I hear lots of people talking about the "Right" way to change the plugs on the 5.4's, I have a 2000 5.4 and its due for new plugs, what kind of plugs and what is the "Right" way to change them.

 

Motorcraft or Autolite plugs, you need to torque them correctly, right around 15lb-ft, and put a little antiseize on the threads. Also as a side it helps to blow the plug hole out with air after you remove the COP's to get any crap out of there that could drop into the cylinder when the plug is removed. You'll also need various length extensions, 1"-3"-5"-7", and swivel adapters to get to the back plugs.

 

(1) spark plug socket
(1) 5-80 lb-ft digital wrench (Sears)
several new 3/8” extensions including the 6” version suggested by others
several new ¼” extensions (for the COP bolt removal)
several 3/8” to ¼” and (vice-versa) adapaters
(1) telescopic inspection mirror (to see down #4 and #8 plug well)
(1) telescopic magnetic pickup tool (mandatory, especially for withdrawing the plug after you loosen it)
(1) telescopic small pick up tool
(1) several feet of vacuum tubing (definitely use it for starting all the plugs in the holes, do not start those plugs with anything else but by tubing that you control and start the plug by hand on.)
(1) can each of carb/throttle body cleaner, liquid wrench, and silicone spray

(1) tube of dielectric grease
(1) tube of anti-seize<O</O

(8) plugs - in my case, the manual called for the AWSF22E’s, but the guy sold me the SP-479’s, check this link http://www.ryderfleetproducts.com/c...duct_detail.jsp I compared the old and new plugs and it turns out they are almost identical, except the SP-479’s have almost twice as much threads than the original.<O</O

<O</O(8) COP boots (not the entire COP, just the boots and springs), they came in a tune up kit I ordered from Witty Deals you can’t beat this deal, all 8 boots only cost $28.00. Witty boots and springs are exact replacements
http://www.wittydeals.com/product_i...id=60&year=2000<O</O<O</O

Other things you will need:

Air compressor (for blowing out dirt and grime from around the plug wells and the mine were not too bad, but they were dirty and oily and there was a lot of dirt, sand, grass, etc. that had blown in the engine crevices that I didn’t want anywhere near the plug well.
Some notes:

Interestingly, I was able to do this entire job without removing the fuel rails, although I can see where it may make the job easier, it is in fact not completely necessary to remove them. I had even bought a set of sixteen fuel injector o-rings just in case, but never had to remove the rails or injectors, but I’ll keep the o-rings around if I need to remove an injector at some point.) I had read in many posts and articles that some people say to remove the rails and some say it isn’t necessary. I was skeptical, but surprised to find out that when you removed the COP electrical connector, then the COP retaining bolt, the COP itself becomes flexible enough that you can bend it under the fuel rail and work up and out. The COP is sitting on top of a flexible rubber boot with a spring inside of it. So it came out fairly easily. Be very careful with removing and re-installing the COP bolt, I used several ¼” extensions and the 7mm socket to remove each bolt, but I left the loosened bolt in the hole and then used the magnetic pick up tool to pull it out of the hole safely, you don’t want to drop that in the intake valley.

I removed the air cleaner, throttle body top cover, various PCV and vacuum hoses, the steering reservoir brace, the DPFE switch, several wiring connections like the one to the crankshaft indicator, etc., and took out the entire PCV hose that runs from the PCV valve to the back of the throttle body – mainly so I could inspect it thoroughly for the first time. You will need to pad the radiator support with a blanket since you will be on your stomach for most of the work. Use plenty of lighting to get in close and see what you are doing. You will find that the fuel injectors turn in place so you can move the connectors out of the way as you remove the COPs, or just remove the injector connector completely.

<O</O

Do each plug one at a time and replace all nearby connectors, hoses that you removed previously as you progress. For the most part, I used a 3/8” ratchet connected to a 10” extension, connected to a 3/8” universal swivel, connected to a 6” extension, connected to another 3/8” swivel, and finally connected to the spark plug socket. I took rubberized electrical tape and wrapped each joint connection to keep them from coming apart or slipping, you don’t want the plug socket left down in the plug well. I also took the rubber grommet out of the plug socket, it was useless and would not hold the loosened plug for extraction, so in my case, I just loosened the plug and then used the magneticretrieval tool to pull out the loose plug. I used the vacuum hose attached on the end of the plug top to replace the new plug. Make sure you coat the new plug threads with anti-seize. Also coat the COP retainer bolts with anti-seize. I also used the vacuum hose attached to the COP retainer bolts to start them safely in the holes, in some cases, it is really hard to get your hands in there to start the threads without dropping the bolt. Just be careful with that. The Ford shop book says to the COP bolts with 7 nM of force, but I just felt it was way too tight and did it by hand. You should hold down on the COP as you are tightening the bolt and make sure it does not have too much play after tightening the bolt, there may be a very small amount of movement in the COP after tightening it, but that’s ok, just don’t over tighten it or you will strip it.

<O</O

The Ford manual is very specific about the 9-20 Nm (7-15 lb ft) value and the 1.32-1.42 mm (.052-.056 in) gap on the plugs. I torqued my plugs to 13 lb ft. Torquing it correctly is the way to go, but I will say that it is very tough to torque the #4 and #8 accurately without adjusting for all of the extensions and angles you experience in getting clearance for those. You need to read your torque wrench manual and adjust slightly for the extra connections, but in no case should you over torque the plugs or you will strip them in the heads. You should be continually using compressed air to clear out dirt as you go, especially the grimy area around where the top lip of the COP boot contacts the plug well top, you wan this ring of space clean to make a clean connection to the boot.

<O</O
After you replace the plug, you replace the COP. I removed the old COP boots and cleaned the COP body, then replaced the spring and new boot, then connected the boot to the COP body. At the top seam of the boot/COP connection, I put some dielectric grease to keep water out. A little further down the boot, I also ran a bead of dielectric grease to create a water barrier at the top of the plug well. Finally, I added a bunch of grease in the end of the COP boot, just shoving it down the boot about ¼ “ and around the bottom of the boot on the outside, this will ensure that the boot goes on and off the plug end smoothly, and it is apparently ok to let the grease get on the spring end where it goes over top of the plug.

 

CHANGING SPARK PLUGS ON A 5.4L V8

Plain and simple, the 5.4L is a high tech engine. While the block on the 5.4L and 4.6L are pretty much the same, the structure and technology of the engine is entirely different. While the spark plugs on a 4.6L can be challenging, it is still relatively straight forward. Spark plugs are where spark plugs typically are, the spark wires run to a distributor like you’d expect in any vehicle, etc.

The 5.4L features, as well as other high tech features, the lack of spark plug wires. Rather then having spark plugs mounted on the sides of the engine, wires running to a distributor, the spark plugs in this engine are on top of your engine, and are connected directly to the ignition coil.

Everyone has a different way of changing out the spark plugs, and everyone says their way is the best. I will not try to compete with everyone, because each method has its own advantages. For example, some people don’t take off the fuel lines, which takes that off the installation but it makes removing the coils more difficult if not nearly impossible. Using my method I try to make it as easy as possible and prevent breaking anything while in there.

There is also a lot of debate as to what spark plugs are best. There are some who swear by high-end spark plugs such as Bosch Platinum +4’s or Denso plugs, and some that swear by standard Ford Motorcraft plugs. I decided to use the same OEM plugs that came with the truck, Motorcraft platinum plugs. You can be assured when using OEM equipment that you shouldn’t have any problems that you can blame on the plugs.

Tools you will need for this job are a 7mm, 10mm, 5/16", 5/8" deep and 5/8" spark plug sockets. The spark plug socket has a special rubber fitting inside, which grabs on to the spark plug, which is required to remove the recessed plugs from our engine. You will also need 1/4" and 3/8" universal joints and various 1/4" and 3/8" extensions. A spark plug gap tool can be purchased for under a dollar, and will prove valuable when setting the gap on the spark plugs. You will also need a tube of anti-sieze to apply to the threads of the new spark plugs. For different jobs you may need needle nosed pliers, a flat head screwdriver and other various tools.

PROCEDURES:

Always be sure to remove your negative battery terminal prior to doing any work on the truck! Part of the procedures requires some gasoline spilling into the engine, as well as many points where a metal tool could come in contact with the body and an electrical source causing spark or worse, fire or personal injury. To avoid any such disasters, it is much easier and safer simply to remove the negative terminal prior to any work being done. Also, as a caution, do not over torque the spark plugs or the bolts attaching the coils to the head. Unfortunately I did so and ended up making the project much harder when I snapped a bolt off that held the coil to the head. Remember that you will always do much more damage by over tightening a bolt too much then you would by not tightening it enough.

Using your 10mm and 5/16" sockets, remove your throttle body cover. This will give you better access to what you are working on. Also, I found it much easier to remove the bracket attaching the power steering pump for easier access to the plugs. This bracket is attached with three 5/16" bolts, and can be dangled out of the way, as it connects to one of the vacuum lines.

1. Using your 5/16" socket, remove the two bolts attaching the fuel line to the head of the engine. Once sockets are removed and set aside, pry the fuel line CAREFULLY away from the fuel injectors. Use caution to prevent damage to the injectors and the o-rings around the injectors. Beware that some gas will spill out when you remove the lines. Because of this, smoking or having an open flame (or even a hot trouble light, etc.) while working on the spark plugs is a definite do not do! If you ever want to upgrade to better injectors, now would be a good time to do so, you can simple pull them up to remove them from the engine.

1. Pry the fuel line up and out of the way as far as you can without bending or breaking the line.

2. The coil’s are mounted with 7mm bolts, in between the injectors. If you aren’t sure which is which, the injectors are orange and have blue o-rings, the coils are black and typically have yellow sticker son them (see below picture). Depending on the location of the coil, you may find it easier to use a univeral joint or a series of extensions to loosen and remove the 7mm bolt. After loosening and removing the bolt, you can unplug the electrical connector from the coil, and pull the coil out of the head.

3. After removing the coil, you can begin work on removing the spark plug. I find it to be a good trick to use to blow some compressed air in the hole or vacuum the hole out, to loosen any trapped dirt and prevent it from dropping into the engine.

4. Because the spark plug sits so recessed in the head, it is a good idea to attach a 6" or 9" extension to your spark plug socket. You may need more extensions so make sure you have enough prior to starting the project. It is also important to note that the spark plug does not sit perfectly vertical, it is at an angle, facing the rear of the truck. If used properly after removing the spark plug, the spark plug socket should hold on to the spark plug, allowing for easy removal.

5. Once you have removed the old spark plug, it is time to prep your new spark plug for installation. This involves gapping the spark plug and placing anti-sieze into the threads. To gap the spark plug, use a spark plug gap tool (can be bought for about a dollar at any auto parts store), and slide the spark plug along the tool until you reach the desired gap measurement. For the F-150’s, the recommended spark plug gap is between .052 and .056 inches. You can also use a feeler gauge for a more precise measurement. You should place some anti-sieze on the threads to not only make it easier to remove next time you do the plug, but also helps keep the seal better then without anti-sieze, and prevents rust from forming in the head.Once your spark plug is prepped, it can be installed. Unlike some spark plug jobs, reinstalling the spark plug is just as difficult as uninstalling it. Reason is you can’t just put the plug back in the spark plug socket and reinstall it. If you do so, the spark plug socket will grip on to the plug, and you won’t be able to get your socket out. The method I used was placing the spark plug in the spark plug socket slightly, but not into the bolt portion of the plug. By just placing the plug in deep enough so the socket won’t drop the plug, you can get the threading started, but remove the tool after a few turns with the socket. After starting the threading with the spark plug socket, switch to the standard 5/8" deep socket and torque down. Because the standard socket won’t grip on to the spark plug, you will be able to pull it away from the spark plug after tightening it down.

6.After the plug is installed and tightened down, reinstall the coil, reconnect the electrical connector for the plug, and reinstall the 7mm bolt. Repeat procedure for the following plugs.

7.Some plugs you will find are easier to replace then others. As mentioned previously, I had to use several extensions with a universal joint to safely remove the rear spark plug.

8.Once all spark plugs on one side have been replaced and all coils are bolted down, you will need to reinstall the fuel line. To do so, carefully place the fuel line into position over the fuel injectors and snap over the injector o-ring. Secure with 5/16" bolts that were removed previously, and visually inspect for tightness.

9.Repeat the same process for the spark plugs on the other side.

 

I don't know how the V10 compares to the 5.4L...pretty comparable I'd guess. But I pulled the plugs on the F550 2004 V10 when it was new to anti-seize and retorque properly. Just for peace of mind.

I used an artist paint brush and "painted" a coating of anti-seize on the threads. And I mean just a coating. No excess, no thick gobs. And just on the threads and seat. Don't get it on the electrode or on the bottom thread to keep it from running down the electrode once installed.

But as far as using swivels and removing fuel lines etc....I did none of that. I had all those things in mind...but for me it was as simple as removing the coils one by one. I had no trouble getting any of them off and out of the way. And I sure don't recall needing the swivel I had laying there ready for use. It was just a couple of straight extensions to get my wrench to the right elevation to miss everything...and out they came. Easy.

 

You have a hellova lot more room in the SD engine bay even with a 6.8L, the back 2 plugs on a 5.4L in a F150 are almost completely covered by the firewall. Some people do it without removing the fuel rail and some don't. On the D. side mine won't come out without the rail coming off.

 

I got mine without removing the fuel rail. My advice is blow out the holes, then loosen a touch, a little WD40 and let it sit for a bit, blow out the holes again.

It's not a difficult job just time consuming.

 

Glad you liked my write up below, Kaboom; here's the link so that he can see the feedback/follow-up:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...xperience.html

 

Thanx. I appreciate someone taking the time to not sound like a chiltons repair manual for those who have marginal mechanical skills. If I was physically able I would tackle the job myself. Maybe some day. The only thing I could add would be that there are extentions that won't come apart unless you take them apart. I've read that you can also put electrical tape on them to keep them from coming apart at the most inopertune moments.

 

One note of the use of anti-seize: don't coat all of the threads. Very little is needed, put just a smear on the first 2 threads of the plug. Oh, and if you use the right tools removing the fuel line or even moving it is unnecessary.

 

I just changed the plugs on my 2000 Ex and it went very well. I had a miss on the #6 and had 114K on the car so I figured it was time to change them. All the plugs came out and looked pretty shot so I am glad I did.

My question is that I found three plugs on the passenger side 2, 4, and 8 that had a small amount of oil in and around the plug. About a 1/4 of an inch got on the socket when I went to pull them out. I did try to blow it out with an air nozzle but ended up making a mess.

Any idea where the oil came from or if it is a bigger problem somewhere?? There does not appear to be any oil on the top of the engine anywhere and ther was not a lot of oil in the plug holes, just a little bit.

Oh and the plug change did not stop the miss. I am going to change the coil on #6 and see if that makes any difference.