So I'm fixin' to change the plugs on this 2.5 of mine. I consulted with the all-knowing Google to see what the right plugs are (RockAuto shows 2 different types of Motorcraft plugs) and all I see is posts of people complaining that they don't want to remove the intake so instead they struggled with 5 swivel adapters, 3 extensions, a wobbly socket and a piece of twine to catch the hooks on the plug wires and pull them loose.

Seriously? What's the issue here?

I just went out to my truck and eyeballed the manifold. It's literally like 6 or 8 bolts plus the throttle body which looks like it can probably come out with the upper manifold anyway. I learned a long time ago that it's easier to remove parts that are in my way rather than try and work around them, get frustrated, break stuff, etc. I even grabbed a socket and broke some of the bolts loose, the three that I tested came loose easily enough and none seemed like they wanted to jam up or break off or anything. What's the big deal here? Am I missing something?

Besides, I might as well change my valve cover gasket and those two throttle body coolant lines while I'm in there. Does anyone have a cooling system diagram for that motor? I wonder if I can just delete the throttle body heater, I did on my big truck and it didn't make a difference. Round here it hardly ever gets below 38 degrees or so. Oh yeah and while I'm here... what are the correct Motorcraft plugs for this motor? My Ford V8's I like using Motorcraft wires and AutoLite plugs, but for this engine it seems people are happier with factory plugs.

Thanks in advance.

 

I don't know what they're on about, either. I did mine with just a couple extensions and a proper socket. There are notches in the intake runners for just that purpose. For the most part they were almost a perfectly straight shot if you know where to look. And if the correct wires with boots of the proper length are installed, getting them off shouldn't be too much of a hassle, either.

IIRC I used double-platinum plugs. You can check for the proper part number at fordparts.com.

 

Well I got everything done! The hardest part was reaching underneath the intake to disconnect the PCV and evap vacuum lines and the throttle body coolant lines. There is just enough give in them to be able to lift the intake out of the way a bit while you reach in. Nothing difficult there if you have any mechanical experience. The Fel-Pro valve cover gasket I used seems well made and had steel inserts in the bolt holes as well as a nice alignment tab over the front cam bearing just like the factory one I replaced.

The Motorcraft plugs and wires I used are of course quality parts and identical to the stock ones.

Probably took me three hours start to finish including cleaning the parts up before reassembly.