I just got my Expy with under 30k miles a couple of weeks ago and after speaking to several mechanics (Dealership and others), decided to get the spark plugs changed. The basic message from the mechanics was that because of the plug seizing problem / plug spitting problem, Ford now recommends changing them at 60k rather than 100k. Because my vehicle is almost 7 years old and most vehicles this old will have 70k+, and because I've heard that regardless of mileage, time will result in plug corrosion, it's safer to just have the plugs replaced now. Anyone else with a 2005 Expy or f150 5.4L 3V with low miles replace their plugs this early? The mechanic wants me to leave the vehicle overnight so he can spray lube on the plugs to reduce chance of breakage. He recommends OEM (2 piece)Motorcraft, and not champion with a one piece body and less breakage potential. Should I insist on Champion? He says the parts remain the same, but just the interval between changes is what's changed. Any thoughts? I've posted this issue and gotten some feedback but would like to get any alternate viewpoints.

Lastly, my temperature gauge usually is just under the midpoint between cold and hot. Is this normal? My 4 cylinder Toyota truck's temp gauge pretty much stays close to the cold reading. Wondering if I might have a problem that needs to be addressed. Thanks.

Paul

 

Let's think this through, if you were a mechanic and could make $200-$800 (or more) for 2-3 hours of work and be nearly guaranteed to have your customer come back every 3-5 years and give you another good chunk of money for the same job what type of plugs would you tell them to use (Champions - replace them once and they never come back) or (Motorcraft/Autolite where you keep them on the hook forever)

I'm not saying that's what your mechanic is thinking, (because there are many good/honest ones out there) but it's an awfully strange coincidence that most of them want to put the OEM junk with a known defect back in your car when such a great proven alternative is out there.

 

I wouldn't put the two piece plugs back in. That's just asking for problems down the road.

The gauge sounds normal in your Expedition, the Toyota however sounds low.

 

Thanks guys. I saw on the f150 forum that a lot of guys were pretty pissed at the plug issue. One guy did mention that he felt compelled to stick with the OEM Motorcraft and just lessen the time interval because he suspected that the design specs of the OEM plugs, minus the breakage issue, was important enough to keep using. I guess it may depend on how much you drive your vehicle. If I'm only averaging 6k /year, I'd be changing these out every 5-6 years...so yeah...I guess switching to Champion would be the way to go.

 

Never use champion plugs in a Ford (they are for lawn equipment,boats, and Chrysler products) use only Motorcraft or Autolite.

 

I have never had good luck with Champion plugs in any Ford engine. But I thought that the 1 pc plugs would be the way to go. I searched the forum for a while before I changed the plugs in my wife's 2006 Expedition with the 3V 5.4. But after looking it over, a lot of guys with the F150s had a lot of trouble with the Champion plugs. I would use the Motorcraft or Autolite.