I just bought a 2001 X w/ 104K on the V10 in it. Now after reading so much about the plug blow-outs I’m not so sure it was a good idea.

I’ve got an appt @ the dealership to take care of a misfire on #7 – when they detailed it the kid sprayed water/degreaser under the hood and shorted out the coil pack – at least that’s the best guess.<o></o>

Here’s the question. I’ve read a lot of older posts on the plug blow out and I’m looking for a summary of the latest thinking. With 104K on the X it probably still has the factory plugs in it. What plugs should I have them put in? Are there any that seem to make the problem less likely? Longer threaded body plug? Have the Ford dealership do it? If they blow right after the change out (seems to be a trend) are they more likely to help out on the repairs if they did the plug replacement?<o></o>

Other wisdom gleaned from your many years of discussing this topic?

Thanks in advance...

 

Use Ford plugs. There are updated ones.

Have them do it ONLY IF they will stand by their work. Find out how long.

Verify the torque yourself a hundred miles or so later.

Stop worrying. It is rare in the grand scheme of things.

Welcome to FTE!

 

I have a 2000 X V10 with 98K. So far no problems with the plugs (knock on wood) But, I'm going take it to the dealer at the 100K for the major maintenance things. (I do my own oil/filter changes, so it doesn't see the dealer very often, not to mention that I've had some bad experiences with my dealer...

What is the wisdom of the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach to the sparkplugs? It sounds like they are more likely to go out if they are messed with. I know that preventative maintenance is always better, but if they are doing fine so far, do they NEED to be changed, or is that like the dealer saying to change your oil at 3K versus at (realisticly) closer to 5-6K?

I guess I kind of want to know if the risk of changing the plugs is greater than the the risk of something catastrophic happening if they aren't changed.


emptyd, dont worry too much, you've just bought an awesome vehicle! I have a similar age and mileage X, and I have had relatively few problems with it all things considered. I bet you'll love it!

Thanks all!

Isaac

 

My Last Excursion Was A 2001 With 75000 Miles And I Used It To Tow A Heavy Camper Every Other Weekend On The Turnpike Up Grade. Never Had A Problem With The Spark Plugs Or Blow Out. I Have Read In The Past That This Did Not Affect Many Vehicles As Compared To All The 2000 Thru 2002 V10's Out There In The Excursions, Superduty Pickups And Ford Heavy Duty Vans.

 

I bought my nearly mint condition X on eBay for a sweet deal. Half way across Nebraska, the #5 plug blew right out of the engine. Heard clunking and clanging inside the engine compartment (which turned out to be the spark plug bouncing around and eventually falling to the ground) and then a very nice lawn-mower sound. Upon inspection, I found the broken COP and decided to continue on after disconnecting the electrical connection to the injector. 1000 miles and 17 hours later my dealer told me it'd be $4,000 to replace the head. Not being an option, I learned about the TimeSert sleeve fix here on FTE and had them do it for $400. Pretty painless and the X has run perfectly since. The mechanic had to remove an A/C pressure line to get to the farthest-back plug. I also had him replace all other plugs at the same time paying close attention to torqueing them properly. The only part I feel bad about was the fact that the dealer did not offer the TimeSert option before I grilled them about it. Then they said, "Yeah, we've got a guy who does those." I'm thinking, so how can you sleep at night taking $4,000 for a repair that can be done very well for 1/10th that? Whatever, just watch out for yourself. An informed consumer is much less likely to get soaked by such crappy people.

 

I keep reading about these plugs flying out under normal driving it seems, and it makes me also wonder about leaving things alone that are working ok.

I completely forgot about the plug thing when I was struggling about an 11,000' pass in the Rockies with bad gas last summer. Screaming at over 5,000rpm with my foot to the floor and couldn't get enough speed to let off and get into 2nd. Stopped twice to let it rest and cool the exhaust before we made the top. A lesson learned about low octane vs high when the extra power is needed, but I would have died if a plug blew out. Thank God I didn't even think about it while we were going up, or I would have been freaking out more than I was.

Knock on wood, truck is running the best it ever has after that vacation.

 

I don't think flying plugs are really that common. There are a few of us who have had that happen and we like to tell our stories as often as anyone will listen. The stories are dramatic and captivating and likely exaggerate the overall problem. For everyone one of us, there are hundreds who have had no problems. It's clear this is a true design failure on Ford's part but if your plugs are properly torqued and maintained, you should have no issues. I believe the plugs may have been changed by someone before me who didn't know what they were doing and sure enough, the design frailty showed up right on queue for me. Checking the plugs was on top of my list for immediate maintenance when I got the vehicle home anyway. An extra $400 wasn't well, THAT bad when some people pay alot more for routine maintenance.

 

I agree with Monsta and Jones, it is rare for the spark plugs to blow out. I have a 2000 v10 and changed the plugs at 98k when it started running a little rough. It has 100k now and runs like a top with no problems. So, don't worry and enjoy your X!