this morning for this problem. Hopefully they can figure it out.

 

The plugs are probably not torqued to the right amount. I THINK 28lbs but check that to be sure. Happened to me when a shop screwed me. Ford did it correctly though it seems so far.

 

I am having the same problem. repieces did they get yours fixed? What was it?

 

I had the same problem..... and when back and tightened all the plugs down to the required 25 ft lbs (i think) and the smell went away..... I would definitely check them first before you try anything else!

 

Had mine changed Thursday...truck ran great thursday and friday. This morning my remote start wouldnt start my truck...It only cranks for a few seconds. Went out in the cold to try to start it, it took like 5-6 trys befor it finally started. Usually when it first starts it revs really high for about 10-15 seconds the idles gently...this time after it finally started, it just kind of limped into the low idle, and I could smell gasoline (strong) any idea whats up with this?

 

Drop your spare and check your fuel module for any cracks. I had to replace mine because it was cracked in half and moisture was causing idling surge issues and start up issues.

 

Yeah, it's not doing it anymore. I asked the mechanic to check the torque on the plugs and when he called he said they couldn't find anything and the torque was in spec. I picked it up that day and haven't had the smell since. I'm guessing one of the plugs were not in spec and he just didn't tell me about it.

 

If the car is running well, with no misfiring, I can't see how new plugs would cause the gas smell. If the gaps were that bad, there would be a misfire. I think it has to be a coincidence. Check your Ford F-150 repair manual for gas leaks.

 

iv'e read quite a few threads where this has happened. most of the time retorquing the plugs took care of the problem.

 

I just found this thread. My truck is doing the exact same thing. I just had my plugs changed last month. I had a shop do the back 4 plugs and I did the first 4 plugs months ago. I used anti seize on the threads of the 4 I did. After I did that I read about how your not supposed do. I've been noticing the gas smell for almost a week. Is it safe to drive? I need to drive it for the next few days before I can get to tightening down the plugs to see if that fixes the issue.

 

It should be ok to drive but don't over do it.....
Wipe the dam antisieze off the threads and apply to heat shield shank only....