as per the service manual, 4.6 gap is .052-.056,
and the plug torque specs are 11-15 ft lbs, with 13 ft lbs the recomended setting,.

 

My local Auto Zone carries Motorcraft SP-493 plugs for this motor. Is that just a different heat range than the SP-479?

 

sorry, but that i do not know about. when it comes to plugs for the newer engines, i just get them direct from ford.

 

It was not all that difficult to change the plugs on my 2002 Mountaineer 4.6 motor thanks to the information that I got on this forum.
I got the SP-493 plugs from Auto Zone and they were also marked AWSF32PM.
It was about 10:30 AM when I got all the plugs, di-electric grease, anti-sieze, tools and my air supply ready to go. By 12:00 Noon, I had all 4 plugs done on the driver's side, and the front two on the passenger's side. I went and had some lunch, before I tackled the last two plugs in the rear on the passenger side. I thought that they would be the most difficult, but they were easy.

I didn't have a torque wrench that could be used at 13 ft-lbs, so I used a shorty ratchet wrench to hand tighten the plugs.

The biggest problem that I had was re-installing the engine cover after I was done.

The old plugs were clean and unifom. The gap was less than 0.060". They did show signs that the spark was tracking to the outer ring rather than the ground elctrode.

These were the original plugs. They had a green tip on the top of the plug. I am the original owner and I never had them changed, so I knew that they were original.

 

I certainly appreciate thorough and informational posts like this, real world experience that we all can use (including me, 2000 5.4)....

but good Lord, read it again. Should it be this difficult to do a plug change?
1) Remove a lot of parts just to gain enough room to work.
2) Extensions and swivel joints out the wazoo, mirrors, magnets, vacuum tubing, air compressors!

I certainly do miss my 92 F150 w/4.9 I6 ... easy access, follow spark plug wire to plug and replace both.

Rant over.

 

I did not have to remove anything but the Coil-on-Plug assembly on my 4.6. That was no more difficult than removing the plug wires on my 400. The air was necessary to blow the crap out of the hole, before removing the plug. The tubing was also needed to start the new plug. The di-electric grease is good insurance on any plug change, as is the anti-sieze.

I did use a swivel joint on several plugs, but I normally use a swivel head ratchet on my 400 motor. Over-all the plug change was no worse than many and better than some. It helped to have a procedure, although I didn't follow it exactly.

Have you ever changed plugs on a '57 SBC?