So to help calm everyone whos probably thinking "oh no not another *******" lol.. I have searched I just get a lot of conflicting information..

What exactly are the issues? Which years got fixed? Part of my reason for looking at 02-07 trucks was because I thought 99-01 were the affected years but that doesnt seem to be the case. Whatever the years, I've heard of 3 problems.

1) The threads on the plugs get carbonized because they stick out into the chamber and destory the threads on the head on the way out? (what years???)

2) The plugs just blow right out of the heads? I had that happen to a motorcycle on the highway once lol, cant say I fancy doing that repair on a truck engine., that bike was a 2 cylinder with the plug facing out towards the side.. :P

3) They used a 2 peice plug that blows apart as well?? but the threads are ok??

It all sounds terrifying but I've found a 2000 XLT, that aside from not having the 6 speed, otherwise I really like, but it has 150k .. the 1-owner carfax says the plugs were changed once at 100k.

#2 is really the ****ty one to me, from what I understand 02+ or 03+ got more threads added to the cylinder head to help taht problem. But I can see that fix going terribly wrong and having to spend thousands of dollars, or.... much of my own time and probably a number of specialized tools tearing down a whole engine and hoping it gos ok once its back together.. #1 I could see me running 5 cans of seafoam through my truck a week in advance lol, and #3 just sounds very inconviennt and a reason to get new spark plugs.... yeah its really #2 thats bothering me..

 

i have an 02 and they can still blow out .. all you need to do to prevent them from popping out. is this.. DO IT THE RIGHT WAY.. i worked on a cold motor..... let plugs soak with PB after spraying air into all the holes to get the crud out.. then slowley and gently cracked the plugs loose. i had NO issues and my plugs were changed at 130xxx they looked like poo.. but they came out.... Now for reinstall. set the gap.. i used a rubber hose and started all the plugs then got them tight and torqued them down... and also i put copper anti seize on all of them. i now have 165xxx and never had a miss or a issue.. i did not remove fuel rail. it is not needed. just take your time and dont get impatient. it is not the most fun job but its possible with some extensions and some brews

 

My plugs came out easily at 120K (original) in an '01 and I installed new Motorcraft plugs with a light coating of anti-sieze, and all was well. Being a V-10, it was a pain. Just don't reef down the new plugs beyond the torque spec. On this engine, I would use a torque wrench on a few plugs until you get a feel for how tight, 'tight' is.

 

The 05 and up 3 valve engines have a different spark plug issue, but it should still be mentioned. The factory plugs in the 05-07 engines have a habit of breaking into 2 pieces when being removed. There is a tool that allows you to get all of the plug out and the new plug design does not break. It was just a poor design.

 

My '03 had 105,000 before I changed the plugs. Ran great for another 20,000 before I sold it. Still running great, as the guy I sold it keep saying "Man, I love that truck". It was/is a great truck.

 

Does the 02 have the minimal threads in the head?
I've seen conflicting data as to what year that changed