Hi, I have an 03 Expedition with 40K miles and I was going to change the spark plugs until I took a look at the engine and then read here about what's required to change them and the problems that can be encountered. I looked/searched both here and at ford-trucks.com and I couldn't find any information on what Ford dealers charge in time for changing the plugs on a 5.4l 2V engine. I did find an article on ford-trucks that stated that someone with practice could do the job in an hour.

http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/i...ter_F150s.html

If anybody could tell me what the time Ford dealers charge for a plug change on a 5.4l 2V engine I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
Mark

 

Mark

I think the dealer will hit you for about 70 bucks or so to replace the plugs. Really if your mechanically inclined and have a fair amount of patients, you'll be just fine. I think my last plug change took about an hour or a little longer, as I had to fumble to get a couple of the coil on plug mounting screws out.

Your 03 shouldn't be too bad.

Give it a try

Good luck!

 

Unless you have had issues with the truck's performance, you can actually run another 40K or more on your original plugs. Still, if you wish to change them now, take the time walk thru how to reach each plug. It can be tedious, and, if this is your first time doing so, expect to spend more than an hour doing it ...

 

I looked under the hood of my 98 F150 and The rear plug and the left side is way back in there, How the heck would anybody get a socket back in there? With out taking things apart?

 

The dealer will charge you somewhere over $200 to change the plugs.

 

I did mine today. 3 hours.

with the right tools and a little patience, it is a straighforward process.

I took a few pictures and included them in my gallery.

I did one plug at a time. Undo the injector wire connector, then undo the coils wire (there is a tab under the connector). Now you should have a clear shot at the 7mm bolt holding the coil. remove the 7mm bolt and gently pull the coil off. Now is a good time to blow out the plug hole, to get the dirt out and now remove the plug.

To install, use di-electric silicone on the plug connector and reverse the above process.

I used a cinder block to gain the extra height needed for the rear plugs.

 

took my to the ford garage $120 they changed them in 2 hours.

 

Yo Saint: Did you have any trouble getting any of them out, I have been reading all kinds of horror stories about the plug being all corroded and nearly stripping the threads to get them to come out, I have an 04 am a bit away from plugs yet was just wondering, did you put anti seize on the threads??? They really don't look that bad gap is a bit wide but look pretty good probably would have gone the 100K like ford says??Thanx

 

They were easy to get out, and easy to get in. I did put antisieze on the threads. Metal and aluminum do not always get along, the antisieze is added insurance. I also let my engine cool overnight.

Number 7 (2nd from rear drivers side), the 7mm retaining bolt was a booger to get out. there is a fuel rail in the way. I used two long 1/4 drive extensions, one swivel joint and a short 7mm socket to get that sucker out. To get it back in, I put the bolt into the coil then used a rubberband to hold it there. Once the coil was in, I cut the rubberband and tightened up the bolt.

i was surprised at how well the plugs looked. although the idle smoothed out quite a bit with the new NGK iridiums.

 

Thanx Saint will quit worrying about them have just heard so many stories makes a guy kind of leary and I really didn't want to pull mine at 20-30K just to see if they would come out. Thanx again!

 

Thanks Guys, I'll probably just let the dealer take care of this the next time I take it in for some work. I have all of the tools I need but I rarely seem to have time anymore to tackle jobs like this. The kids activities and work seem to leave me little time to do things like this. I also seem to have a knack for starting a job like this and having something go wrong and then a 2 hour job turns into an all day adventure. Before family I could always just use my old car until I got whatever I was working on fixed.

 

What motor do you have? I have a 98 4.6, and it only takes me about an hour to do all 8 plugs. The back one on the passenger is a pain, but not too bad. I used a plug socket & a 6 inch extension. Reach them down into the plug well, then use a uuniversal and ratchet to loosen. Once its loose, you can remove the uni. and ext., and re-install the same way. Good luck.

 

He does not have the engine that is having the plugs break off. It is the 5.4 for 2004-2006. Totally different plug in his engine, they do not have the extension that seizes.

 

My experience with some shop mechanics is their lack of attention and dedication to the job at hand. Some have the attitude the "no one will know if I don't change that back plug that's hard to get at". Since the plugs-a-poppin issue seems to be the result of improperly installed plugs, the question would be, "do you really trust someone else?" I am of the mindset of doing it myself if I can. I don't even trust the oil change people for fear they will over/under tighten the filter/plug. I've actually heard of some places not changing the oil filters. A customer of their's marked his filter to check this out, and discovered the same filter on his car after the change. Maybe I'm just too picky or paranoid!!

 

Thanx bluejay guess I missed his yr. as I do have an 04 5.4 3V, what has been your experience if any with these engines does a guy need to pull plugs at 30k or so just to make sure they aren't getting seized in the hole???