Very interesting info I am assuming they have a new design nickel plated plug for 04-05 5.4L 3 v engines??

 

While I don't completely agree with this statement, it is at least partly true, because warranty pay sucks. Ford and GM (and I am sure others too, I just didn't work for anyone else) want their techs to be trained in this and certified in that and then pay them 0.2 hrs for everything they do. Ajob that pays 4 hrs customer time pays 1.2 hrs warranty. So the better, more experienced types that do good work and care about the customer (I.E. they take their time and don't rush) don't make any money, and end up going to a foreign make (several guys I worked with went to Honda, VW, Nissan, and Toyota dealers and were much happier, and better paid) or a private shop, which is all customer pay, and virtually no warranty. Typical of an American Corporation, they want to pay you nothing, and then wonder why they can't get quality people to work for them. Dealerships are a great place to get started, because there's alot of good training. But after a tech has a few years of experience, he/she should get out to a private shop, where he/she can make some real money (or work for an OEM that actually pays it'sprofessionals like they are professionals). Sorry this is a reply to a post from several pages back but it struck a nerve, having been there, done that.

 

Interesting...

I just checked my owners manual and it does not list the P/N for the plugs. It says...

2. For spark plug replacement, see your authorized dealer. Refer to
scheduled maintenance information for the appropriate intervals for
changing the spark plugs.

 

great white, they should know about this by now. There has been the 2 TSB's and the dealer techs have a video they can watch for this. All of this has been out for a year.
Also I believe there are 3 different plugs but that is just for heat range.

Check out CMOS post https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...-question.html and check my posts for my experience removing these plugs.
I'm pretty sure I've removed and broken more of these plugs then anybody.

 

Well i just changed the plugs in my 04 150 this sunday. The trucks only got 68000 kilometers not miles (CANADIAN EH!). I followed the TSB to a tee, and you guessed it #8 came out minus the ground sheild.Did manage to get the other 7 changed out though.Off to the local ford dealer on monday.The dealer phones me monday afternoon to tell me they can;t get the porcalin part out of the ground shield,thrfore can;t get their tool in to pull the plug.To make a long story short they had to pull the head 18.2hrs labour ouch!!!!!!
That plug change just cost me $2500.00 BUCKS!!!

Got off the phone with ford customer service today,I was told there was nothing they could do for me THANKS FORD YOUR THE BEST!!!


Just wanted to share my .2cents with ya all

 

That stinks beyond words. And FORD wonders why their sales are dropping double-digits each year.

CMOS

 

It amazes me... no, astounds me, that Ford and GM have the audacity to be suprised that people are buying more Toyotas and Nissans. This is inexcusable, and makes me wonder if I'll ever buy a new truck. What happened to taking responsibility for your actions? Owning up to your mistakes? I guess that's not for corporations. We are better than this. Ford can do better. Toyota and Nissan are wiping the floor with the American Automobile Industry, and I can't believe it. GM and Ford have so much more tallent and capability than they do. This is like a Nextel Cup car loosing a race at Talledega to a Hyundai with a shorted sparkplug. Simply unbelievable. Why don't they just spare themselves the embarrasment and just close all the factories and hand them the friggin' keys? Ooh, they've made me so mad with this!

 

Argo, Sorry I struck a nerve on that post, but you got to understand my point of view. I am not a dealer tech by no means so I don't know what it's like to work there, and I believe that GM/Ford treats employees like crap, but that's just what I see when I go there, and I've had GM, Ford, Honda, Dodge, Mazda, Mitsu, and what pisses me off usually, is the fact that whenever you have a intermittent warranty problem of any kind, it's always "couldn't reproduce customers stated problem", then the you see some of the techs, and they couldn't give a damn how much you paid for the vehicle, and half the time the guy looks like he just got out of the joint. Don't get me wrong, I don't speak for all dealers, but just the one's in my town, but here in NM, there seems to be a lot of that don't give a crap attitude everywhere.

Argo, on the point of Toyota/Honda/Nissan, yes they make excellent cars, and although their trucks may seem more reliable, they are much lighter duty, maybe one could refer to them as a 1/4 ton. I don't believe anyone makes trucks beside the big three. I've never seen a Toyota Tundra pulling a 30' fifth wheel, or a 40 foot stock trailer now do you? I just think their attempt at trucks is a joke. Here we are in 2007, and the pickup truck in general has been around since the 1930's at least, and here you have the Japanese still "trying" to make trucks 80 years later.

And on the topic of GM, well, by experience, they need to contract with Honda or Toyota to help them build a fuel pump.

 

I keep hearing these horror stories of the dealer trying to quote people up to $4k to remove the head to retrieve the plug. So how hard is it to remove the heads yourself??? Is it that impossible? Do you need to remove the engine? Do you need special tools? I work for a local government, and I always see our mechanics tear into the engines in the Ford Interceptor V-8 cop cars, and they don't seem like brain surgery???

 

UPDATE:

I have all the COP's off anf I have loosened all 8 plugs 1/8-1/4 turn. I have squirted BP BLASTER thread penetrator in the plug wells so now I'm going to wait at least one hour before trying to actually remove the plugs.

{sweating}

Will report back later today...

CMOS

 

Good luck. Will be interested in what happens.

-Matt

 

UPDATE: Success.

Go here for update details: CLICKY LINKY


CMOS

 

CMOS, Thanks a bunch for your info and Pictures. Pic's alone are worth a thousand words . Refresh us again, what year is yours? Also, what was the part# of the plugs you took out? Put in?
Thanks
Rich

 

How many miles do you have on your truck and how long did it take you? I like turning wrench's but work two job's, don't always have alot of time and this doesn't sound like anything to rush through. Looking at your plugs it looks (from the sides we see) that two plugs seem to have more scrape marks down at where it tapers to the electrode, one of those wasn't the infamous #8 by chance. Thanks.

Chuck

 

96F150,

Mine is a 2004 with 31K miles. Plug part number is Motorcraft SP-462 (the newest plug).


Firemut,

If I don't count the time spent soaking the BP Blaster (about 2 hours total) then I'd say it took right at or slighty over 3 hours. About the plug colors: Strange but plugs 5-8 had more discoloration on them than 1-4 did. I did not notice one plug being significantly more discolored than any other.

IMO, it's worth doing yourself because after doing it, I can just imagine a Dealership monkey rushing to get it done, twisting this wire, pulling in that vacuum hose, etc. I don't trust them. I KNOW I used Nickel Anti-Sieze, in the right quantity and locations. Maybe they won't...


CMOS