I mostly hang out in the Excursion forum and thought this might be better suited for the V-10 one.....

I blew the #10 plug a few months ago and fixed it with el cheapo Dorman kit. I was hoping it'd last till the next plug change as i already have 180K on this motor and figure eventually it'll need an overhaul anyway.

The Autolite HT1 plug (included in the kit) melted itself in a few hundred miles. I replaced it and went on a road trip. 400 miles later I heard the tell-tale exhuast leak sound and pulled over at the nearest napa. I pulled the plug and it had not only melted itself again but had melted the steel insert and part of the aluminum threads. Being on the trip i bought another dorman kit at napa and a Champion 7989 plug. installed them, prayed it'd hold on the few threads that could be left and kept driving. That one lasted 800 miles or so and blew out 8 hours from home. The plug was in perfect shape as was the insert. I unplugged the coil and injector and we limped home in a snow storm on 9 cylinders and an embarrassing POP-POP-POP.

Now i find myself needing to solve this problem. I did some research and there's a handful of different kits all basically look the same. Price ranges from $220 on up and most include 4-8 inserts.

So couple of questions

1. any recommendations on which kits to use or not use?

2. Any info on fixing that #10 port with the head on the truck (it's way back there).

3. Anyone looking to sell or rent out their kit? I'm a machinist and know that there's little to no wear on these tools on an aluminum head so seems like a waste to buy a new kit to use once.

 

Timesert repairs are considered permanent . Read the following link for more info at timesert website.

++ Ford Spark plug Repair ++, ford spark plug blow outs, blow out spark plug ejection blow out, blown out sparkplugs, ford stripped spark plug, ford sparkplug blow outs, spark plug blow out ford, ford defects, ford spark plug repair ford, ford spark

Good luck,

 

I blew mine a week ago and just diagnosed today. I have no clue what to do now?

 

Well the only things i've learned are, you have two main options. the cheap temp fix is the dorman kit. Around $50-60 and you don't really need to do much work to use it. simply screw it onto the bad threads and it's supposed to hold. The main problem I had was the included Autolite spark plug was way too hot and melted itself and the insert and messed up the threads enough that it blew again. The fix i found was to toss the Autolite plug and use a Champion 7989 plug instead, that worked but by then it was too late for me and it blew anyway. Easy cheap fix that worked for some, but not for me. The good news is if it doesn't work you're not out much as you can still repair using the good kits mentioned below.

The second choice is to use the good kits ($250-$450) and ream the hole, then tap the hole then make sure you remove all the chips that found their way into the cylinder and use the inserts included. Those are supposedly permanent fixes but there's more risk involved as if you screw up, you're....screwed. If you can find a local mechanic that already has the kit then you might be better off simply paying them to do the work as it really shouldn't be more than a few hours work MAX and they should only charge you for the $20 insert in parts.

 

Thanks for the info

 

Here is a write up from one of forum members as to how he repaired his blown out spark plug thread with timesert . It is very detailed with photos attached. Here is the link;

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...th-photos.html

It seems it is very critical to close the valves by rotating the crank at the beginning of the job and there are several methods for this . Also it is recommended to use a digital bore scope to see inside the cylinder for remaining debris .I would recommend both compressed air and suction for clean up at the end . Although timesert recommends it , but I would hesitate to use grease on cutting tools . I would be more concerned about greasy particles falling into cylinder and sticking inside ( and not coming out with neither compressed air nor vacuum) .

Good luck,

 

Nice, thanks for the link. I'll definitely be referencing that when i find/get a kit.

 

its sad that this discussion continues. I had my 250 towed to a repair shop and it was close to $1000 including the tow bill. The only good that came out of the experience has been my understanding of how a major auto maker manages to avoid paying for its design flaws.

 

I just picked up a Mac Tools Kit SP389FC. Should have it in a week. If folks want or need a repair kit, i'm happy to loan mine out with a deposit (same as i was hoping to do).

 

That's an extremely generous offer----would be ideal for someone not wanting to invest in a seldom used tool!

 

Well honestly i was kinda surprised that more folks didn't already have them since it's such a common issue. The tools don't wear out at all and the inserts are only like $20 or so each. A deposit protects the investment (or at least most of it) in case some shady character runs off with the kit, but i think on average instead of a guy having to spend $250+ on a kit this way they just end up paying $20 for an insert they can buy online and shipping of the kit both ways (maybe another $25 or so total) so under $50 gets the problem resolved and there's no wear to the tools so i'm not loosing anything.

 

The engine has 9 more possible failures built right in. So the purchase of the repair kit is worth every penny. The purchase of a Ford truck with a V10 however is not.

 

Haha, funny though I disagree. I really like the engine, I love the excursion when viewed as a whole truck. This plug issue is the only complaint I have and compared to weak trannys or bad suspension systems, installing 9 inserts and solving all the complaints I have of a vehicle is pretty darn good. Actually when/if the engine eventually takes a dump if I don't swap a 6bt into there, I'll just rebuild it with heads that have all 10 inserts installed.