Blown Plugs how common
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Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Tennessee
Blown Plugs how common
I have a 2000 Excursion with the V10 and I was wondering what are the chances it is going to blow a sparkplug. What are the fixes other than pulling the head and putting in helicoils. I am not big on the insert things that you screw in the hole and hope it don't blow out again. Also there is the issue of debris getting in the engine. I have messed with helicoils before and had good results but it is probably not something you want to do blind. Helicoils can always be taken out and one of the insert things can be put in its place but if you start with an insert the hole is too big for anything else. I have seen more of the inserts come out than the helicoils.
Perry
Perry
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From: Mt. Shasta California
Debris in the engine is not as big an issue as most people think. You don't have to pull the heads to put coils in. Chances are slim that you will blow one because you only hear about the few that do blow, which is caused by plugs being too tight or too loose. You will have some assurance against total plug failure by listening for a phht phht noise which resembles an exhaust leak.
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From: Tennessee
Well I hope your right. Should I check the plugs that are in there which are probably the stock plugs? Should I check to see of any of them are loose? My Ranger went 190 miles with the stock motorcraft plantinum plugs. They had a hugh gap in them which I hear is not good with the COP type ignition systems. My Ranger had two plugs per cylinder so I figured that one of the other would fire. They were a pain to change but I can't complain. The Ranger has cast iron heads compared to the V10 Aluminum. Unless a plug is loose, I don't see why it would blow out. At some point they added threads to the castings to prevent the plug blowout problem. I think my 2000 has the short plugs though. It runs smooth right now. Strange hearing the V10 idle. You think it is idleing at 1500 RPM but there are two extra plugs in there adding more exhaust pulses.
Perry
Perry
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From: Central Coast of CA
The '03 model year is when Ford started putting 8+ threads in the heads. Prior to that they put 4 thread holes in the heads.
Overtightening and installing plugs on a warm engine are the two easiest ways to mess up a proper plug install on the 4 thread heads.
Inserts are MUCH better than heliocoil. Properly installed, the inserts will not come out.
The best inserts you can get are the Lock-n-Stitch inserts. They are made of aluminum so there is no difference in heat disparity like you have with the steel inserts.
http://www.locknstitch.com/sparkpluginserts.htm
Also, you don't need to remove the heads to do the inserts.
Stewart
Overtightening and installing plugs on a warm engine are the two easiest ways to mess up a proper plug install on the 4 thread heads.
Inserts are MUCH better than heliocoil. Properly installed, the inserts will not come out.
The best inserts you can get are the Lock-n-Stitch inserts. They are made of aluminum so there is no difference in heat disparity like you have with the steel inserts.
http://www.locknstitch.com/sparkpluginserts.htm
Also, you don't need to remove the heads to do the inserts.
Stewart
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Joined: Mar 2009
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From: Mt. Shasta California
They have the fewer thread count on that year. I wouldn't run plugs that have a lot of miles, it's not good for your power, gas mileage, and cops. I changed mine in my '00 and didn't torque them about a year ago. Being an ex mechanic gave me an edge but I would recommend torquing them to 14 pounds. Many will tell you the use anti-seize but I personally disagree because anything you put on the threads will upset your torque reading. In fact I wouldn't doubt that anti-seize is a contributing factor for threads stripping (over tightening). I think Ford recommends dry threads but not positive about that.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: SEVA
+1 on this. Helicoils are excellent when used in steel alloys, but they should never be used in aluminum. Helicoils are nothing more than coiled square wire. When you tighten the fastener (or spark plug in this case) inside a Helicoil, the torque will cause that square wire to twist a bit, and that twisting motion will chew up the softer aluminum threads outside the Helicoil. An insert (such as Timesert) is similar to a threaded-rod with a tapped hole through its center. When rebuilding an aluminum V8, I had my own inserts made simply by boring and tapping short sections of steel threaded-rod.
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