Well...just got a call from my Ford dealer's service manager. Told me that Ford sent a guy out not with a prototype tool, but with some substance to put in the broken part of the plugs that when dried, permitted them to remove the ceramic portion of the plug in one piece, eliminating the problem of broken pieces falling into the cylinder bore. Said they have replaced all the plugs and is running fine now. Still need to do the other work I actually brought it in for. So far they have had it for four days... Ford said to charge 387.00 for the job, Dealer said he'll settle for 250. I am going to take that and run with it.. i think I got off reasonably well for what could have happened and apparently has happened to some others.

Anyone with this truck and 5.4 liter 3 valve engine should change plugs immediately and make sure they put anti sieze compound on the plugs they put in! Change your plugs often! It will be cheaper and less hassle than dealing with this problem!

I'll let you all know what happens when i get my truck back. I want to see the ceramics from the plugs they took out and make sure crap didn't get in my engine!

 

Good advice on the anti seize. Apparently village ford in dearborn charges 216 bucks for a spark plug change. They say they've only broken one plug so far. lol. Wait until the '04 trucks roll in with 100,000 miles on em. They'll break a few then!

This video shows a good way to get out stubborn plugs, although they have the heads off, they say its supposed to be done on the truck with the heads installed.

www.flatratetech.com/index.php?categoryid=4

 

04larry, I'm impressed that they were able to get all the plugs/fragments out without actually having to remove the heads. This gives me a little encouragement that Ford is working on something to help get the broken ones out. Not breaking the plugs is not going to be the issue(because what's done is done and the darn things are in there). What needs to be done, if nothing else, is making a way to get the fragments out consistently without having to have the heads removed. Also, Ford should help the dealers with the cost so we don't have to pay excessive chargers for something that is a definite design problem. I'm just glad to hear somebody didn't get the shaft completely by FMC.

 

Yes, well that's what they told me on the phone. I have yet to see the truck or drive it. The tech showed me where he chipped out the porcelain on the first two in order to cut some threads in the metal jacket of the plug to extract it.

Supposedly, it should be ok now. The big danger of course, is getting either pieces of ceramic or shavings from the threads cut into the metal jacket down in the cylinder where it could cause severe damage.

The video shows them putting grease on the tool that cuts the threads and being very careful with it to prevent shavings from falling down in there.

Ford really needs to do something about this before they lose a lot of customers who have been very loyal, like myself.

What really made me mad was the attitude of Ford's customer service reps who answered the phone and then argued with me and gave me crap and wouldn't let me talk to their supervisors without me just getting obnoxious with them. i was supposed to get a call back from a supervisor's supervisor withing 48 hours and still haven't been contacted.

If the dealer hadn't called and brought up the issue with Ford I would have been out of luck.

Luckily for me, the dealer had enough business sense to know he had a good customer and ended up helping.

I would have considered taking out an ad in the metro Detroit newspaper telling about this situation had I not received help and also would have gone to a lawyer. Ford needs to be better with their customer relations or there won't be a Ford company anymore because they will lose so many longstanding customers.

My father in law worked for them for 43 years and this just takes the cake!

 

The video is also almost two years old. They've done quite a bit more R&D on the issue since then. The prototype too was being tested here in our lab almost a year and a half ago. We were evaluating different adhesives for use in getting the broken ceramic out of the ground shield bore. I'm surprised it's still a prototype too and isn't available through Rotunda yet...

Also, the TSB I posted above states specifically to do it COLD. The original TSB also said to do it cold. Regardless of what this 2-year-old video says, I'm providing the latest and greatest info right from the horse's mouth. (Notice the revision date is early last month)

-Joe

 

Forgot to mention: Also note that the recommended penetrant has been changed. They no longer recommend using Aero-Kroil.

-Joe

 

Joe,


What do they recommend then?




Randy

 

GIJOE,

Is there a new TSB? Where did you read about a new penetrant?

 

04Larry,

you dodged a bullet!! $250 for all that work is a steal. I hope they threw in a free timing chain while they had the front of the motor off. If they haven't reassembled it, you should get it done now. Anyone know the receommended mileage to have the timing chain replaced?

 

Just talked with the tech who worked on my truck. He explained the prototype tool is basically a metal pin type thing that they use after pulling out the center electrode from the porcelain. Then they glue the metal pin in using loctite or some such material; let it harden about an hour. and then pull out the porcelain in one piece with an extractor. After that, they insert a rubbber plug to prevent contamination and cut threads in the metal jacket that is left. then the rest can be extracted quite easily.

It is still a lot of work, but does not necessitate pulling the heads.

The tech said he's almost done changing my oil, rotating my tires, and changing my coolant. I should get the truck back this afternoon!

My tech says this is the first one they've had this big a problem with. But then how many 04s have 100,000 on them already? I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best!

 

They didn't have to take the front off or the cab, with the prototype tool it was all done with the engine installed with the factory installation.

I have no idea on the timing chain replacement interval.

 

in the TSB joe posted it mentions using a Ford product , a carburetor cleaner, if I remember correctly, instead of the kroil product. Look back on this thread a little to read the TSB that he posted. This is the procedure the tech used, except Ford sent a field engineer out with the prototype tool to extract the porcelain insulators in one piece, making the cutting of threads and extraction process much easier and without need of removing the heads;

 

From the TSB that GIJoe posted:

Using Motorcraft® Carburetor Tune-Up Cleaner, fill the spark plug well just above where the jamb nut hex sits (1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon). A minimum period of 15 minutes of soak time is required. The cleaner will wick down to the ground electrode shield and soften the carbon deposits in this time. DO NOT WORK the spark plug back and forth at this point.

NOTE: COMPLETELY REVIEW THE PRODUCT LABEL FOR THE MOTORCRAFT CARBURETOR TUNE-UP CLEANER PRODUCT - USE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND SHAKE WELL.


CAUTION: EXCESSIVE MOTORCRAFT® CARBURETOR TUNE-UP CLEANER, OR REPEATING THE PROCESS SEVERAL TIMES WITH TOO MUCH CLEANER FLUID, COULD INTRODUCE ENOUGH LIQUID VOLUME TO HYDRO-LOCK THE ENGINE.

 

I've used anti-sieze on dyno exhaust systems where the pipes turned cherry red over and over and had no problem removing threaded fasteners that had run for thousands of hours and they were grade 5 steel.

 

Wow after seeing all this BS if it was me my friends and family not to mention the viewers here in motown could see this unfold on the 6 pm news. I want to change over my 02 2v to 3v head heads. I will definitely not use OEM plugs. I wonder if those ultra expensive NKG's will never cause this problem? I've seen what it takes to change plugs and some of the special ones not normally needed for a plug change. I got a red flag when I wanted a cams change and they said the motor would have to come out to do it right. This isn't a dealer either. I didn't realize what a hassle it is till now. I worked on a supplied to us prototype 4.6L and did several head gasket changes but this was on an engine stand. We galled a couple of cam journals but after the team of engineers that showed up got done I never heard of that any more. They can run the **** out of these motors on a dyno but it doesn't show what real world is. Seems it's just another way of saving a few cents with a new design that didn't get tested properly.