Spark plug replacement
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Freshman User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 36
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From: Vancouver,USA
Spark plug replacement
My 71 with the 302 has a couple of cylinders with a little oil going thru. Not a lot,but there is some smoke on occasion,and the plugs foul up after a time. Can i put a hotter plug in there? Is there a number I can use? The parts stores just look up the number,Autolite#124,and of course no other numbers show up. Is there a plug I can sub?
Thanks,Ron
Thanks,Ron
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,687
Likes: 6
When I first got my truck it smoked like mad. I got a tip from Click and Clack and fixed the smoking problem. If you pull the valve covers off and look at the valves, there should be a little rubber seal over the valve guide. It is a little cap looking thing with a hole in the center for the valve to slide through. Mine had become brittle like plastic and broke into pieces and were everywhere so oil was getting sucked into the cylinders that way. The pieces had flowed into the drain holes on each end of the head and plugged them up so oil wasn't returning from the heads. A set of seals is about $4 and they're real easy to replace if you have a compressor and can pump the cylinder with enough pressure to keep the valve from sliding out. You just have to take it slow and do one valve at a time.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,893
Likes: 12
From: Ohio
An old trick is use some rope to fill the cylinder to hold the vavle up. Turn the piston down 1/2" or so, push rope into cylinder and then raise piston up. Now remove locks. Never tried it, but I'm sure it would work.
BF42 is the std plug, lower numbers are colder, higher numbers hotter.
These are Motorcraft numbers. Any cross reference should work. If the parts store has any kind of info(Like a plug chart from a manufacture) it should be able to show you the numbers and how the heat range works.
BF42 is the std plug, lower numbers are colder, higher numbers hotter.
These are Motorcraft numbers. Any cross reference should work. If the parts store has any kind of info(Like a plug chart from a manufacture) it should be able to show you the numbers and how the heat range works.
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Freshman User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 36
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From: Vancouver,USA
The last time I did valve seals was on an old 318 in a Volarie.
Oh Joy! Yea, I know I should get it done,but this time of year isn't my thing. Too much crap in the garage and too cold to do it outside. Will one of those pry bar type spring compressors work?
And thanks for the info on the plugs,think I'll do that to hold over til warmer weather.
Oh Joy! Yea, I know I should get it done,but this time of year isn't my thing. Too much crap in the garage and too cold to do it outside. Will one of those pry bar type spring compressors work?
And thanks for the info on the plugs,think I'll do that to hold over til warmer weather.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 238
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From: Bridgeville,CA
I don't see any reason that one of the pry bar thingys wouldn't work. I haven't had to do this on my Ford but I did it a couple of yeras ago on my diesel VW. I made a pry bar and mount and the whole process went well. I have heard of the "rope trick" don't see any reason that it wouldn't work. I used the compressed air method when I did the Vee Dub. If you take a spark plug and beat all of the guts out and weld on a air hose fitting it works real slick. When I did the diesel I used an old glow plug to pump up the cylinder.
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,687
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You don't need to beat the guts out of a spark plug. You can get an air fitting that fits the spark plug hole. I'm not sure what a pry bar spring compressor is but the problem you have is that you need to remove the spring to put on a new seal. I'm thinking that the pry bar compressor will allow you to remove the retaining keys but then you have to let it go and that's where you don't want the valve to drop into the cylinder. You need compressed air or the "rope trick" to keep the valve from falling. I think?
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
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From: Atlanta GA
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Senior User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 238
Likes: 0
From: Bridgeville,CA
When I built my pry bar I welded up a rail that bolted to the valve cover studs. The pry bar then slides along the rail and when it is over the appropriate spring you can depress the spring and washer to remove the keepers. It is probaly possible to buy the same set up but I kind of get a kick out of designing and building it, not to mention that the cost is zero since it was all from the scrap pile. And yes the rope or air keeps the valve from dropping loose into the cylinder which would be a really bad hair day.
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