It has the 5.8L engine. Anyone who has ever changed the sparkplugs on this model van knows the difficulty getting them out and replacing the front two sparkplugs on the passengerside of the engine. Through the wheelwell you go! Are the Motorcraft plugs the longest lasting plugs or are there other ones that will give you a reprieve from this torture? I get new scars every tuneup! Thanks.

 

Your going about it the hard way. Once you have the dog house off, the van is way easier than any modern pickup.

Buy a pair of spark plug boot pliers if you don;t have some already. It's way easier to get the wires off and keep your knuckles using them

The left side is a piece of cake. The right side can be done fairly easily by simply removing the nut on the stud that holds the aux air valve onto it's bracket and pulling the valve up and out of the way. There is one vacum line that you have to remove from it. The large rubber hoses can remain attached. Once it is out of the way, remove the stud that it was mounted on. It seems like something else is on this stud as well, but I don't recall right now. It takes a little patience, but isn't at all complicated or hard to do. Once these items are out of the way you can reach all the way to the front two plugs fairly easily. The plug boot pliers really come in handy here.

Put some anti seize compound (no too much) on the threads of the new plugs to make removal easier the next time. I like to put the plug in my plug socket to give me a little more to hold on to and carefully thread them in until they are hand tight and then attach my ratchet to snug them up. Be careful to note the angle that each plug is at when you remove it to make installation in this blind spot a little easier. Don't forget the dielectric grease in the plug wire boots.

I would only use the OEM Motorcraft plugs. many people have reported problems with alternative choices and the OEMs are decent plugs anyway.

A fluorescent drop light helps you see down in that tight hole without having all of the heat of a normal drop light and a few shop towels draped over the sharp edges that you stick your arm through might save a little skin.

To me, removing the dog house is the hardest part of the job. I have done it by the wheel well method and will never do that again.

Gene

 

Gene,
Are you talking about the 5.8? engine? With the doghouse off 6 of the 8 plugs are a snap to change. The front two on the passengers side are the hard ones right? Access from under the hood looks like the only way to get good room for the front plug is by removing the alternator! You mention an air valve? I don't think my 5.8 has one. I can remove the air intake snorkle and reach down blind behind and below the alternator and get a couple fingers on the plug. I had to go in above the a-arm and the wheelwell sheetmetal to get a socket /extension to tighten the plug. Actually broke a new plug using a socket w/o the little rubber donut in it. I can't find the hardwear you refer to!

 

Yes. Mine is a '94 with 5.8. Should be the same as yours. The approach from the front is a dead end. The front two on the passengers side are harder than the rest, but if you do it as I mentioned earlier you will see how easy it is.

It's possible that your van is new enough to have the newer injection system. If it has a mass air sensor then that is the case. I haven't looked at the back side of one of those engines but I wouldn't think it would be much different. The Aux air injection valve is mounted near the back end of the right valve cover and has two or more rubber hoses that are about 1" in diameter and at least one vacuum line. It's been a while since I was in there so pardon the vagary. It's mounted in such a way as to be easily loosened from it's bracket and moved out of the way without disconnecting all of the hoses from it. If your van is so equipped it should be easy to see. If it doesn't have one then good for you because the engine block is the same and the body is the same and my big ole arm fit in there without too much trouble. Like I said before, you couldn't pay me to do it through the wheel well again.

I would recommend that you test your fuel pressure regulator while you have the dog house off as well as the hoses and vacuum lines in the rear part of the engine compartment. Testing the regulator only takes a few minutes.

Gene

 

My 5 liter is basically the same layout as the 5.8. It has the MAF system. I don't see how removing the aux air valve and its pipe helps access to the two passenger side front plugs. You can't reach them on the 5 liter so I know it can't be any easier on the 5.8.

I use an 18" extenstion with a wobble socket and go in through the wheel well. That's way easier than trying to access from inside the van. The boot pliers help alot here. I didn't think it was that tough. Also though, I don't look foreward to the job. It is easier than on my Taurus.

I always use motorcraft plugs and get about 50~60K miles out of them. I also use "Standard" brand plugwires, cap and rotor. Standard makes the wires for motorcraft and they are identical to the Ford wires and work very well. I tried the motorcraft platinum plugs but like every other Ford I have had that didn't come with platinums, after a couple of thousand miles it started to miss. I changed back to standard plugs and the problem went away.

I always do the plugs wires, cap and rotor at once (along with the PCV, fuel filter, etc...) and forget about it for another two years.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

I've done it Steve. What else can I say.

Gene

 

Gene, does this advice hold for the 6.8L V10 as well? I've been putting off a spark plug change for a while, I'm dreading getting in there. I admit I've yet to pull the doghouse, but if it's as accessible as the engine was in my '93 7.3L, then there's hope...

My plan is to replace and retorque them all, and replace the COP boots as well.

Greg

 

BTW, you don't "remove" it you just "move" it if that makes sense. It makes room for your arm to fit in between the opening that the dog house was covering and the engine. One nut on a stud as I recall holds it on the engine. You take off that nut and unplug the vacuum line and then the valve and the larger hoses swing out of the way.

It's not the conventional wisdom I know. Everyone at this forum says go through the wheel well. been there and done that and it sucked.

The way I described is very simple and you already have the doghouse off, so give it a try. Getting the nut off and removing the special stud that it was on can be a little tedious. One of those finger tip things at times, but I was sitting comfortably on the right step of the van with good light and I could see what I was doing. No big deal.

Gene

 

Greg,

I have never seen the engine compartment of a van equipped with a V10.It is a completely different engine family from the ones that I am referring to. So maybe someone who has a V10 van can give you some pointers. I know the guys with the Triton V8s in F series trucks complain about how hard it is to get to the last two plugs on the passengers side by the fire wall so you may have an advantage over them at least.

Gene

 

Well, maybe the 5.8 is different but I can bearly get my hand in there with the 5 liter and the tube is not in the way.

I never had that much trouble going through the wheel well. That was pretty much a snap.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

You've got a lift in your shop too. I would rather remove the bits mentioned than jack up the van and remove the wheel for two plugs. You arm will go through there but not untill you move the air valve and remove the stud.

I've done it exactly the way you described and IMHO, this was much easier.

Gene

 

Guys, i'll add my .02 cents.

I'm with Gene on this one.

I just did plugs, wires, cap and rotor last night after work. This is my first ford, but have owned numerous chevy vans. I found the ford just as easy in terms of getting at the plugs. What I did not like however was having to fish the new wires under the plenum to the dist cap. Drivers side was cake, took all of about half hour for plugs and wires on that side. Passenger side was a bit more involved, but still not terrible. I did remove the intake box under the hood for easier access to the cap. I also removed the hose/bracket running along the exhaust manifold (2 nuts on studs, thermactor hoses I guess?) and this made the plug access much easier. With that removed there was no problem getting to all the plugs from the doghouse. I don't even have any cuts/bruises to show for my effort. The front 2 plugs were done blind, but I still found it pretty easy. Tools needed for the job was a 5/8 plug socket, 3 inch extension, 3/8 flex head ratchet, screwdriver and plug gapping tool. All told it took me about 3 hours to do the tune up, check fuel pressure, remove/install the doghouse and front passenger seat. Not bad considering I work at a snails pace and have never worked on a ford van, at least I thought. I also have an 82 camaro. Now those plugs are challenging.

BTW, this is a 93 5.0. The 351 is a few inches higher I believe? I can't see how that would make that much a difference. YMMV.

Brian

 

Pretty easy wasn't it?

I used the old wires like a fish tape to pull the new ones in after removing the air cleaner box and the two large rubber intake hoses. You have to unlatch all of the wire loom clips but then it's not too bad.

Why did you remove the passenger's seat? I just adjust both seats to the rear of the track and recline them fully. Then I cover them with an old blanket and pull the dog house right up on top of the seat backs. Do you have aftermarket seats that require the removal for clearance for removing the dog house?

Gene

 

It's a conversion and the company that did it added cupholders and stuff to the dog house. Four bolts and 2 minutes to remove the seat versus fighting with the doghouse and the chance of breaking something is worth it to me. Also for the added working room.

For the wires, I taped the new wire to the old one and pulled it through. It really isn't a bad/tough job and I am sure it will go much quicker in the future.

Brian

 

The new engines are not owner serviceable, get ready to shell out big bux and take it in, the plugs are in the top of the engine, there is little room to get your hand in, much less a tool. I have a 99 E-350 with the 5.4, I took it in last year and spent $300 to get them changed after removing my doghouse and cussing at it.
Any of you guys under the impression you can get to the rear of the engine, you are living in a fantasy land, the back of the head is even with the opening, meaning the top of it is under the dash. If you need to unbolt the transmission, it's easy, since that is where the doghouse opening is, the engine is too far forward. Thank god the IAC valve is on a bracket on the rear of the engine, I replaced mine early this year. I have a picture of my doghouse off, but this site will not allow it, they remove it from the post.