My wife and i get a constant 22mpg in our 05 V6 4WD. We do mostly highway with most of that around 70mph. A fifth gear would work wonders in this truck (in fact that's about the only thing i'd change). But i guess 22mpg ain't bad for an SUV. Would an aftermarket intake help out any?
JFUSION: how long are the spark plugs supposed to last?
the factory plugs are supposed to be good to 100,000 miles, I'm not crazy about leaving them in there that long. I'm actually changing mine to NGK Iridium plugs much earlier than recommended to see if I can get a bit better fuel economy. Changing plugs is a bit of a pain but I'd rather do it myself than someone else because of the cost involved, the manifold gaskets are expensive enough let along the labour cost of having others do it.
It's not so much the plugs wearing out at 100K, they probably would even last longer than that, but the problem arises getting the old plugs out of the engine block. Ford does not use any anti-seize when installing plugs and makes it a bear to get them out. My mechanic uses and air impact wrench to free the really tough ones.
I wouldn't wait much past 60K or 65K to change them out...
It's not so much the plugs wearing out at 100K, they probably would even last longer than that, but the problem arises getting the old plugs out of the engine block. Ford does not use any anti-seize when installing plugs and makes it a bear to get them out.
I know I'll probably never do it either but if you go through the effort of removing perfectly good plugs just to avoid them freezing in the head, why not just put some anti-seize on them and put them back in?
You could do that I guess, but going thru all the effort of taking the old ones out, it may be just more advantageous to just put new ones in with the anti-seize while everything is disassembled and be done with it for awhile.
I know I'll probably never do it either but if you go through the effort of removing perfectly good plugs just to avoid them freezing in the head, why not just put some anti-seize on them and put them back in?
On 4 cylinder Escapes, that would make sense. On V-6 models, however, the overwhelming expense associated with changing the plugs involves the rear bank of plugs. Significant items have to be removed, disconnected and/or moved, including the upper intake manifold. Because the job is so labor intensive, it just makes more practical sense to install new plugs while you're there. NGK Iridiums are an excellent choice.
On 4 cylinder Escapes, that would make sense. On V-6 models, however, the overwhelming expense associated with changing the plugs involves the rear bank of plugs. Significant items have to be removed, disconnected and/or moved, including the upper intake manifold. Because the job is so labor intensive, it just makes more practical sense to install new plugs while you're there. NGK Iridiums are an excellent choice.
yikes. I was wondering if the upper had to be removed when I was changing the oil in my g/f escape. That is nasty...
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'00 in the drive, '85 F250 that runs, '84 F150 in the weeds, minus 1 '85 F150- I finally got rid of some junk..
I wouldn't tackle this job myself because I do not have the expertise or the time, but from what I have heard, if you take your time and know exactly what has to removed, it is not that hard of a job. Just make sure you have your new gaskets on hand before you start...
I finally got my new plugs installed, the manifold removal is pretty easy overall, doesn't really take that long either. My biggest complaint is the cost of the manifold gaskets they are crazy expensive for a piece of rubber, they cost more than top of the line plugs. So yeah if you go to the expense of doing it all, throw in new plugs and that should hold you over for a long time. I used anti-sieze on the new plugs and a dose of dielectric grease on the cop boots.
I finally got my new plugs installed, the manifold removal is pretty easy overall, doesn't really take that long either. My biggest complaint is the cost of the manifold gaskets they are crazy expensive for a piece of rubber, they cost more than top of the line plugs. So yeah if you go to the expense of doing it all, throw in new plugs and that should hold you over for a long time. I used anti-sieze on the new plugs and a dose of dielectric grease on the cop boots.
Good job! You will be set now for quite awile.
You know now that you said that manifold is pretty easy to remove, I may tackle this myself this spring. I have 52,000 miles on the od and by spring it should be time for new plugs.
My only hesitation would be if I run into a frozen plug that would be difficult to remove. I do have an electric impact wrench, but don't know if it could develop enough torque to remove a frozen plug.
Did you run into any plug removal problems? Also, how many miles were on your vehicle when you did the change?
On 4 cylinder Escapes, that would make sense. On V-6 models, however, the overwhelming expense associated with changing the plugs involves the rear bank of plugs.
I did forget about that aspect of the job. Another reason I am glad I traded in the '04 V6 for the '06 hybrid....
Good job! You will be set now for quite awile.
You know now that you said that manifold is pretty easy to remove, I may tackle this myself this spring. I have 52,000 miles on the od and by spring it should be time for new plugs.
My only hesitation would be if I run into a frozen plug that would be difficult to remove. I do have an electric impact wrench, but don't know if it could develop enough torque to remove a frozen plug.
Did you run into any plug removal problems? Also, how many miles were on your vehicle when you did the change?
Thanks...
you will find that it is pretty easy once you get into it,you don't need any fancy tools, and most parts are pretty accessible. I am in no way a gear wrencher, so if I could do it the majority of people on this site should be able to do it. The trick is to take your time and follow instructions properly and torque the manifold to spec along with the plugs. Torque wrenches are readily available and cheap if someone doesn't have one, and pretty much every fastener is an 8mm socket size. The Escape engine bay has a fair bit of room in it too which helps, not as tight as my Fusion's bay. The plugs came out pretty easily, my truck has almost 30,000 miles on it. I do believe that Ford put oil on the plugs prior to installation as the threads did show signs of oil , though it was dried out. I highly doubt you would find a siezed plug, so don't let that stop you.
you will find that it is pretty easy once you get into it,you don't need any fancy tools, and most parts are pretty accessible. I am in no way a gear wrencher, so if I could do it the majority of people on this site should be able to do it. The trick is to take your time and follow instructions properly and torque the manifold to spec along with the plugs. Torque wrenches are readily available and cheap if someone doesn't have one, and pretty much every fastener is an 8mm socket size. The Escape engine bay has a fair bit of room in it too which helps, not as tight as my Fusion's bay. The plugs came out pretty easily, my truck has almost 30,000 miles on it. I do believe that Ford put oil on the plugs prior to installation as the threads did show signs of oil , though it was dried out. I highly doubt you would find a siezed plug, so don't let that stop you.
Beautiful explanation....
I just may tackle this myself and put in the NGK plugs...
Thanks...oh, by the way, where did you get the torque specs for the manifold and plugs?
I just may tackle this myself and put in the NGK plugs...
Thanks...oh, by the way, where did you get the torque specs for the manifold and plugs?
no problem, hope it helped. Torque for the manifold bolts (8 of them) is 89 inch lbs (don't mistake it for ft lbs which is 1/12th the value if inch lbs). The spark plugs are 11 ft lbs. ( or 132 inch lbs). I have a haynes manual but I think it is listed in the link for changing plugs that is on this site, check out the link it is very helpful with pics.
no problem, hope it helped. Torque for the manifold bolts (8 of them) is 89 inch lbs (don't mistake it for ft lbs which is 1/12th the value if inch lbs). The spark plugs are 11 ft lbs. ( or 132 inch lbs). I have a haynes manual but I think it is listed in the link for changing plugs that is on this site, check out the link it is very helpful with pics.
Joey
Okay, thanks for the info, I copied and pasted this for reference. Looks like you need a small torque wrench for those values, anyway thanks again and definetly would like to do the job myself. I trust my mechanic, but I think you get more personal satisfaction knowing you can do the job yourself and do it right...
Okay, thanks for the info, I copied and pasted this for reference. Looks like you need a small torque wrench for those values, anyway thanks again and definetly would like to do the job myself. I trust my mechanic, but I think you get more personal satisfaction knowing you can do the job yourself and do it right...
yeah I use my smaller torque wrench for those values. Besides the cost savings you do get the satisfaction of knowing it was done right. Like I take the time to put anti-sieze on the plugs as well as dielectric grease on the boots. When I take off the manifold I clean around the ports on the mounting surfaces, I even sprayed some intake cleaner into the manifold tracts/ ports. I even zapped some of the fasteners with anti-sieze to ensure they come off easy in the future. You can reset the pcm at the end of the job too. Just small things like that give you a bit more satisfaction.
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