Plugs were a breeze! I think I spent the most time trying to figure out where I wanted to run the wires, but then I ran out of light. Now the oil change has turned into a PITA! Still no luck on getting the plug out. I could get a pretty good grip on the bolt, but it would not turn. I'm starting to think it's glued in place with paint...

I think the blue is paint so they know where the drain plug is. It was all over the bolt and is definitely under it too; I pealed a lot of it off.

 

That "blue stuff" almost looks like Loc-Tite.
Where did you buy the plugs? Are they factory Motorcraft? If so,read the box the plugs came in;it states specifically to gap the plugs!

 

Try melting the blue gunk with a torch. Just don't hold it on it for too long. It might crack the aluminum pan. When it melts, try to turn it. It looks like blue lock-tite to me. Which leads me to believe it may be stripped. You might want to wear some gloves while doing this.

If it is stripped, I'd get a qualified mechanic or a machine shop to tap some new threads for the pan and put a slightly bigger bolt in it. You'll have to use a crush washer to seal it. I'm not saying it is definately stripped. But that blue stuff leads me to believe so. Re-tapping the treads is alot cheaper than pulling the engine out to take the oil pan off.

I sincerely hope it's not stripped.

 

I don't think its lock-tite because it peels off fairly easy. I'm leaning towards paint, but I don't know. Perhaps they did strip it when putting it on and glued it up. Either way I'll head to Wal-Mart tomorrow and see what they have to say.

 

Well, I brought it back to Wal-Mart and I had no problems what so ever. I asked to speak to a garage manager and he told me just pull it up and when they got a free spot on one of the lanes he said he'd take a look at it. So, the manager got under there and went at it with the stripped bolt removers that I had and couldn’t get it, then he called another guy over, which I always see there ( I really like him as he knows what he’s doing) and this guy worked on it for a while. He then said he had a set of stripped bolt removers in his truck and he was going to try them. As soon as he got those he popped it right off. They were the $39 set of Craftsman; I think they are deeper socket. So after an hour or so at Wal-Mart the plug finally came out and the new one was put in, and when I got home I did the oil change.



I did get the finewire plug, and I asked the guy at the dealership and talked to people at two different parts stores and they told me the motorcrafts should be good to go for my truck. I did compare them to the original plugs and they were pretty close. Everything runs fine right now, but what would be a side effect from plugs that aren't gapped correctly?

 

Did you read the side of the spark plug box in which each individual plug comes in? If not,please do.Why would Ford waste all that money to print that specification on each little box if it were not necessary?
Side effects? Incorrect firing of the burn flame in the combustion chamber....shorter life of the plug......decrease in gas mileage........

 

I did read it and compared the new plugs to the old and all were pretty close. I just didn't measure them or even try to re-gap them due to what Peacemaker and the people at the shops said; I just figured as soon as I tried I'd end up screwing half of them up. My gas mileage lately has been down in the dirt, which is why I was motivated to work on the truck. I noticed a drop when I was on my way back from Texas, but I think that was due to ethanol in the fuel; I don’t think we have it in our fuel in Louisiana yet. I'll watch my mileage and see what it does, but is this really a good indicator of weather or not they are gapped properly? If not when I get a chance I may get back in there and pull them and check them since it's really not that hard to do. After doing the air filter, oil, fuel filter, plugs and wires I must say the truck feels like its doing pretty good.

Here are two shots from tonight:




It's sitting on a hill although it doesn't look like it. I had a great spot by a lake to take pictures, but I left all the memory cards for the camera at the house and then I got mud all over the truck.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

Glad your truck is running good. How did the oil drain plug saga go? Nice truck. I like that color.

 

Thanks for the compliment and all your help!

The oil plug saga (from a few post up):

Well, I brought it back to Wal-Mart and I had no problems what so ever. I asked to speak to a garage manager and he told me just pull it up and when they got a free spot on one of the lanes he said he'd take a look at it. So, the manager got under there and went at it with the stripped bolt removers that I had and couldn’t get it, then he called another guy over, which I always see there ( I really like him as he knows what he’s doing) and this guy worked on it for a while. He then said he had a set of stripped bolt removers in his truck and he was going to try them. As soon as he got those he popped it right off. They were the $39 set of Craftsman; I think they are deeper socket. So after an hour or so at Wal-Mart the plug finally came out and the new one was put in, and when I got home I did the oil change.

 

Ahh, cool man. Glad everything worked out for you.

 

Wow, the drain valve that I ordered Thursday night (10:00pm ish) was all ready here today.

 

Git R' Done.

 

I may stick it in the shop to do the transmission if I can get a reasonable quote; it just seems to be more than I want to mess with. However, if most shops just do flushes and don't drop the pan then the price may go way up if I tell them to drop the pan and replace the filter. I'd also like to see what is stuck the magnet.

I've looked at muffler and I've got no clue which one to go with. I assume stainless so I don't have the same problem. I'm thinking siso because I want to dump it. Which configuration do I get as far as input output pipe placement (center/off center)? Any benefits to either? I was looking at the magnaflow 14” center in off center out, but is there something better?

I'd like to order from here: http://www.performancepeddler.com since they have the best prices with the coupon code (fordf150.net).

 

I'm guessing you have an auto tranny? If you don't know much about it, I'd buy a Chilton's or a Hayne's F150 manual. It'll show you step-by-step how to do it. It's fairly easy to do yourself once you get the hang of it. Plus, you save alot of money by DIY.


That Magnaflow 14" is a very good choice, They're a very solid built dependable muffler with a nice sound. Si/So will be perfect if you want to dump it. No need for offsets. Put you a turn down tip pointed towards the ground on that baby, and it'll sound badazz. You might have a little cab drone, because most dumped exhausts do. But Magnaflows aren't that bad.

 

It just seems like it's more trouble than it's worth, and seems like there is a high probability of messing something up. Look at what I had to go through to get my oil changed. I have the manual, but haven't looked at the transmission section yet. I'll check it out, but now it's a matter of when I'll have the time to do it.

I don't really want a loud exhaust and don't really want any drone in the cab at 2000ish RMPs. So, should I go up a size? I think I may have the 14” now and it’s not what I’d consider a bad drone at all, but would dumping it make it much worse compared to dual out the back? I just want to dump it so I don't have to worry about tips rusting/rattling/shaking and hangers breaking.