About three months ago i had a bosch spark plug blow on me... little did i know that you're not supposed to use bosch in Fords... oops. I did NOT let them replace the head for $3k... i opted for a helicoil pack instead and it's worked great. I've almost hit 10k on it. The mechanic told me that after 10k it was safe to assume the helicoil would hold.

My question for Troyer is this... can i still use a microtuner on my F150? It's a 2000 Lariat, SC 4x4 Offroad w/5.4L. K&N Gen II FIPK, MagnaFlow SIDO Catback. The helicoil makes me a litter nervous about adding extra pressure in those heads w/higher performance. I'm not asking you to gaurantee it won't break... is it safe?

 

I was in the same situation as you are with my '01 Supercrew that I towed my race car with. Mike set me up with a great tune and I ran the truck that way ( with the heli-coil) in it, and pulled my trailer for another 50,000 miles. So the answer is yes, you can have your truck tuned in its present condition... now get on the phone and get that tuner from Mike...

 

Why can't you use bosch plugs what is the problem with them?

 

FlareSide:
Apparently there is a known problem with Bosch in ford trucks, my dealer told me about it after it blew. They said they don't perform well and are known to malfunction. I called bosch and they basically put me in a loop because i wanted my $700 back since it was their defective sparkplug. I've got all motorcraft now and probably won't use anything else. I'm not sure where the problem lies technically, but if they don't manufacture close to ford specs i could see there being a problem. The dealer told me that Autolite was fine and of course motorcraft.

 

I have the Platinum +4's in mine and so far I have not seen any problems, but I will keep a very close eye and listen if there is any trouble. Has anyone else had a problem or heard of a problem with the Bosch plugs post it here.

 

I had bosch plugs in my truck when I had one blow out. The shop who did the repair pretty much said the same thing. Don't use bosch in that motor. Replaced with motorcraft and no problems!

Flareside150-Just before the plug blew, I heard a ticking noise for a few days. Sounds almost like a smalle exhaust leak. If you notice something, tighten those plugs!

 

Hi troykshafer,

It's really not the fact that it's a Bosch spark plug that is the problem - years ago, we used to use the Bosch Platinum +4 spark plugs in some of our vehicles, and *never* had a problem.

So no, I do not agree that there is any problem with Bosch spark plugs - that didn't contribute to the spark plug blowing out of the cylinder head. No, what actually caused that was the spark plug was installed TOO TIGHT in your aluminum cylinder heads, and over time, with enough heating & cooling cycles (thermal expansion & contraction), what happened was that the threads distorted, which caused the plug to work loose over time, and then finally it blew out of the cylinder head.

Helicoil repairs can sometimes work, but I prefer a better style of insert - sometimes the damage to the cylinder head is so bad that no insert will help and the head actually has to be replaced - usually a dealership will tell you to replace the cylinder head when you can repair it successfully.

Yes, you can still use performance tuning in that engine - as long as the helicoil is holding and the spark plugs are installed properly, you won't have that problem again. The cylinder head isn't going to be stressed in the area of the spark plug just because you have a proper performance tune installed.

The background on this was that for some years, until about the 2003 model year, Ford used a "half thread" design on the spark plug holds, so that robots could screw in the spark plugs easier & quicker - and as long as the plugs are installed properly, there is not a problem. Heck, I've got a Lighting whose engine is making 700+ horsepower internally, and I still run the standard half-thread (4 threads) design - we have many 500 HP Ford modular engines still using that half-thread design and not having any problems whatsoever - because the spark plugs were installed properly.

Sometimes the spark plugs were installed too tightly at the factory, and sometimes when people replace them they apply too much force to tighten them - and sooner or later, that will cause a problem. For good info on how to *properly* tighten a spark plug in a aluminum cylinder head, drop by www.densoiridium.com

We use the Denso Iridium spark plugs on the 2-valve modular motors, as they generally o the best job, last the longest, and can cut the ion path for the spark to follow to actually light the mixture with less required firing voltage, all while being much longer lasting that a conventional copper-based spark plug.

As long as the damage on the cylinder head was slight enough to allow a properly done helicoil repair to hold at stock power levels, and the spark plugs (all of them) are now installed properly, you won't have a problem from installing good performance tuning causing any failure at the spark plug bore.

 

Ok... the heli coil has been holding for at 10,000 miles. The mechanic said if i made it that far it should hold fine.

I may hold off until the summer to buy my microtuner... that will give the helicoil more time to ensure it is settled in. I just really really really want one

If you guys on here... who obviously have more knowledge and experience feel that if the coil pack is holding that a microtuner won't hurt... i may go for it now.

I really appreciate all of the advice and discussion!

 

Hi Troy,

I agree with your mechanic - if it's holding at 10K miles post-repair, it's fine.