Is there anything else major that I should do or have done for my 150k tune up? Do you think I should have the shop do the plugs or is it doable for a general handyman. That tool looks like it will help, but will these broken plugs add 4 extra hours?? What the hell is the problem with Ford 5.4 plugs, if you ask me, it should be a recall!!

 

This is not rocket science by any means. Many get anxious because of all the chat regarding the possibilities, with the issue being the original manufacturer of the motorcraft plugs (which I think is federal-mogul), which instead of welding the entire body of the plug together, they 'crimped" the bottom half on. Because of the extended length of the plug, carbon can & does build up on the tip and at that part of the combustion chamber where the plug screws in/protrudes, the carbon binds as you try to unscrew the plug and because of the "crimp" assembly, the bottom half of the plug simply twists off.

Can you really blame Ford, unlikely. Can you blame FM who built the plugs, partially because they will say no-one realized that excessive carbon could build up and factor in gas quality, etc, etc....

So, if you have 50k miles or more, do (or have a mech do) a fuel injection cleaning service, have an extraction tool handy (about $50 online) then give it a try. If it's too much then drag it to a mechanic.

and yes, without breaking any plugs, including soak time, it took me 4 hours...so plan on the better part of a day.

 

Wow. I am glad I found this post! I have 170k on my f250 and they need changed. I just have to muster up the courage to do it!!

 

Anything wrong using PB Blaster? I'm having a hard time finding anything other than that locally. There's some stuff from CRC also. Would either work?

BTW, I just picked up a set of MC SP515's from OReilly's for $8 each. Everything else seems to be upwards of $13-18.

 

I used PB BLaster and additional care and soak times, but ended up breaking 7 of 8. Not sure how much to blame PB Blaster, but seems folks that have had better success records used other such as Kroil. Good luck!

 

At 110k miles i broke 3 out of 4 using a ratchet. Took the other 4 right out with my 3/8 impact. While i will admit it may have been a coincidence I plan on using an impact on the next one of these trucks i put plugs in.

 

How hard is it to get them out when you break them off?

 

I have 124000 on my truck, and I never changed the plugs before. Do you think it's gonna work with mine?

 

I finally bit the bullet and changed out my plugs this afternoon. Truck has been idling like crap recently, and my mpg's seems to have dropped over the past 10K or so

68K on the truck, all 8 plugs came out with no issues.

As with beechkid, I got a set of SP515's for $8/pc from O'Reillys and ran 2 20oz bottles of Techron for about 40gal of fuel earlier this week it to hopefully clean out everything as much as possible.

Got some AeroKroil from Kano directly. 2 cans for $12 shipped--Best deal around.
Offer code - LATE

Kroil works... I stopped twisting the plugs as soon as I started feeling more resistance than " wrist tight" and let it soak more and tried again 15-20min later. Repeat. 5 of 8 gave a bone chilling creak all the way out, but they weren't more than "wrist tight" so I kept going until they came out. The 2 rear plugs closest to the firewall were tighter than others; when I first cracked them open with 1/8 turn, I let those soak longer. After taking a 2hr lunch break with the wife, the last 2 came out fairly painlessly.

It took a bit of self-control from getting overly confident to remove the others after the first one came out.

At 68K, the tip of the old plugs looked worn, and the gap looks like it's grown from wear on the ground as well. 2 of the plugs had some carbon crud built up on the shank. That must the the stuff that welds the 2nd half of the plug in the hole and causing plugs to break. It's not clear to me how these plugs would have lasted until 100K

In all, I think I spent a better of 5hrs on-and-off, including a lunch break.

Will take the truck for a spin later tonight to try things out...

My ego is a bit inflated at the moment and I'm busily patting myself on the back

In hindsight, I've always used top-tier gas, so I don't know if that helped. Didn't see too much carbon buildup on 6 of the 8 plugs otherwise.

 

Aquaman you hit it right on the head!!!!!! I'll bet you have just a touch of gray hair (prior to this).....as you said, you have to have a very light touch, and Ill bet you have "played" with steel bolts/plugs in aluminum heads before (before the days of anti-seize" existed, and have a lot of patience...let em soak, don't rush and that was my timeframe as well....5 hrs total (out of about 2 hrs actual work).

Congrats!!

 

I am getting ready to attempt to change my plugs and want to know, if after removing the plugs, are you worried about the penetrating oil going into the cylinder?

 

I used my air blow gun to blow out the sparkplug recess so there wasn't any dirt that would fall in, but I didn't think of blowing out all of the oil before the plug came out until afterwards. Whatever dripped in all came out as a huge cloud of smoke after starting the engine for the first time after I put everything back together. I guess it should be ok.

600miles on the new plugs and the truck's still running great!!

 

Tried using small hose to vacuum chambers of all debris (broke 7 of 8). Did not worry or think about the oild. Fired her up and held my breath. All good after about 8k miles.

 

It really depends on the type of fluid used. The one I used was flammable, so I really had no concerns- I also check to see the evaporation time (sprayed some in a cup), where others are combustible, meaning they don't burn easily (like kerosene as compared to gasoline).

There are a couple of options if you use a combustible product....after all the plugs are removed, spin the engine over with the starter to clear the cylinders out.

Either way, I would highly recommend an oil change after initial startup just to ensure there is no residual contamination in the oil pan.

 

I got all 8 of mine out using carb cleaner...none broke. Follow the TSB and take your time...you'll be golden!