Hello,
I have a 1998 Ford E350 (Motorhome) V-10 6.8L with 53K miles. The spark plugs have not been changed that I know of and the service book calls for them to be changed at 100K.
I am aware of the potential for one of the plugs to get blown out. If that should happen when I am on a trip I have been told to unplug the fuel injector for that cylinder.
Would it damage the engine to drive it in that condition? Is there a temporary "plug" that could be held down in the spark plug cavity somehow to allow for travel or maybe that is not necessary?
In the future, once I approach 100K miles I thought I would purchase the Ford Approved, Lock-n-Stitch, Full-Torque thread repair kit. Tap all ten holes and install the inserts and new plugs. My fear is blowing a plug 2K miles from home. Thanks for any insight.

 

Generally for that year Modular Motor I always recommend plug changes at 50K miles. I myself don't believe plugs will be effective at 100K miles which is why I change my own at 50K. Typically if you've not yet experienced an ejected plug its safe to assume you're good for the life of the engine.

However changing plugs the correct way at 50K miles gives you the chance to properly torque the plugs and inspect/replace the COP boots as needed. At 22 years old and only 53K miles the plugs might want to resist being removed but there's more than enough anecdotal information here on FTE about carefully removing plugs this old and their proper re-installation. I myself use nothing but Motorcraft plugs, nickel-based anti-seize on the plug threads and torque to 23-25 ft/lbs. Over 3 different van's this practice has worked perfectly, every one of those engines the 2V heads as I believe your's are as well.

HTH

 

​​​​​​Thank you for your opinion and insight. I would like to access/purchase the "official" Ford service manual for this van, recommendations?

 

Sorry, duplicate post.

 

Typically I find them on eBay, will look for your year's versions and link you here on FTE. The '98's in their printed form will probably be scarce but we'll look anyway. I should add in the case of spark plugs factory service manuals have different settings than is used out here in the real world as many of us have discovered experiences honed through field repairs often times is a bit counter to published specifications.

I'll update this post if I find something--if I do you might want to consider acting quickly as such publications often times are snapped up soon after they're listed for sale or auction.

Wow---quickly found more than anticipated---they're not cheap but they're worth having if the budget allows. Follow this link for a good value all things considered: 1998 Van Service Manuals & EVTM. You can also browse the "other manuals" category and enter 1998 E-Series Econoline as a search parameter--that's how I found the linked manual set.

HTH

 

My experience.

I have a 2001 F250 V10.

I blew out a plug on a camping trip in Galveston Tx. I was staying in the state park. I had been hearing a sound for about a week. I thought I had an exhaust leak and planned to work on it after the short vacation. I live in Houston so it was not a log trip.

Made a run to Walmart for some supplies. After shopping I loaded up the groceries and started my Truck. BANG, pop pop pop. Crap. I knew what happened. I had changed plugs 50 thousand miles before and torqued them to factory specs. What I was hearing was the plug had backed out and was leaking. It finally blew out. :-{ Truck on the fritz and trailer in the state park about an hour trip home. What to do.

I tried screwing the plug back in. It seemed to hold so I lightly tightened it replaced the COP crossed my fingers and started the engine. crossed my fingers and started it. The plug held so I drove to the park. The next day I pulled the trailer home. No problems.

The day after I tried to torque the plug to factory specs. The threads gave away. :-{

What I think happened was a grain of sand or something was under the seat when I changed the plugs. The plug eventually got lose and started leaking. Eroding the threads. The spark plug holes are straight up. When changing them I made a air tool to blow out dirt around the plug before removing it.

I borrowed a car to drive back and forth to work and started looking at repair. I decided to purchase a TIMESERT kit. This looked like the best solution to me. Ford does not recommend this kit because it is not aluminum. I liked it because it is not aluminum. The reason FORD does not recommend it is because heat transfer is a little different and the emissions was approved with aluminum heads and they might encounter some liability for emissions.

The recommended solution had an aluminum insert and tooling to modify the spark plug bore so it can be inserted. You screw the insert in and drill a hole into the head and insert a pin to keep it from backing out. You are suppose to remove the Heads to do this. :-{

The Timesert has simaliar tools. You modify the hole. Put red LockTite on the threads and there is a special installation tool that screws it into the head and expands the last couple of threads so you cannot unscrew it. It has been used by many and does not fail. I have 300K on the truck. The blowout occurred at about 100K. I put grease on the threading tool to catch most of the shavings. Made a blow out tool to blow the shavings out and a vacuum tool to get the rest. Very few ended up in the cylinder anyways and they are Aluminum. De-greased the hole inspected for shavings with a bore site tool. Then installed the Timesert and plug.

I posted photos and a description of the whole processes. You should be able to locate it on the web site.

Now I change the plugs. Torque them to the factory specs. Drive the truck 10K miles and torque them again. Have never had another blowout but I did find one loose plug. Threads were ok as it never leaked.

PS: I keep the special tooling in the truck when traveling just in case.

PS: I would not install any other insert except timesert or the one Ford Recommends. If you do you will likely need a replacement head later. I think the timesert is a better solution. Ford is covering their *** on emissions.

Search for Spark Plug Thread Repair With Photos. For the complete process. What I found at the time and the reason I went with the timesert kit.

 

Thanks JWA, love all the information that is posted on this site, terrific.

 

So why wait? The service interval of 100k doesn't work and was revised later on. I suggest you service the plugs and make certain they are torqued properly.

 

tmehrkam,
Wow! Fantastic insight and information. I just read your process on installing the TIMESERT insert.
I had read about the LockN Stitch (Full Torque) installation and was not looking forward to the intricate process of drilling that tiny hole for the pin after the insert was installed, I need to do this on an E350 ,a rather tight space. The TIMESERT eliminates that process. Interesting insight on why Ford doesn't "approve" of the TIMESERT insert being made of steel and hence heat transfer of plug and legal emissions ramifications. Thanks for posting and detailing your work, I am sure it will help many people like myself.

 

Whether Ford approves of something or not tends to lose importance out in the real world where there's profit to be made creating long-lasting quality repair tools or supplies. The best example where Ford published spec's are found to be lacking is spark plug torque. FoMoCo says 7-14 ft/lbs and I'm sure not a single one of us here set ours at less than 22---I go up to 23-25 and use the anti-seize.

I will say if we do a job like plugs correctly there's little to no need of Time-Sert or such---its a rare occasion where plugs are ejected after 50K plus miles. Yes it has happened but its rare.

 

All I can say is it worked well for me. Installed in 2010 still going strong in 2020. I would not want to install one in an RV park or along side the road. You need a way to clean out the spark plug hole and get the shavings out of the cylinder if some get in. With a kit you should find a shop to do the work for you.

 

Your insights have been very helpful. Decision time!, Leave as is, change the plugs or install the Timesert inserts. If I were to install new (Motorcraft) plugs with copper or aluminum anti-seize would the torque be the same (22 ft. lbs.) with or without (stock) the insert?

 

If the insert is installed correctly then it should be more than capable of handling a 22-25 ft/lbs torque on the plug. You want to use NICKEL-based anti-seize as its intended for higher heat and pressure than the other formulations.

You could also contact Timesert asking if their parts would indeed withstand that torque. FWIW I'll post this link here about plug torque and a few eye-opening casual tests showing how much stock heads can withstand: PI 2V Spark Plug Torque Test

 

JWA,
Wow! Thanks for pointing me to that lengthy discussion on plug torque. Fascinating reading.
Sweet spot seems to be 20-23 ft. lbs. Enjoy yourself!

 

^^^ Yeah I too found that thread fascinating----it always surprises me when many here on FTE don't know it exists.