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More specifics would help, part numbers etc....
If your ultimate question is "can I get spark plugs that don't break", the answer is no. ALL of the plugs designed to be used in the 5.4L & 4.6L 3v engines will break off under the right/wrong conditions.
The original design of the plugs had the "strap" on the bottom of the plug welded on & was prone to breaking off just because of a bad design of the plug.
Then there is the design of the head with super deep plug wells that CAN build up carbon around the base of the shank on ALL plugs.
The carbon buildup is dependent on the condition of how well the engine is running & how long between changes the plugs have been in there.
I don't care what plug you use, every one of them can get stuck / broke in the head.
Your best bet is to change your oil regularly, address any misfires / running issues, change your plugs every 50k-100k with the latest Motorcraft plugs & use Motorcraft coils.
Just keep in mind, the longer you leave them in there the more carbon will build up around the plug.
Here is what the "old" style looked like (they should probably update the images): (I don't even know if you can get these old style welded style anymore)
Zoom in on the strap https://www.autozone.com/external-en...6-x/255755_0_0
Oh man, I just finished doing my plugs on my 2006 F-150 5.4 3V. It was a nightmare.
I tied all the tricks and ran Seafoam for weeks prior.
I tried the first one with the engine hot and with an impact and it snapped off.
All 8 broke in different failure modes.
The worst was cylinder 1 which was my third using the Lisle tool.
The plug broke with the electrode in the shell, so I followed the instructions to the letter and gorilla'd the pusher tool nut to the hilt.
This resulted in the plug tip being pushed further into the head and flattening out the bell portion. I figured I was totally screwed, but with a bit of patience and a lot of luck, I found a solution.
Amazon sells a Dremel extension that fits exactly into the Lisle guide tube. You then use 4mm titanium bur bits to remove more of the electrode, then proceed with 4mm 60-grit diamond bits which will remove the electrode and porcelain.
Here are the plugs in different modes of failure...they are misnumbered, but you can see #6 was actually the #1 cylinder plug...the bell portion is almost straightened out. Plug strap never broke. FordMakuLoco has a video about drilling these out, but I think my approach is better. I wound up drilling out all but two.
On two plugs the strap broke and on one of those the strap fell in the cylinder. I used a shop vac with a small hose that fit inside the cylinder to suck it out and a borescope to verify it was clean. Dumping some seafoam in the cylinder and then sucking out all the debris helps. Everything that could go wrong, DID go wrong but all good in the end.
Here is the Amazon extension - it cost a whopping 13 bucks and saved me thousands.
Inserted into guide tube...
The entire job took me two weeks but saved a costly head removal.
NOTE: before using this setup, you must sand the nurls off the Dremel chuck (they come off very easily as it's aluminum) or they could gall your spark plug threads.
Here's the Amazon link: https://amzn.to/4fbYuVn
Great job HD492!
How long were those in there (miles)?
At least 4 of those look like they have a descent amount of carbon on the lower 1/3 of the shank.
The first time I did mine I was so scared I was going to break all of them I bought all the removal tools I could find beforehand.
In the end, didn't break a one.
I heated up the engine & sprayed Kroil down the holes over night. DISCLAIMER: The following is not recommended
Next morning blew any excess out & hit them with an impact on low
I let the impact hit them to tighten them "a hair", hit them with some Kroil.
Hit it with the impact to loosen "2 hairs", then tighten, then loosen "3 hairs" & so on.
Slow & steady got all of them out without any breaks.
I couldn't tell you how happy I was to not need even 1 of the tools I bought, & I am certain if I hadn't bought them first I would have been in the same boat as you.
Mine were in there for 96k. I guess I just got a bad batch of plugs, but I also do a LOT of city driving and not much highway, so maybe mine were just more carbon-stuck than most.
Did yours have any anti-seize on them or were you the first owner?
I bought my truck at 17k miles and it was "factory certified". I figured they might have replaced them on a recall by 2009, but no such luck.
Mine was definitely a worst-case scenario. I had Clay from Lisle and the local Ford dealership all giving me some encouragement.
The truck runs like a champ now, with no more hesitation.
Now I'm studying to do the whole timing/water pump replacement job as PM.
Figured next spring when I pass 100k. Getting some light slap just on startup as oil pressure pumps up, then it's gone. I figure I've got a blown-out tensioner.
Fordmakuloco on Youtube is a great teacher.
How I felt after listening to how easy F-150 spark plug removal was...lol
"Did yours have any anti-seize on them or were you the first owner?"
I don't want to hi-jack Murphyy95's thread, but I am the 3rd owner, bought it at 185k miles
First owner was a business used it for fleet service (IDK the history besides what I can see)
Second was a paving business that didn't have it for too long & it seemed like they got scared with the startup rattle the chain makes with blown tensioners) but it really wasn't that bad IMO.
It really started slapping on startup around 235K so I did the full timing, oil pump, water pump, lifters, followers, plugs, coils, the works!.... (all Motorcraft except the Meling Oil pump)
Now it is a few miles from crossing 300K.
Was there anti-seize? No, not that I could tell.
There was a bit of carbon, but not horrible. I suspect the fleet service changed them at least 2x in almost 200k & probably did the timing at least 1x before.
Thanks, good to know.
And Murphyy95, if you need any advice, we're here to help.
You SHOULD replace the plugs as soon as possible.
Don't use knock-offs or Champions, use the original Motorcraft plugs (light grey letter, black is knock-offs)
This is what I used for my 2006 F-150 https://amzn.to/3Yjx4pO
There's a whole bunch of other things you'll need before you take the dive.
If you're not mechanically inclined or want to retain your sanity, you may want to take it to a shop.
Be warned, once you start on your own, no shop will want to finish it.
My two cents, I went to champions after breaking and extracting the two orig mc plugs . I saw the video of the champions in a vise they were very strong compared to mc and they are the only plug that is double platinum . I learned to clear the carbon out of the tip area with plugs removed using carb cleaner -it dissolves carbon quickly .
I learned that ford mc redesigned the plugs with a sp515 label - They were a total failure some bad out of the box . I stayed with champions but I still put a small amount of nickel anti sieze on the tips and a little on the threads . Nickel anti sieze is good for 2400 f . You can get it on amazon . Ford changed the interval to 60k for change out , 100k was marketing . I never went back to mc plugs . I almost did ,anyone want a box of sp515's - you would be crazy to use them .
I clean my tabs on my cops as they tend to corrode ,at 270k mi I have 7 original cops . OEM cops are $ 60 each ,changing cops for cute colored aftermarket that run $60 a set of 8 is foolish . Cops depend on using high grade silicon steel for cores . Not old steel beer cans made in china .
Now I have changed injectors ,now on third set . They can ruin your engine by hydro locking it , My last set had 2 fail, one was shooting a solid stream of fuel all the time the other was dripping . I don't run remans , nor do I trust injectors .
My two cents, I went to champions after breaking and extracting the two orig mc plugs . I saw the video of the champions in a vise they were very strong compared to mc and they are the only plug that is double platinum . I learned to clear the carbon out of the tip area with plugs removed using carb cleaner -it dissolves carbon quickly .
I learned that ford mc redesigned the plugs with a sp515 label - They were a total failure some bad out of the box . I stayed with champions but I still put a small amount of nickel anti sieze on the tips and a little on the threads . Nickel anti sieze is good for 2400 f . You can get it on amazon . Ford changed the interval to 60k for change out , 100k was marketing . I never went back to mc plugs . I almost did ,anyone want a box of sp515's - you would be crazy to use them .
I clean my tabs on my cops as they tend to corrode ,at 270k mi I have 7 original cops . OEM cops are $ 60 each ,changing cops for cute colored aftermarket that run $60 a set of 8 is foolish . Cops depend on using high grade silicon steel for cores . Not old steel beer cans made in china .
Now I have changed injectors ,now on third set . They can ruin your engine by hydro locking it , My last set had 2 fail, one was shooting a solid stream of fuel all the time the other was dripping . I don't run remans , nor do I trust injectors .
The MC SP546 plug has superseded the old SP515.
It's supposed to be an improved one-piece design. https://amzn.to/3Ad9bby
2008 were threaded full length. I did my '07 in 2016 @ 67,xxx miles, did get one extra piece for my Lisle set sent overnight. Wasn't near as bad as worrying about it.
I have a 4.6-3v Mustang too, just changed them recently, all 8 came out perfectly fine. SP-546 is two piece too, but looks maybe more robust... and it does put more pressure on the spring at top.
