i used the Time-sert, Bigsert kit that was recommended on a few posts on this site. i was totally impressed with it! the tools were of high quality, and this worked *exactly* as they said it would. i even called the company while working on my v10 motor with a couple questions that came up, and the technician at the company was very helpful.
i didnt have to remove much to get access to the #3cyl, i only unclipped the other fuel injectors and coils, and moved the wiring harness off to the side, i also unhooked the hose from the pcv valve on the valve cover and found i had a decent amount of room to access it.
in the time sert kit, there was a stepped reamer, tap, setting tool, insert driver tool, wrench for each of these tools, a bottle of locktite, and bottle of drivertool oil. this kit was complete with nearly everything except a couple of common garage items.

the stepped reamer has a stop collar on it, so you cant go too deep. stick something down the cylinder to insure the piston is not up at the top. i just filled the areas inbetween the cutting rails with white grease to try to keep the shavings in the cylinder to a minimum, after a bit, i removed the reamer, cleaned off the shavings, refilled the areas inbetween, and with my fingers reinserted the tool into the head, making sure to get it back in the hole correctly and reamed some more. the steps in the reamer help to insure that you are going in straight. this was the most labor intense part of the fix. make sure you tape the wrench included to the reamer so you can remove it from the plug hole easily, the wrench in the kit holds the tool, and i used a 5/8socket and hand ratchet on the timesert wrench.

the tap has a section on the end to make sure you tap the new threads in straight. here, too, i put white grease in the flutes of the tap to catch shavings. only i didnt stop until completed with the tapping unlike the reaming. tape the tap to the wrench to make sure when you are completed that the tap comes out with the kit's wrench.
i then put a 3/8" tube down the plug hole, duct taped it to my shopvac, and sucked out all the shavings that fell into the cylinder. a blast of compressed air down the tube, then vacuumed it again.
put the insert on the setting tool. this tool has an split in it, and a hex bolt going down the middle. when the insert is on this tool this bolt 'spreads' out the setting tool holding the insert on it. (handtight only) put some locktite (red) on the insert and screw it into the new threads tapped into the head.
the kit has a hex wrench to loosen the setting tool, then a 5/8 socket backed out the tool from the insert.
put oil on the driver, again, tape the driver to the kit's wrench tool, and ratchet this into the insert. this part of the process is to finish the last of the internal threads in the insert, and this is when it "cold rolled forms" the insert. this too worked *exactly* as the company said. (when you get to the bottom of the insert, you will feel it getting harder, then it will release. a few more turns to make sure you are all the way through the insert, then back it out.)

you are now fixed!
put in plug, coil, reconnect everything (wireharness) and it purred like a kitten!! (roared like a lion?)

i feel very confident is this fix for these motors. the insert is steel, it's locktighted, and cold rolled formed.
anyone with some mechanical ability can do this! i honestly feel like i could do this again on the side of the road, so, i'm gonna keep the kit with my toolkit in my truck. if nothing else, having a complete fix with you will, by murphy's law, prevent any other plugs blowing out!

i cant say enough about the timesert kit. i was afraid the tools would be cheap, but they werent. THIS KIT WORKED **EXACTLY** AS THEY SAID IT WOULD!!! i was very impressed and i'm recommending it to everyone i can.

g.

 

GOOD write up...... was thinking of getting
one of the Time-Sert kits just to be prepared.

Like you said, murphy's law......

 

Greghawke:
You get a SUPER ATTA BOY for the info!!!
I want to get one of these kits as insurance.
Please, could you pass along where you got it and how much it cost.
Again THANKS.

 

their website: www.timesert.com.
phone: 800-423-4070
i used the "big-sert" m14x1.25 sparkplug repair kit.
part # 5141
this is the kit only price $127.00 (includes all tools, locktight, and driver oil)
you'll need the insert (sold separately) part #51459, and this was $7.57. (i bought 2)

check out the website for sure!
if you never need the kit, you will surely be the best friend of the guy that has blown a plug!

 

that is a great kit i used it also. Cant wait for my next plug to blow out so i can use it again = ) haha.

 

What year engine blew the plug?

 

roberth,
my truck is an '01, i have 60k miles on it, 90% highway as my commute is 42miles each way to work of which 40 of them is on a 4 lane highway.

mr f-350, it sounds like you were as impressed with this kit as i was! I SHALL FEAR NO BLOWN PLUG!
there's hardly a better feeling than doing the "i fixed it"dance in the garage!!

 

greghawke,

I have the same exact issue, but it is is one of the back cylinders, so it looks like we will have to remove the head. Did you get the kit direct from Time-sert, or is there another distributer that may have it cheaper?

 

mine was the back one also i was able to get it without removing the head. check it out again you might luck out and be able to get to it.

 

yes, i got the kit direct from time-sert. i didnt find any retailers of the kit, only from them.

before removing the head, unclip all the other coils, and fuel injectors. maybe you'd want to remove the couple of coils and plugboots from the cylinders forward of the one that blew? by moving the wiring harness off to the side, i found that freed up quite a bit of room. the wrench and tools from the kit did not stick up real high. i laid a blanket over the battery, and hiked my butt up and sat on the battery, one leg hangin over the fender. (mine blew on the passeger side of the motor). getting my whole body into the engine bay made it easier to reach. (i'm 5-11, 190#)using the kit didnt require a whole lot of pressure on the tools, if you can get a handratchet back there, you should be good without removing the whole head.
definitely worth another try to reach it, taking off the whole head would be huge project.

 

OK, obviously I'm new around here but you guys have me VERY worried about my new purchase. I just bought a 98 E350 with a V10 that has 63,000 miles on it. Is this really that common of a problem? I bought it because I'm in a band and needed something that could carry a lot of music equipment. Is this problem more prevavlent with vehicles that carry heavy loads? I won't be pulling any trailers so I didn't know if this happened more with people who were pulling trailers or campers? Apperently it wouldn't hurt to get one of these kits but is this something I should just keep in the back of my mind or is it inevitable?

Thanks for any answers.
Chad

 

westgatechad,
i wouldnt worry about it happening. odds are against it. with all the ba-zillion v8 and v10 motors out there in all the ford trucks, i'd say it's not common, but not unheard of. statistcally, it wont happen, like the lottery. but if it does, make sure you buy a lotto ticket! your luck has to get better!

i rarely pull a trailer, i dont have a camper (yet), i have mostly highway miles on mine after a bunch of road trips and a 42mile commute to work both ways on the highway. one of my best buds has the same motor, rarely maintains it, (he has 120k, and the plugs have NEVER been touched) and he's not ever had a problem.

i figure the guy assembling my motor was either hungover, had his mind elsewhere (hot date?), or was just disgruntled and didnt care about what he was doing at that moment.

so, enjoy your new ride, play your music loud, and dont worry because you now know that it can be fixed! your only option is not to fight it out with ford, and one of their dealers. of course you can always go that route.

respond to this post, if you care to hear about those negotiations. i know i get long winded, but, i'm so stoked i didnt have to spend 3large to get the whole head replaced! i gotta make sure everyone knows!

as a preventative measure, you may want to have the plugs torque checked, or changed by a qualified mechanic (or yourself if appropriate).

rock on!

 

Thanks GregHawke, gotta admit I'm still a bit nervous but hopefully my luck will be better than others.

 

I think it is!!! I just blew a sparkplug out of my 3rd cylinder back on my 01'F-350 5.4L. Ford does not recommend using these kits of course because they make $2,500 a head to replace them! I asked the local Ford Dealer what Ford has done about this. His reply was, "Nothing, we only re-tourque the plugs every maintenance.". He also told me that they do on average about 2 heads a week!!!!! If you have a Superduty or any ford with a Triton engine BEWARE!!! I have 80,000 miles on mine and when it threw the plug it smashed the coil, plug, and fuel bar upon ejection. The coil cost me $120 plus we tried to reseat the plug by retapping and fixing the threads in the plug hole seeing as the ends of the plug threads was the only stripped out part. The truck went about 50' and blew the plug out again. I am ordering the Time Sert kit today. There is another manufacturer out there called Full Torque. They claim there kit is superior because it is an actual aluminum insert like the head with deeper outer threads for better hold. The draw back is that I was told on my f-350 5.4L that the head is a dual cam and the head is actually deeper than a 4.6L or the other heads and that I'll need an extra extension to up the price to $500. Still cheaper than $2,500. Wish me luck! I'll post an update how it goes.

Has anyone else done the Full Torque kit? They say that Ford designed the repair kit with that company but Ford does not condone it. So did something go wrong?

Mike
Standish, ME

 

This is a VERY interesting statement from a Ford Dealer: "Nothing, we only re-tourque the plugs every maintenance.". I wonder if they anti-sieze them like Motorcraft recommends on their website?

greg, ATTABOY! Thanks for the write up!

Snowplow1, whoever told you you have a "dual cam head" in a 2001 5.4L F350 is a dirty stinkin' lier or a know-nothing. The head on that 5.4L is the same physically as a 4.6L head of the same year. BS flag is up!