I just blew out the plug on the passenger side, 3rd from front. Plug looks as though it was hit with hammer, no gap. I had heard the hissing noise for about a week, just thought it was an exhaust leak. What are my options? Will Ford helicoil one? How much $$, and is a helicoil all I'll need?

 

Most people seem to suggest using an insert over a heli-coil...
TimeSert kit
http://www.timesert.com/html/ford.html

Ford usually wont do this work for you (unless you have a really good dealership), they will want to replace the entire head.

 

Whats a good price for the kit? And what distributor?

 

I just went thru something very similiar to this, but my spark plug was stripped in the head, or so they say. Ford will not helicoil the head unless the service manager makes the call to do that. The service manager at the local dealership showed me a bulliten about how they are to replace the head and not put a helicoil or insert in the head. They quoted me $3000 to change the head. I got a second opinion and they helicoiled it for $210, everything is fine. Sorry this is so long. Hope it helps.

 

Well, I'm going with the time sert. It is taking forever to round up the tools though. The shop I'm taking it too has done alot of inserts, but never any sunken down as the 5.4 is. So I am having to barrow some tools for them to use. Hopefully it will be don eby the middle of next week.

 

As a notice to anyone, as soon as you start hearing the ticking sound(like exhaust leak), be prepared for whats coming. Mine lasted a week and a half and probally 200 or so miles. I also lost quite abit of power when I first noticed the sound. Oh well, I guess there isn't much I could have done anyway(so long as it didn't mess up anything else that is)., It was coming out one way or another.

 

I bought my van 1 1/2 years ago used at 69,000 miles. I read all about the blown plug issue before and purchased with my eyes open knowing that this could happen to me and took a chance. I had also read that there are lots of owners without this issue.

Well, I just joined the blown plug club last Saturday. Plug #2.

I had it towed to my mechanic (northern colorado) and he did research and found an engine shop in Denver that fixed mine for $430 total!

Wow!!!

He quoted between $200-$700 depending on how much he has to move out of the way. He put a full insert in. The plug damaged the coil and that was replaced.

I don't know if I can post the shops name here so email me for the name of the shop if you are anywhere in the Denver/Front Range area with this problem.

Perhaps if not in the Denver area, calling around to engine shops in your area might find some leads?

Good luck.

 

It was the #3 plug for those who care. Seems to be the most common one.

 

JBWeld it!!

 

Those timesert guys thought they were sitting pretty, till now anyways!

 

I did mine (#3 plug) in my garage with a helio-coil kit. Kit cost $14 (has two in it) and the replacement COP was $64. I MacGuyver'd a solution tool for reaming and rethreading the plug hole. I LOC-TITE'd the helio-coil into the head. It has held fine for 120,000 miles, and one subsequent plug change. The truck has 213K on it, and the engine runs smooth as silk. Total cost for the fix was under $100 (when you include the new plug). It was the first time I had done this, musta been lucky, eh?

 

Mine was plug #8. The place that did it didn't know if it would stay in place for another plug change, but hopefully that won't be for another 80,000 miles.

 

I purchased a heli-coil solid steel insert kit. The reamer and a punch came with it. 3 different length inserts were in the package. Worked fine till I developed a miss on that cylinder and had to pull the plug. The insert came out with it. The insert requires you to use the punch to expand the top of it which has some raised surfaces to imbed it into the head. The problem is with the rear cylinders you can't hammer it very hard. Thats why the timesert is nice, you screw something in and it pushes a peg into the head for a more permanent solution. All i did to fix it again was use one of the other inserts that the kit came with that was shorter to hopefully get rid of the hotspot that burned the plug. Tried my hardest to fix that one more permanently but since that motor seized I'll never know how long it would have lasted.

oh yeah, the kit was like 48 bucks.