In my seeminingly endless quest to get my '89 Club wagon with 460 EFI running correctly, today I dived under the dog house to have a look.

The first thing I find is that the EGR has been replaced at somepoint in this van's life. All connections look good. Next thing I find, the PCV valve isn't seated in it's grommet. In fact, it's sitting on the valve cover! Could this be the problem with the check engine light and poor performance?

Then, I notice that my distributor has what looks to be a newer cap with brass terminals. But it's pitted on the contacts inside the cap. I'm getting a new cap and rotor today.

I alse see that my distributor is equipped with the infamous TFI module mounted on the side. It looks to be the factory Ford original. For those not familiar with a TFI module, it has been a bone of contention with Ford for a long time, as Ford has been sued over this and NHTSA has ordered recalls ect. In a nutshell, the module can fail without warning, causing the vehicle to stall, my '86 Escort did this...twice. According to Ford however, the module gives warning of a problem by causing drivabiltiy problems when the temp exceeds 275 (150) degrees. I can't get over the fact that my van only has problems when it's up to full operating temperature. Could it be a TFI module getting ready to fail?

And lastly, does anyone with a 460 have any tips on changing the plugs in this thing?? It looks like I can easily get to 5 of them from the dog house side, and one (#2)through the pasenger side fender well. But the two very most forward plugs (#1 and #5) are the ones that have me stumped. How the heck do you change these things??

 

I am currently changing out the same parts. I am not sure if I can be helpful to you because I'm just starting the process, but have you found where the O2 sensor is mounted?

 

The O2 sensor, at least on my van, is located in a bung welded between the left and right exhaust pipe before they go into the catalytic converter. Make sense?

 

I changed plugs on my 87, E350 with a 460 about 4 weeks and had posted a similar question - I couldn't get to the front 2 plugs either. Unfortunately, no easy solution. I jacked up the front end, took the tires off, and still couldn't get at them from the wheel wells. Here's what I ended up doing:
Front one on drivers side, almost a blind operation, go basically by feel. Get something to stand on so you can get up higher and work your arm down the side of the block. I managed to pull the plug wire off and then got a 3/8 ratched on it, no room for an extension. Working by feel, I got the plug out and got the new one in.
Front one, passenger side. Take the battery out and air intake going up to the side of the air cleaner. With those out of the way, you can actually see the plug. If you can see it, you can get it out. Again 3/8 ratched.
These front 2 took me at least 4 times as long as doing the back 6, but like I said, a little patience, and working by feel, it's doable!

 

Very much so. Thank you.