Maybe I should call this the Braille technique. Anyway, I have had my 03 E-350 Superduty cutaway for about a month now. This forum is really helping me get up to speed with all the issues so thanks to all of you. A repeat question I always hear is the difficulty of determining how many threads you might have for the plugs. I wanted to determine this on mine so this is how I did it and maybe it might work for you.
Buy yourself a long reach pick set. You see these for sale from different vendors in a pack there are usually 5 or 6. One is a straight pick, another a 90 degree angle pick, the next one kind of a loop, but they all end with a sharp point, but what you want specifically is the 90 degree pick that has a stem about 6 or seven inches long and then the handle above that. What I did is insert the pick through the spark plug hole and into the cylinder and then lift it till it obviously hooks on the inside top of the cylinder head. Then, with the point facing the threads, and with very light pressure, very slowly withdraw the pick and the 90 degree point will ride over each thread and you will feel a little bump, bump, bump which you can count until the pick clears the plug hole. I almost forgot to mention, I ground the tip of the pick down a little for a better fit but it still worked just as well. On my rig I was able to count 8-9 which made me real happy that I had more instead of less. If you do it like this you want to turn down the radio and chase the kids away so you can concentrate. My rig has a build date of August 03 so at least at that time it appears they went to the longer threaded heads. Hope this helps someone.

 

Late model-year 2002, long-thread heads were introduced for the V10.

 

sky guy

same method I use good hint and trick

BTW this method can also help determine how many threads bit the dust on a plug blow out... just count threads in a good hole and compare to threads in the blow out hole...if you are supper lucky the plug backed out a LOT before she blew and you only lost top one or two threads....

give the brother some rep points guys!

 

I used a piece of #12 copper wire and hammered the end flat and then bent a 90 on the end. I counted 4 threads on my 2000 PI heads.

Denny

 

Done! BSEG

 

Thanks guys for the good rep and Krew, I didn't know that they went to the long threads in late 2002. For some reason I thought it happened somewhere in 03 so I wanted to take a look. I pulled the back right plug and changed it while I was at it. Now Im trying to get the resolve to do the rest of 'em. Not much room to get a hand in there, especially with that PCV valve blocking the way. That spark plug boot is kind of a strange critter. Reinstalling it is kind of like sex in the dark; you think you know where it's going but it sure would be nice to see it. I guess I better get used to it. Something that used to be so simple is... well....new and improved I guess!

 

Late 2002 "calendar year" - which equates to 2003 "model year".

I consider changing the plugs on a Ford modular to be a BLESSING - can you imagine changing the plugs on a 460 in the same engine compartment?

I always thought it was ironic that Ford, after all these years, puts the plugs in the top of the heads making them MUCH easier to change (especially with air injection and AC in the way). And then put in 100K mile plugs so you don't have to do it for a long time. Of course, it still has to be done every 20-30K miles, it turns out.