So i was smelling gas in the cabin of my 5.4 2008...went to Ford found nothing..went on line and someone said...check plugs for being loose...I said no way just had them replaced a year ago..well sure enough 6 out of 8 were loose some VERY VERY loose...what the heck...what do you guys suggest,,,,I tightened them ( but not too tight - no anti seize ) should I tightend to specks 28 lbs and dry and clean off threads ??

thanks

Ps Scott

 

The best bet is to follow the manufacturer's specs. When I changed plugs in my vehicles y-e-a-r-s ago it was no big deal, steel plugs and steel heads. Just tighten up until it felt good. Now-a-days you may have steel plugs and aluminum heads, heat expansion and cooling contraction at different rates for different materials. Are 6 and 8 the hardest to get to? Who ever changed the plugs dropped the ball.


Good Luck

 

Notorious issue with those 5.4L heads............I just worked on a 2002 5.4L ( AWSF22W) and they are only 7-15 ft lbs (9-20nm)

 

I change plugs/boots, use antiseize with 25ft-lbs torque at 50k.
I check torque at 10k, but have not had any work loose, even at the next 50k interval.

 

use anti-seeze.... factory specs.....

I would no longer use that Ford dealer... missing that simple issue..

it is common.. and I am new to owning a Ford.. and I know this.

 

Another EPIC FAIL Ford dealership --- seems to be a trend nationwide.

 

Thanks ..what about using lock tight on the plugs....also what is the proper specs again...25 28 or 15lbs

thanks guys

 

Don't use lock-tite on the plugs.
The reason for antiseize is steel plugs vs aluminum heads.
I wouldn't torque the plugs any less than 25 ft-lbs.
I use a Tekton 24330 3/8" drive torque wrench ($36 Amazon) which works fine.
From what I've read the OEM plugs were torqued to 15 or 17 ft-lbs which right off seems light to me.
Torque the plugs and change (or at least retorque) them at 50k and there probably won't be any further issues.
The boots are probably getting there at 50k so might as well change the plugs, too.
Leaving the plugs in for 100k or more gives them time to work loose and the compression pulses start working the threads.
Never heard of stripped spark plug threads.

 

It's an issue with all the Triton series engines - 4.6L, 5.4L & 6.8L.
I think most of the problem is the OEM plugs are torqued too low and people run the plugs over 100k giving them time to work loose.
It's a manageable issue.
I've been looking at a smaller Ford for around town driving with the 3.5L or 3.7L Duratech V6 engine and they have a interesting design where the water pump is inside the engine driven by the timing chain.
With no prior notice the pump can fail and leak coolant into the oil system causing complete engine failure.
Now that's an issue.

 

Believe it or not, coolant hardly ever ends up in the oil. The pump and engine block have a weep hole passage to direct coolant outside of the block. What I find most of the time with the internal water pump failure is LARGE amounts of metal are introduced into the oil which tears the engine up. The other thing I have noticed is most don't come in for a loss of coolant concern. From the ones I have worked on the majority of them came in running rough with a check engine light on with timing correlation codes. As the bearing in the pump fails, the pulley begins to allow the timing chain to loosen up which throws the engine timing off. Either way, HORRIBLE design.

To the OP, your tuck should be a 3V engine. Those Don't have issues with loosening due to improper torque from Ford. The big clue here is you just had the plugs changed about a year ago. The 5.4 3V plugs will come loose after replacement for a number of reasons. First, the spark plug well likes to collect dirt and grime. When the plug is removed, if the tech didn't clean the spark plug tube well enough before removal that grim made it into the threads preventing proper torque. The next most common issue I see is techs become afraid to torque those plugs down in fear they will damage the threads in the head or hat they wont be able to get the plugs out the next time because it is a 5.4 3V. When I do plugs on those trucks, before I pull the plug I blow the well out with air, then rinse with brake cleaner, then air again and inspect with mirror. If it looks nice and clean I will go ahead and remove the plug. Then I will again rinse the tube down to get any debris out of the threads and follow up with a long air nozzle to blow out any grime. Add
anti-seize to plug and torque. Don't be afraid to torque to spec.