Well, I decided to attack the spark plugs over the weekend. ATTACK is an understatement! It looks like I've been in a cat fight! It took about 7 hours to beat the beast including a quick trip to the parts store and a six pack of Sterlin Marlin's beer .

The hardest one to get to was not actually the back most passenger side one, but it was the one on the drivers side that was under the actuator on the fuel rail for me. I had to use a very small socket and elbow for this one. With some time and a couple beers, success.

HOWEVER, I made one HUGE mistake. But, luckily it was with the very front plug on the drivers side under the power steering fluid. resevoir. When I was screwing the bolt back down to hold the coil pack on, I broke the little bolt head off!!!


At any rate, it broke off above the hole, so I think I can get some lock pliers on the stub and back it back out. I don't know what happened, I know I didn't strip it in, because I backed it out and screwed it in twice, but it got tight half way down and would not tighten down in the coil pack. I think I got dirt down in the hole.

Sorry for the long post, but hopefully this will either encourage or for some discourage a spark plug replacement on the 5.4.

 

Somebody beat me! I took 4 1/2 hours(not counting time-outs) to change mine---oh man, the 'monkey's' off my back --LOL.

Btw, go to Sears and get their 1/4" drive, 7mm swivel socket and the #7 coil-pack bolt is no problem.

Dan

 

lightning rod... 3 chips?????? (in your sig)

 

Yea, I've got 3 L chips and one more in my 97 xlt, 4.6l. It's good to have one to use when another is getting reburned--I 1/4 mile the L almost every weekend and I don't like even daily driving it without a chip .

Dan