i have a 2001 f-450 with a v-10 and this truck gets worked very hard never weighing less than 10'000 pounds i love this truck.It now has 142'000 miles on it and out of the blue i got stung by the mr. spark plug blow out that i had only heard about.People are having this problem alot with the triton motors and its happening because of a defect in the heads in which there is only 4.5 threads on a 1/4"lip for the plugs to thread into. A mechanic friend of mine has repaired over 60 of them and did mine as well.FORD takes no responsibility for this problem you are on your own because they will only fix it if it is still in warranty but for the most part it dont happen until after 100'000 miles.which brings me to my question can anybody tell me has ford corrected this defect because if they have not then i will not buy another truck from them! Spark plugs blowing out GIVE ME A BREAK!

 

Good luck with replacing fuel pumps and axle seals on a chevy then.

 

I believe in '02, Ford changed the heads with more threads. In '05, they went to the 3 valve and 2 pc plugs. They didn't spit out, but they sieze and break with the bottom half still in the head. At least it doesn't spit out, but it's tough to get that broken piece out...if that's any consolation.

All V10's have the exhaust manifold studs breaking issue.

 

Ford remedied that problem in 02, with improved heads. Why would you think Ford would do anything on a truck that's 10 years old, & 142,000 miles when it has been out of warranty since 3 years/36,000 miles? (about 7 years or 108,000 Miles!!) I've never heard of any kind of manufacturer doing that, whether it be a vehicle, electronics, houses or otherwise. That's why all manufacturers specify a warranty length. My 03 F450 V10 never spit a plug or broke an exhaust stud in 7 years & 147,000 miles. That's when I sold it, and bought a new 2011 V10.

 

Where the heck is Bill? He'll set the guy straight. There couldn't possibley be any problem with a V10, the OP must be driving a PSD and just got confused. Nothing ever goes wrong with the V10.

 

LOOK AT CONSUMER REPORTS AND SEE JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH SPARK PLUGS !IM 60 YRS. OLD NOW AND IN ALL MY YRS. NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE. OH BUT THAT WAS BEFORE THE THROW AWAY HEADS! I REMEDIED THE PROBLEM MY SELF BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LITTLE GAL WHO DOES NOT KNOW AND GETS RIPPED OFF AT THE TUNE OF 2500.00 TO REPAIR ONE PLUG HOLE BY A ROTTEN MACHANIC ALL BECAUSE OF A DEFECT.(BRONZE INSERTS)

 

Yeah, we know... or the dodges that blow trannys left and right or chevys less than desirable front ends. It happens..

 

Turn your caps lock off, it's considered yelling. What about all the Vega's in the 70's that couldn't top 40,000 miles with the original engines? Or all the GM 6.5 turbo diesels that couldn't top 80,000 without having major failures? Or the Jaguar XK8's that blow the engines around 60,000 miles? What about all the timing belt engines, that bend valves when the belt slips? The list of bad engines out there is huge, At least Ford realized they had a problem, and redesigned the heads. Unfortunately you bought a bad year. Most of these early V10's that popped plugs, are due to mechanics not torquing the plugs to spec. Do a little research next time you buy a vehicle for common problems, and you can avoid these issues in the future.

Don't expect any manufacturer to stand behind a vehicle 7-10 years after a warranty expires, that's crazy. I bought a POS 6.0 diesel in 05, it went through $18,000 in repairs from the second to fourth year (30,000-80,000 miles) of ownership. I did not expect Ford to fix it for life, I traded it in for an 09 V10 before the warranty was up. No engine problems or issues since.....

 

what are you so pissed about....you got 10 years and 142,000 miles and in your own words " this truck works very hard" and the only failure you have mentioned is a blown spark plug.

I understand that any break down can be traumatic and a pain in the a$$, and sometimes people need to vent a little but when you stand back and look at it....come on 142k and the plug repair cost you what...$100 or less?


P.S. as a Powerstroke owner I am in no way endorsing and/or encouraging the ownership of the inferior to Powerstroke V10 in the Superduty Ford pickup/chassis cabs and or E series vans, motor homes etc. .....but it is pretty cool in a mustang.

 

Did all the 2002 trucks get the improved head? Mine was made in late December of 2001 but is a 2002 truck. Am I safe?

 

My 99 V-10 just rolled 132xx, and just had the factory plugs replaced<--(thats right, i said factory, lol). I bought the truck 3 months ago, and ended up having the exhaust studs redone since it was annoying, as well as needed severely. 11 bolts broke and had to be extracted. The spark plug holes were in amazing shape due to never have been touched. Other than a coil pack or two, This truck is in amazing shape. I have no doubt it will run another 150xxx without major work. These motors may have some issues, but I find these minor compared to other vehicles in the 100K plus miles range.

It is worth your time to research the shop before you drop your truck there. My insurance covers a tow up to 100 miles if a plug were to blow out, rest is on me. I don't understand how you would get charged $2500 for a plug blowout. My 11 stud drill-out was $760 in labor, jobs over a grand people ask questions.

 

I think your power stroke is a POS. Read all the threads of those turds coming down with the flu on these forums and see. Just blow your smoke and be happy.

To the OP, welcome to the site, take a breath and deal with it. As mentioned above sounds like your truck has been a good unit and while I'm sure it sucks to have this happen, it was a cheap fix for you. Not all of us has a good mechanic at hand to fix it so cheap. Has anything else been a problem for you on this truck?

 

mine got the flu shot called FTE, and I have been happily not blowing too much smoke for almost 350K

By the way..... please note the tongue in cheek way I poked at the V10, I believe it is an outstanding power plant and enjoy the rivalry. At no time did I call it a "POS" or " Turd"

 

well said sir...

it always amazes me how quickly people forget all the service life the vehicle provided before the break down, but as soon as a repair is needed the entire brand is POS.. sorry buddy no sympathy here..

if you never checked or replaced ur plugs after that length of time/milage then its hardly the truck/manufactors fault..

 

There is no rivalry IMO. Any V10 owner that thinks his rig will out pull a diesel is a waterhead. But not everyone needs to pull what a diesel will pull, and/or in my case my truck is just a toy and sits all week. I drive so rarely that my oil gets changed from it's age and not mileage. I'm not gonna let a diesel sit in my driveway and rot just cause it's cool right now. I think having another option to the V8 is good and that the V10 is a great choice in SD's. Middle ground. I aint mad just tired of "diesel guy" running smack about something hardly anyone uses to it's potential. I still think MOST powerstrokes are turds, sorry JMHO. If ya want a big powerful truck to outpull or outsmoke anyone, it should have more than 4 or 6 wheels.