Hey,

I just bought a 00 F150 SCab, 4.6L 100,300 miles on her. I've been doing a lot of research about the blown plug issue and it's got me a bit worried. A little background on me:

I maintain all of my vehicles, oil, filters, wires(COPs now), fluids, flushes, blah blah blah. I have every intention of doing so on this truck as well.

With 100k on her though, and no noticable signs of plug problems(knock on wood) I am now second guessing myself in regards to changing the plugs. Should I do them myself or pay a ford dealership(even feels wrong typing it) to do it for me?

I don't want to screw up and be the cause of a blown plug, that would just really **** me off.

How hard is it? I'm fairly good at turning wrenches, did all my service on my last F150('84 300I6) but that was a much more straightforward situation(no aluminum, plenty of thread, built like a Iron tank...)


Either way, me doing it or a dealer doing it I'm going with the Motorcraft 100k plugs. I plan to check the plugs torque every 3k miles or so. If I do have a plug blow out on me I already have a plan:

Timesert Triton kit and 8 serts going in all at the same time. I feel they will last a damn long time after install so why bother with waiting for more than one plug to pop? Just get 'er done all in one go.

Anyway thanks for listening and let me say "Hey" again, glad to be here, lots of knowledge on this forum. I spent much time on inline six forums in the past, but with the new truck I plan to stick around here. Thank you all.

T

 

Proper torque, never sieze, dielectric grease, no worries.......... Take your time, use your head, you will be fine with the plug change.

 

Hey F151,

Thanks man, yeah I felt pretty sick even pondering having it done for me.


I appreciate your help, see ya on the boards.

T

 

The rear plugs are going to require some work. You may find your self fashioing a tool to get them out and in. I have 151k on my 2000 4.6L F-150 and she runs as good as the day I bought her.

 

Trikstyle, I did the plugs on my 1999 4.6. They took awhile, but it wasn't too bad. Took about 2 hours, and that included doing the plugs and coil packs also. You won't need any fancy tools, just a socket wrench and a few good extensions. I didn't even use a torque wrench. I used Denso Iridium plugs, and they're still running strong after 30K, and I don't own the truck anymore.

 

No worries just do it on a cold engine, before you go anywhere Sat. morning. Just make sure you use the proper stuff anti-sieze, di-electric grease, and get them snug, Ford specs 12-14 ft/lbs. to give you an idea. Make life easy for yourself with the rearplugs and get a Universal joint and a couple various sized extensions, the perfect combo of these can make the difference between an 1 1/2 hours or a half hour job.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

Malexander52,
Yeah I figured up by the firewall was gonna be a pain. I've seen some really hard to reach parts before so I was semi prepared for that. I've got all manner of wobbles and extensions so if I have to I can rig something up

Zaairman,
That's cool, it's always good to see positive instances. I've been reading up on the blown plug situation so much that I almost forgot that it is really a minority of our trucks that have the problem. No worries as far as tools go, I"ve got more than I probably need(don't tell the wife heh). I'm gonna go read up more on the Denso plugs too, I'm always open to suggestions

Edit:
Flareside4life,
Hey there, you posted after I started the reply. Got ya, let her cool down totally, makes sense to me. I know what you mean about having the right stuff on hand, makes a world of difference. I've had so many "Doh!" moments in my time messing with cars that I've got quite a collection of things. Unless it's some totally vehicle specific tool(and even got some of them), I've got it or something close to it around here


Once again, thanks guys. Look forward to seeing ya'll on the boards.

T

 

Ford does not recomend antiseize on any spark plug threads. just make sure you blow out any dirt before removing and torq to 13ft/lbs. put a dab of dielectric grease in the end of each COP.