Does the old plug fit? Yes, is the new plug damaged or a different part number? No, did you use the wrong thread chaser? Did you cross thread the chaser?

.

 

Here is what I know. After running the thread chaser into the hole several times, and still not being able to get the plug all the way in, I did a highly technical thing, not to be tried at home unless you are well trained. I got lots of light, and looked. Into the hole. And what a discovery! There is a shoulder that the plug will bottom on normally. Below that is the threads. The hole in the shoulder is large enough that the entire thread chaser may pass through it. The actual threads start approximately 3/8ths of an inch below that shoulder. Only for this plug. My guess is someone coiled the hole and the coil apparatus went too far. I just wonder why it is not pulverized by the piston. Or valves. That mystery is solved, more or less. No cross threads, no withches or magic, just stuff.

 

I have a 1998 Expedition 5.4 with 130k miles. I had a bad coil, but was not sure which one was bad, so I decided to buy all 8 from Ebay. Dealer wanted $100 each, AutoZone $60....I got all 8 shipped for $77.

Anyway, as we all know, these trucks do not have a lot of room, that, combined with the fact that I have hands the size of loaves of bread, this is not a fun job. I only replaced 5 in 5 hours and called it quits for a while. well.....9 months later (still haven't replaced 6,7,8), I start hearing a ticking noise like I have an exhaust manifold leak. It wasn't a that!!! The #3 plug decided to leave the vehicle at 10pm on the interstate. Fortunately, I was only 3 miles from home and did the Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang home. Yup, blew the plug and took the threads along with it.

I found someone that had purchased the TimeSert kit and was kind enough to rent it to me. I'm going to tackle this job tomorrow morning (Happy 4th of July)!!! I'll post the results, hopefully by noon, tomorrow.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated !!!

 

I started this thread a while ago, the time-sert kit changed a little since I did my ford e350 ( all 8 holes) here is a link to my install.


http://www.angelfire.com/biz/gobingo/index.htm

I installed time serts in all 8 holes when the van had 120k miles... now after a couple of years it now has 205k miles and going strong.

just take your time and it should turn out fine.

Good luck

 

i had one blow out on me about 2 weeks ago. took it to the dealer and they just rethreaded the head, $105 later i was back on the road

 

My 4.6 has blown both the #1 and #8 recently breaking the coil pack but not damaging the threads. It has been approximately a year and a half since replacing the plugs. The truck having a quarter million miles on it is leading me to address the issue on an as needed basis but as long as the threads aren't hurt I can fix it for $40 in 15 minutes. Living 2 blocks away from Carquest is nice.

 

Well it seems that after 131k on old Ester the number 3 plug blew out on Saturday night. After speaking to a few local guys that I know they all have the same thing to say about the 5.4 "Im surprised it lasted this long." Now after reading most if not all of the information that I can find about this issue with the 5.4 its seems its more common than I thought. I made a call to the Ford customer care number and spoke to a very nice lady and was told (to confirm what I already knew) it was not under any recall and that she has talked to many Ford customers with the same issue.

So what am I in for after getting this one issue fixed? Has anyone corrected the issue with all the plugs and what was the outcome? Is the Helicoil (sp) the way to go for a good fix?

Thanks and have a great day!

 

Helicoil is not a good fix. Timecert is a much better choice. Read through this thread and others and your questions will be answered. If your threads are still there just install a plug and torque to 28 ft lbs.

 

While the issue of blowing plugs is common it is not limited to the 5.4. The 4.6 and 6.8 also had issues. Regardless of the issue the total number of affected engines out of the millions made is a small percentage.

 

anyone in arizona want to rent me their time-sert kit? or anyone willing to ship it? im a certified welder, manual and cnc machinist, and mechanical engineer with a concentration in automotive student, so you know your kit will be taken care of and used properly

 

Gallaxy rents his out, - or is he to far away?

 

in no rush, its for an engine me and my gf are building for her 4.2 to 5.4 swap, just doing some preventative measures

edit, should have read some of the last few pages

 

Contact Galaxy and rent his kit.

 

hey jbrew or GLC-

Way to many different values for 1999 F150 5.4 Spark Plug torque...

11-17 ft-lbs?
14 ft-lbs?
28 ft-lbs?

The last thing I want is a blown plug.
Has Ford ever updated their torque specs?

Thanks guys.

 

Ford never did but anyone that doesn't want the plug to blow out did.

The new thing that has been working well is torque to 28lbs ,DRY. No anti-seize.