I was told by the dealer today that I blew a spark plug. It stripped all the threads from the head on the way out and they are quoting me $3,300 to replace the head, or $4,980 to put in a brand new engine.

Doing some research on my own I discovered a product by Time-Sert that will re-thread the hole, install an aluminum insert and get me back on the road.

Does anyone have experience with this product?

I also discovered that Ford has issued a Technical Service Bulletin that says "Lock-n-Stitch" is a Ford authorized fix for this issue...it seems to do the same thing as the Time-Sert product.

I would appreciate any feedback from members that have used either fix. I have no idea how much it will cost to get the repair completed using either product, nor what type of reliability i should expect.

Thanks in advance.

 

I put a timesert in my truck back in 2003 at 40K miles. I now have almost 100K and no problems with it.
You could do it yourself or call around and find how much to install a timesert. If they know what a timesert is then they would be the ones to do it, if they don't know what a timesert is, keep calling people till someone does know.
It shouldnt cost more than $100-$150 to repair with a timesert.

 

I was considering doing it myself but its one of the back two plugs on the drivers side. I remember the last time i had to deal with those holes I swore I'd never touch them again due to the frustration of having no room to work with. Maddening.

Thanks for the reply...it's helping my blood pressure get back down to a normal level. $5k just ain't in the budget right now.

 

guess thats why they call it the stealership. I had a plug blow out right after the dealer changed my plugs and coils in my E350 van I took it in and the guy told me the engine had a blowout problem but I didnt believe him and threw a major fit. they fixed it in an hour for free. I bet your service dept at the dealer knows how to fix it cheap they just want your money. Most people just tell them to fix it.

 

my buddy at work blew a plug on his 2002 mustang. man was he pissed lol. anyway. dealer quoted like 2,000$ for head replacement. i told him about time sert. we found a local reputable mechanic in town that did the whole job for 200$. this was last year and its still running strong.

 

Just found a guy at a speed shop here in town that will do the job. He's done a bunch of them in the past, says it will take 3 to 4 hours of labor at $85/hr. My truck will be towed to his shop today. Thanks to all for the input.

 

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Good luck in your repair.

Btw, I've heard good things about blownoutsparkplug.

Here's the link... http://www.blownoutsparkplug.com/

 

I appreciate all replies even though I didn't start post.

My Expy 98 has not had a replacement of plugs since I bought it in '04. I had been dreading having a plug strip while replacement so I didn't have it done. The local Ford Dealerships kind of laughed at me (after I walked out of their service bay) when I inquired if Ford could suggest a repair substitute. I guess they wanted to have me pay for a trip to the Bahamas for all of the techs. I know that every manufacturer has had "something" with their products, but Ford screwed up big time with these cylinder heads, and the flaming cruise control switch. Its not like they didn't make or sell enough of these frigging things, and collect the money. There are enough Ford Expeditions of my cars vintage here in the northeast. There are jillions of them all about that same 79-99 yearage.