9:30pm a few days ago plug #4 blew out of my F-150 leaving my wife and daughter on the side of the road in sub freezing weather.

Yes, I spent the $400.00 and put a timesert in during the superbowl, but good god what a pain in the rear and now the wife is afraid of the truck.

I bought the truck used so I do not know the complete history. I changed the plugs @ 80000 miles. Torqued them to spec. and used some anti-seize. Still some 12000 miles later it popped a plug and stranded them.

I have read all the check the plugs, re-torque, proper maintenance, alloy vs steel expansion threads and I can tell you that even if you do all the correct things you can still be left stranded by Ford's bad design choices.

I may have to sell the truck as I just can see driving around a timebomb or maybe just buy more inserts and do all 8.

Thanks for letting me vent,
Bobby - The disgusted.

 

Hello Bobasaurus, Sorry to hear that this happened to you and your wife. Especially during the cold weather. It seems from what I have read about this problem that the helicoil is the best and cheapest answer to this situation. At least until Ford decides to acknowledge that there really is a problem with the head design that is...Joe

 

Not to sound like a *****,but that's where you screwed up.
JL

 

when these things BLOW, are the threads always so trashed you have to retap? (or Helicoil, etc)

 

No-in alot of cases people assume that they are and buy the timesert/helicoil setups for repair when it likely didn't need it. I've seen them just simple vibrate loose from improper installation or from resonance due to detonation.
JL

 

Thanks...I'm just hoping my dealer knew what he was doing....

i have too many projects lined up for this spring...gotta have the truck to work on LOL...

some minor surface rust i found...

 

Elaborate.

 

What kind of torque wrench was used?
Was it used with an Extension?
When was it last calibrated?
Do I need to go on?
Torqueing plugs in an aluminum cylinder head-especially with the crappy angle that's required for the #4 and #8 plugs is asking for trouble. Inaccuracies due to deflection of extensions,angle of pull,and miscalibrated or poor quality wrenches is a major problem.
JL

 

Bob, for about 4 months I had a ticking noise that I assumed was an exhaust leak. Well, it kind of was, it was my #4 plug working its way loose. It never blew (THANK GOD!). I am a little auditorily paranoid about my vehicle, so the ticking drove me nuts till I finally tracked down the issue.

Do you know if you vehicle was making any kind of noise like that prior?

just curious.

Don

 

What is the torque supposed to be on these JL?
What kind of torque wrench should I use?
Does the extension change the torque some how?
What about a universal joint to reach #4 and #8...Will that have a bad affect on the torque?
I will have to do mine soon. Thanks, Joe

 

I won't use a torque wrench on any of my modulars-there's too much of a chance to damage or strip the threads. Extensions will change the torque value-they flex upon torsional force,and can alter the torque value that you'd get with a torque wrench. U-joints in the mix make that problem even worse.
You just have to get a good feel for it after the plug stops-attempting to torque them usually results in stripped threads-especially in aluminum heads.I've seen it alot,and not just on modulars.
JL

 

Ford's torque values are for dry threads,NO antisieze.

 

JL,
I have a Craftsman clicker type wrench. I calibrated it at work about 6 months ago. It was fairly accurate at 10/20/30 lbs ranges I checked.

I was using a 2.5 inch extension that should not flex much with the mighty 13 foot pounds of torque these whimpy 4 thread heads allow. I have been wreching for a good 30 years so use of equipment is not the cause. The anti-sieze changing the torque value may be a source I did not consider.

sysman_rick - good point. I don't know a good way to account for that variable either. I'll have to ponder that for a while. No- Seize may be in the next round of plug changes.

3rangers, I went with the timesert BIGSert system to get a full sleeve insert. I did not trust the wire type threads of a helicoil. It sounded like trouble again somewhere down the road.

I still blame FORD for the stupid number of threads in these heads. I have never, not once in 30 years, stripped out or damaged a plug thread before. And that is a lot of threads in a lot of heads of many manufactures and metals. That includes the aluminum heads in my 177K miles Ford Contour which use exactly the same plug that I have changed out 3 times.

Bobby

 

I'm not questioning your abilities at all,but using a torque wrench is always the first thing I hear when somebody tells me that they have blown out a plug. One other variable that I never see discussed is the resonance from detonation(even light detonation that you can barely hear) loosening the plugs,and when that happens-over time they're gonna work themselves loose and pop out. I've never seen a modular in a truck that doesn't detonate at one time or another-the OE calibration adds spark advance if the knock sensor isn't triggering and indicating detonation.
JL

 

I do get some what I call "spark-knock" detonation occasionally. I will be checking the plugs more often now for tightness.

What's kinda funny to me about the torque wrench is I had gotten to the point of not using it on iron heads because of the tight areas in my Mustang and Cobra, but as I read about this truck and all the plug problems I went to the torque wrench to make absolutely sure of my value and now that change along with the antiseize may have added to my problems.

Live a learn.

Bobby