I just might come & visit you & your state when the time comes to change them out!..........

 

Thanks for the input. Looks like 500-600 bucks would be fair to pay my guy based on the averages you all are paying. 279 would be low and it certainly wouldn't be 200 bucks a plug!!

 

Damn guys - I am thinkin' I may be jumping ship and going to the enemy if this chit holds true - principle issue.

My '06 Silverado set me back $154.97 (looking at the receipt) at dealer. My '99 F150 was $211 about 101K ago at a Precision Tune shop.
More I read about charges the F dealers stickin' folks with makes me sick. And I got costs coming up too on other things on that F. I gotta quit reading this board. Anyone want to run into me from the rear and assist in the death of the beast

 

My local dealer charges $260 parts and labor for a 3v plug change, with 2 free extractions. If more than 2 break, then the additional extractions are charged at actual clock time at $80 an hour.

 

This is one issue where bringing the off warranty truck back to a dealer makes some sense as the Ford mechanics have seen this issue more than most service shops. FRom what I have read, experience is the key on getting those bass tards out. The mechanic that did mine broke all 8 but got them out. He has been a mechanic 25 yrs but his was his firstFord 04-08 plug job. I am sure someone that had 40 or so plug jobs under his belt would have not broken very many.

 

Started the job myself, broke 3 plugs (following the tsb.) Cost about $300 for the dealer to take them out.

 

Cost me $200 at the dealer I bought it from. Price was including plugs and any broken plugs on a 99 with 100k miles. Took about 2 hours with no broken plugs.

 

I have a 2001 with a 5.4 do they have issues with the plugs breaking or is it just the 3 valve motors?

 

I think it's just the 3-valve motors.. i did mine in my 4.6, they are a pain to get to, but none broken.. took me 2 1/2 hours i think, plus i swapped coils. Had one going bad...One dealer quoted me over $600 with coils and plugs... no thanks.

 

$12 is what it cost me... haha sorry man had too!

I don't understand when I broke my plug(s) the porcelin snapped so i pulled it out and still had the bottom part of the plug to work with(nut down to the electrode) or am I looking at this all wrong?

 

3v heads are different then 2v that it looks like you have so yes you got it all wrong. 3v has a 2peice plug that breaks off in the head no nut left.. actually breaks below the threads.. theres a shank..

 

ColoScrew: I'm curious what the plug gaps are on those plugs. I recently saw what old, worn out plugs look like on a scope (well a computer.... forgive me, I'm old school) vs new ones (MCs both... couldn't coerce them into Champions! ( : < ) and the firing voltages were very high and uneven on the old plugs. I was told that extremely high firing voltage is very hard on COPS, not to mention causing intermittent misfires. I didn't write down the numbers but the guy said they were very high. Maybe he'll remember. The ones I saw had about 90K but looked a lot better than yours. I saved one of the plugs. If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to compare the gaps on yours to the one I saved. The info I'm collecting seems to indicate that, for the most part, the useful life of the plug (essentially any brand that's available for the 3V) is over at 80K miles, or less. They work after that, but are not optimal. By "not optimal", I mean lower fuel economy, performance not as crisp as it should be, occasional misfires, etc. Not necessarily drawing any conclusions yet, just compiling interesting info. Also, what gas are you using primarily and do you use any deposit removing fuel additives?


As important as the cost estimate is to find someone who knows how to do it correctly, and has the tools. Experience is what counts here. It isn't that big a deal for a guy that knows the job well, but God help the customer's wallet with an inexperienced or bone-headed tech. The customer always seems to pay the training freight in those situations. There's absolutely no excuse for a Ford tech to screw it up and very little wiggle room for an independent, considering how much info is available. Makes me feel good to hear there are techs out there who can handle it and not charge extra just because they can.

 

Plugs don't break on 99's, they blow out if insufficiently torqued down. $200 sounds about right.

Blowout issues, not breakage issues. It's the 3v from 04 to mid 08 that break.

 

I called my locle ford dealer to see what they charge since I will be getting a 05 fx4 with 125k on the OD...they said 400 for the job and 100 per broken plug. Looks like I will be doing this myself lol

 

Roush's spark plugs including installation, $875, none broke. I replace them at about every 20k miles.

http://store.roushperformance.com/detail.aspx?ID=479