I have a 97 with Spark plugs that have been in since the Civil War. About 100,000 miles to be exact ( Maybe more) What kinds of issues can I run in to trying to get them out? Suggestions? I have these nightmare visions of plugs breaking off as I try to get them out....

 

you will be fine , mine had almost 200,000 wen i pulled them out of my 99expy wen i bought it , i did use a lil antiseize on the new plugs

 

Don't be so quick to say that. Many, many, many people have had disastrous results when changing out the plugs on pre-2004 engines.

 

I just did mine at 110K - ended up doing them twice in a week 'cause I forgot the anti-seize on them. The biggest issue I ran into is that I tore up 2 of the o-rings on the new injectors, so I got to fix those, again.

take off all the fuel injection stuff and COP's and spray a little PB blaster into the spark plug holes, then have lunch and let them soak for a bit. The big trick is going slow, and using steady pressure on the ratchet when you are removing the plugs rather than jerky / banging motions. If you are using a decent quality spark plug socket and making sure it is seated correctly, you shouldn't ever break off a plug. It also helps if you break the plug free with the socket, twist it out a few turns, then remove it completely using a piece of fuel hose stuck down over the top of the plug. you can only get so much torque on the plug this way, which helps keep the threads from getting damaged.

Remember, just replace the plugs with the same (updated) version of the archaic motorcraft plugs. These motors don't like the fancy new fangled plugs.

SLOW AND STEADY

 

Anything I should know about getting the FI stuff off? Whats "COP" Is that the coil? Also I have already bought a set of Autolites, will they work as good as the Motorcrafts? With this engine at 217,000 miles I dont want to shock it!

 

OK, give me a few minutes and I will find you some links.

Had some links saved in an email:

Here's the guide I used:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...xperience.html

Read a lot on this on plug blow outs. Very important you get an idea of why proper installation is key:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...t-mystery.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...5-4-plugs.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...n-answers.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...ark-plugs.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...w-plugs-3.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/tsb....7/d-EXPEDITION

In addition, I have an Word doc with pictures I accumulated from other websites. It helped as well. Send me your email in a PM and I will get it to you.

Tom

 

COP stands for Coil On Plug, so yes it is the coil.
IMO - return the Autolites and get the Motorcraft ones.

 

x2 on motorcraft. If you are going to autozone, they can't figure it out based on the engine. You have to give them the original plug number and get whatever the new version is. (at least my autozone couldn't figure it out, and sold me some $8 per plug platinum jobbers)

Just be gentle pulling the COPS up and out of the of the plug holes. The boots have a tendency to stick in the holes, which isn't a big deal as they go back togethor. You just don't want to rip them.

 

For that matter, might as well just get a set of 8 new rubber boots for the COPs. They could be brittle already and for the reasonable cost of about $3 a piece, it's not worth trying to save them, especially if they're original. I hate to see a skip in the engine due to a cracked rubber boot after all of that work to change the plugs.

 

I found it to be completely unnecessary to remove either of the fuel injection rails or injectors when I did my plugs on the 5.4 l engine.

 

Thank you so much 97EXPGUY...
Wow! After reading all your links, I will have this job done at the dealer. I plan to get the COP boot/contact spring tune up kits and have them change out these parts when they change the plugs. Its a huge savings to do this and not replace all the coils!

Thanks for taking the time to educate me and save me lots of frustration and $
JW

 

You are welcome. I did not mean to scare you out of doing the job if that's what I did. Yes, it's a little nerve wracking to do it yourself but I felt better (personally) knowing I did the job right. The worst part was torquing the plugs with all the extensions. After that, it's pretty strait forward. Just make sure the mechanic doing the work is familiar with proper torque, uses lots of anti-seize, and you are good to go.

Tom