I was referring the the Expedition which is an 07 but the plugs were never changed so you may have more luck than i did. In all honesty i had the dealer do it because i knew if they broke i would be screwed lol. Apparently 5 out of the 8 didn't even budge they just snapped after an 1/8th turn or something like that. I was trying to dig a more technical description out of them but i think they are too use to people who have no idea talking to them about it lol.

 

Wizkid- plug changes aren't too bad. It is primarily from under torquing and minimal threads in the Engine. Your truck is a 2002 which should have the later heads with more threads. Check out the thread I made in the V10 section about the proper kit to use for repairing the heads. Solid video by Fordtechmakuloco. Personally I can't justify dropping $300 on the kit and other things right now. Easier for me to have a shop do such.

 

I think it was late 2002s that got the more threads in the plug hole on the 5.4s at least.


The plugs aren't that bad I have done 2 modular spark plug changes ( a 93 Lincoln TC 4.6 with 215K on the original plugs and a 97 expedition 4.6 with 182K on the original plugs) and none of them broke. I hope I don't have to deal with a broken plug on the 10 F150 or new to us 98 expedition.


I just found out today our old 02 F250 v10 crew cab had the plugs blew out on them it is sitting waiting for the repair kit.
Trav

 

Travis is alive. Where you been? Which kit is being used on the old truck? What are you torquing the plugs to?

 

In the 87-96 part of the forum since I no longer have a SD and I don't hang out in the 09-14 part of the forum as the 10 has been a disappointment in my eyes actually I mostly focus on our 87-96 trucks mainly my 88 F150 and 91 Bronco and my 89 Chevy K2500 4x4.


Not sure which kit the ***** mechanic wouldn't tell me.


on the 4.6s I torqued them by feel like I do my regular trucks. I ran both for a while. The Lincoln I haven't driven very much because of a blown head gasket.
Trav

 

Nice to hear from you Travis. I am glad all is well.

Sorry for the delayed response, I was up at camp for the weekend. My 2002 was built in March of 2002, so I'll hope it has the newer heads. I suppose I will find out soon enough.





I tried a nice mud hole. I'll have to see if I can get the video of it.



My buddy was riding an old Honda 300 and we think it sucked some dirt in the carb. So he had to get towed by the only volunteer..... the Can-Am 1000 XMR. Needless to say the Honda made it through every hole.... just not under its own power.



Camp fire to end the day!



The F250 is back in the shop today. Hopefully inspection will be completed today. And after this trip, I do need to have my rotors cut again. Definitely some vibration in the brakes.

 

Can't beat a Honda though, I have a 2003 Honda Rancher myself looks just like the one in photo. Mines non 4x4 but have taken it through so much abuse that it had no business doing so and survived everytime. Sunk it three times pulled plug drained water and still running fine. To date I'm still riding it

 

I think that one is a 97. It has been rolled multiple times. This was the only engine issue its ever had. We found a rat nest in the air cleaner on the ride Saturday and we think we got some crud in the fuel bowl because I had to replace fuel line on the last ride. No worries. It is a great machine. They seem to have the BEST track record for reliability

 

So I was doing some more header/manifold/stud extraction research today. In the process of this, I came across a tool the Promaxx Rocky Tool. It is used to assist in safely removing studs from the head without screwing up the threads or drilling into the jackets of the head.



Check out the videos on the website: Rocky ProKit - ProMaxx Tool - South Hills - Pittsburgh - Manufacturer of high quality precision made tools

The kits range from $350 to $650 which is smart for a shop but a little more pricey for a personal use. I noticed that the tools are made just south of Pittsburgh and I work north and live east. For once, a manufacturer is in driving distance.... Anyway, I emailed them asking if they did a rental program. The owner, Jeff Del Rossa, called me back saying that they do. It's $150 to rent the tool for 10 days, and then they charge you for the bits you use in the kit. He said it usually works out to be a little over $230 with tax and shipping, but he said I'd be more than welcome to just come pick it up.

While I had him on the phone he gave me a few pointers. Since his company specializes in this type of work, I figured he should be a decent resource.

1. 5.4 V8 in the Super Duty is the "easy" one. The 6.8 V10 is definitely more difficult.
2. Don't bother soaking down the stud's before hand with penetrating oil. It never soaks in. They have cut heads apart to prove the oil does not soak in.
3. Don't bother warming the engine up beforehand. It also doesn't help.
4. NEVER use any replacement manifolds of the Ford OEM. They Ford ones are superior to any of the Chinese knock offs.
5. In all his years of doing this, he has only ever seen 1 Ford OEM manifold crack.
6. NEVER put an OEM manifold back on without having it resurfaced. It will never seal well. If need be, they can perform this service for $50 a side.
7. Leave yourself plenty of time. They loan the tool for 10 days because it usually takes 2 weekends.

So I don't know if this is worth something to you guys, but I wanted to share what I had found out. It also looks like I will be ordering one of these when I tackle this project. It has excellent reviews.





Reasonable price and relatively compact... hopefully it will do the trick. Not sure when I am going to start this project, I just wanted to share the information

 

First picture loaded up looks sweet.

Which brake rotors do you have?

The tool kit looks interesting. I have a Titan extractor set and would shy away. However the stud extractor may be better quality.

 

Thanks. I believe they are just OEM. Nothing fancy. I have had them cut once before and they worked well. I will turn them as much as I can and then I'll pull the trigger on something vented and slotted.

Good to know. I don't know anyone who has used them personally but it seemed to be a preferred extractor for its size. Apparently some of them are huge and tough to work with. I do know they are made in China, which I typically steer away from. I'll continue looking around and see what I settle on.

 

FYI, let the truck for at least 24 hours before attempting to remove the plugs. You want it to be ambient temp when you install the new ones otherwise you are guaranteed to blow a plug out. Autozone has an extraction kit just for extracting broken plugs on the Tritons that you can rent. You get it for 90 days, if you don't return it by then you own it. I don't remember the part number or the cost but I know they have it. A little bit of WD40 on each one wont hurt either, just helps keep things lubed up while removing them. If one seems very hard to turn, turn it once and then let it sit for a bit to cool off. You can build up a lot of heat from a stubborn thread. Best thing to do is to take your time or your guaranteed to brake one. The manifolds are the same way. When I replaced the exhaust manifolds on my '99 F150 with short tube headers I soaked em with PB Blaster and let it sit over night, I only broke 2 studs and was able to use a bolt extractor socket kit and a ratchet to get them out.

Good luck with the plugs though, I know they can suck!

 

That's good info, thanks!. The first time I did them on my old 2004, I didn't have any problems, but those were certainly a new head design. I guess we will see on this one. I am trying to resist the urge to spend money for a few weeks. The wife will be taking time off her job to finish nursing school so without her additional income, I really should only spend on the necessities We will see how long this lasts....

 

New project for this weekend....

So the wife called before lunch said she heard a "thud" from in the house. The neighbor called and said the retaining wall tipped over.



I was planning on doing it this summer, but it has now got pushed up to tomorrow. Luckily, I brought the F250 to work today so I went had got gravel and drain pipe at lunch today.



The truck weighed in at 7100 empty. I left the yard at 10,400... so I am slightly over GVWR.... by almost a ton.

I had the guy load it until the overload spring just touched the perch on the frame. I thought he had got about 1 ton in the bed. I was surprised to see that I had closer to 2 tons. It will be a slow and comfortable drive home today

 

Re-done in one day!