The info Troyer gave me was that its got Banks Shorty Headers, Banks Monster Exhaust, Brisk (?) plugs gapped to .031", Troyer Electric Fan all installed and 1st tune at 25,000 miles in October of 2010. I've never heard of Banks Exhaust, is this a good setup?

It now has 45,500 miles and I have no idea what kind of upkeep/maintenance the previous owner did over the course of 20,000 miles I was thinking I should replace the fuel filter and the 2 front front O2 sensors (according to Troyer they should be changed every 30k-50k miles).

Anything else I should do just so I can get a service schedule started?

I just hooked up the hand held and programmed it to the Program 1 custom tune. I have no idea what setting it was at when I plugged it in, wasn't sure where to look to find that info out. I've got the X3 SCT tuner.

I love this truck! Sounds mean and goes pretty good, I love the whistle of the charger when you hammer it

 

Anything done to the tranny as far as a valve body installed in it? If not you may want to look into that and changing the filter and fluid.

Good idea to change the fuel filter so you know where your at with that. I have heard about changing the 02 sensors as they get slightly out of limits but I haven't done mine yet, have 2 sitting on the shelf. Really its not a bad idea to change them though.

You may want to pull a plug or 2 and just see where they are gapped at now to see how the Brisk's are holding up.

Banks products are pretty good, they are big in the diesel world. The shorty headers are really not much of an improvent in my opinion but they don't hurt. Long tubes are the best bet especially if you up the boost.

Tim

 

You might want to throw a new set of plugs in it. Brisk plugs are only good for about 20,000 miles.

That first tune is likely a tow/bad gas tune that Troyer provides. It should have a brief description of each tune on the programmer.

 

Thanks for the info Crash. 93 octane is not an option in my neck of the woods, 91 is as good as we get around here unless I want to spend a fortune and get VP 110 race fuel (not happenin')

We're pretty much at sea level here or slightly above with very little altitude changes for as long as I can drive in a days time.

Thanks for the compliments on the truck!

 

Btw here is the correct fuel filter part number in case you need it.
Motorcraft fuel filter FG-1083 (2C5Z-9155-BC)

 

hey thanks twinskrewd, i really appreciate all your help, info and question answering! you've been a huge help

too bad you can't send real beers through the forums, i'd owe you a case of your favorite poison!

 

No problem. Love this stuff. Learning it and working on the truck is half the fun for me.
Should have included this earlier but the Brisk plugs are part number 3VR12S and the Autolites are HTO. You can get either from Troyer as well as other places. They should be gapped to .030-.032 as mentioned before. If you opt for the HTO's I have found the cheapest way to get them is through Advance Auto.com Yes you can go in the store but there website almost always has a 15-20% discount code floating around which will save ya $20 on the plugs. Really adds up. Current code is P20. I use it for anything I need from Advance Auto. Saved me $40 on a battery alone.

Heres a pic and directions to aid you in the swap. However I doubt you will have any issue with the plugs sticking. We sc'd guys end up swapping plugs about every 15-20k so we don't have these problems. However there is some other good info in the pic and directions.

Service Procedure - Removal

Tools Necessary:

Thin wall 9/16” spark plug socket, various length extensions and ratchet. (Do not use a standard deep well socket) Beam or dial style torque wrench, (non clicking type). Carbon dissolving carburetor cleaner. Compressed air and blow gun. Shop Vacuum. Nickel Anti-Seize.

IMPORTANT: You MUST adhere to this procedure exactly to prevent breaking spark plugs during removal! Engine must be completely cold (room temperature) before beginning.

Spark Plug Removal

1. Remove coil on plug assemblies and set aside. Using compressed air and shop vac, clean spark plug wells of all dirt and debris. 2. Using a ratchet, back out each spark plug 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn. Fill the spark plug well with carburetor cleaner to just above the hex on the spark plug. (½ to 1 teaspoon) (see illustration #2). 3. Allow a minimum of 30 minutes soak time for the carb cleaner to wick down to the ground electrode shield and soften the carbon deposits at this time.

NOTES: Review the product label on the carburetor cleaner and adhere to all precautionary statements. Use at room temperature with appropriate PPE, (personal protective equipment). 4. Tighten and then loosen the spark plugs working them back and forth to remove. Use the beam style torque wrench and do not exceed 33ft. lbs. removal torque (see illustration #3). If more than 33ft. lbs. is required; place an additional ½ teaspoon of carb cleaner in the well and wait another 15-30 minutes for the carbon to dissolve. 5. Repeat the back and forth effort working the spark plug loose. Some screeching and high effort will be noticed. Remove the spark plugs. 6. Using the shop vac and a small hose, clean out the plug well and combustion chambers of excessive carb cleaner.

WARNING: Excessive carburetor cleaner in the combustion chamber can cause the engine to hydro lock, remove as much as possible.

Spark Plug Installation 7. New plugs should be installed using a thin film coating of high temperature nickel anti-seize on the ground electrode shield. DO NOT coat the ground strap. (see illustration 4) 8. Tighten spark plugs to 25ft lbs.

 

that's a great step by step for plug changing, thanks!

Are the 2 back plugs on each side of the engine a real bitch to get out? Someone told me that on the 5.4's you can't get to them without lowering the back of the engine? is this correct? sounds ridiculous to me just to change plugs, but i don't know.

how are the coils to remove?

Thanks, sorry i'm more of a snowmobile mechanic than a truck mechanic!

 

The coils are easy. The plugs are a lil bit of a pain but its not that bad. Takes about an extra minute to get em out. No big deal.

 

I find removing the PCM and the bracket help on the rear plug removal/reinstall on the passenger's side.

 

Very good point. Helps a lot. Forgot to mention that. I never remember it until I'm doing it lol

 

Cool, thanks for the input guys.

I've always heard horror stories of changing plugs on the 5.4's so that's why i've shyed away from doing them myself on my old truck.

But i'd like to do some of the basic maintenance on this truck myself to save on shop costs. $18 oil changes are going to be a thing of the past with this SOB!

 

Lol yes you can kiss cheap routine maintenance good bye. Don't worry bout the plug changes. The plugs you have now haven't been in long enough to accumulate the carbon and you will never have a set last long enough to. I think the most miles anyone has put on an SC'd F150 is 30k. I don't recall exceeding 15k and the performance drop was noticeable. You often don't realize it until you have the new ones in and you're thinking holy crap my truck is fast.

 

You may not have any issues at all with spark plugs. Since your truck is a 2008, you might have the revised heads with conventional spark plugs. Ford started putting the new heads in trucks sometime around October 2007. If your COP boots are brown, you have the newer style heads and the revised spark plugs. Make sure which plugs you have before you order. Brisk does make a colder plug for the new heads, but they are the only source I have been able to find. If you need help locating the plug number, let me know.

Here's what the newer plugs look like next to the stock plug. Most of the part number is visible in the picture.

 

Good catch Windsor! I forgot about him being an 08. I was thinking he was 06. Dang he misses out on cam phasers and funky heads lol.