I have a 2001 supercrew with a 5.4 42,000 miles what should i do to avoid the sparkplug issue or plug from blowing out? Or just leave it be thanks Dan

 

Well, my 97 5.4 has 216,000 miles on it and I've not had a plug 'issue' at all?? I did change the original plugs with about 62,000 miles on them and this was before I knew about this site and to my horror, heard all the stories about plugs blowing out and all...

I still have a smooth idle and no miss or anything with my latest plugs with about 154,000 miles on them.. Getting as good or better mpgs when what I got back in 2001 when I bought the truck. I tow the TT in my sig on a regular basis in the summer time for the last 8 years and stil no issue...

If you only have 42,000 miles on a 9 year old truck, then you are putting less then 5,000 miles a year on it, so I wouldn't worry too much about having a plug issue..

I used to put over 20,000 miles a year on my truck when I first got it and now I'm down to about 15,000 a year...

I'd be worried about other things then this...

Mitch

 

My 98, 274,000 miles hasn't blown any.

 

There's no rocket science to this and I know a little something about blown plugs...ask around how I know. There seems to be zero correlation to mileage, maintenance, how you change your plugs, etc that relates to why it happens. That sounds like a crappy cop-out, but I can't find any relation. It's completely random and based on luck of the draw on how the head was cast. Here's two examples already of hundreds of thousands of miles with no problems and then you get mine...meticulously maintained for 70,000...and POP!

Moral of the story, don't sweat it and don't loose sleep over it. Crappy, but there's nothing you can do about it and nothing you can do to the plugs to help prevent it. When (or would 'if' have been a better word) it goes, deal with it at that time.

 

For the two valve, be just as careful removing them as you are installing them, stay centered and you shouldn't have a problem. Their easy to cross thread, so start and run the new ones in w/1 piece of 3/8 air hose. You'll be alright. Torque Down to 28' lbs.

 

One more thing, 28 lbs as jbrew says and NO antiseize.

 

thanks guys for all your input I was under the impression that the plugs were removed and retorqued and this took care of the problem

 

Dynotech:
Why no antiseize? I have always used it on spark plugs.

 

Antiseize in this situation could allow the plugs to work loose again. A lot of people here have used this method and have had no problems with the plugs loosening afterward. Good luck.

 

DYNOTECH:
Thanks for the info. I am not sure if this make a difference but here is how I do it. A friend that owns his own shop told me how to do it.
Put as thin coat on the threads as you can with your fingers, then wipe off most of that with a cloth. He told me a lot of guys just cake it on which basically works the same as greasing a nut. It doesn't allow for friction to keep it tight. He said the whole idea it to keep it from seizing not lubricate it.
Is seems to work well in aluminum heads (i.e... outboards, motorcycles, lawnmowers, etc....).

 

Most plugs and for sure Motorcraft plugs are made out of a nickel alloy. anti seize is unnecessary. Why use something that there is even the slightest possibility of it helping loosen the plug when its entirely unnecessary.
28 LBS DRY NO ANTI SEIZE.

 

hey jbrew ..that Ford tech info you sent me said to torque them down to 13lb-ft..and thats what I did ...

should I run back out and retorque them back down to 28 ????

 

Yes

 

There is a company in California that specializes in the blown plug repair. They have researched and tested all possibilties and they are the ones saying to go 28 ft/lbs, no antisieze. They have many years experience and I would go with what they say.

 

Yea, you better double up on that at least. Did you use anti seize? If so, don’t worry about it ~ 28x30% = … - So yea, sub about 8, {20-21’ lbs} would do it. Plugs are Nickle coated, anti seize doesn’t help and can have adverse effects if you stopped @ 13’lbs, specially when that’s not enough to begin with. I bet 75% of blowouts occur with the plugs coming loose in a GOOD thread chamber. Threads usually don't get "FUBAR" at the bottom, - The top two or three take the worst hit. 13’ lbs may hold for quite awhile, - in a virgin head, but not the 2nd or 3rd time around, - no way. Did you notice how easy your old set came out ? No need to goop the threads with these heads.

Sucks you have to pull the coils. But you better do it.

EDIT: Hey he has super charger, - does anyone know if the lightnings have a different spec on the plugs ? I don't think they do. (?)