Hi guys,..got plugs changed out on 5.4 , did notice some corrosion on coil tips on a couple, so I squirted in some lime/rust remover, waited a few minutes, blew out with air and shot in some contact cleaner, put some anti-sieze on the plugs,..but seems useless because the only "tightness" was the tip shield bound in the carbon,..I doubt a thin layer will prevent carbon from sticking after a few miles. I credit Kroil with the carbon dissolving. Torqued plugs at about 30 lbs. put on new boots & springs, put dialectric grease on the inside tips and where the contact the hole. Got everything put back together, started, (blew out Kroil) still had the erratic idle,..but at times would completely smoothe out. pulled PO171&PO174 again, so strongly suspected vacuum leak. Pulled at the tiny house going down behind engine, and could hear a leak. It goes to the Charge Motion Control valve that bolts to the back of the intake manifold (****)!!!!!!!!!
Anyway at least I didn't waste a bunch of money changing out good parts.
Unless somebody has a better solution,..I will have to pull off the entire intake manifold to get to it!!! I don't see anyway to get to it unless I could find somebody with the arm and hand of a 3 year old pictures show
a new plug next to one with 96,000 miles on it,..the coil tip corrosion,.. and the meager collection of tools I used to get the spark plugs out...

 

Well,..5.4 fired up after plug R&R, but was shaking & bucking,..drove it around, shut it off a few times,..started getting better,..this morning while cold,..idled smoother than it ever has,..drove about 20 miles,..sometimes at a stoplight, I actually thought it had quit, and was getting ready to hit the key,..and realized it was running,..another thing,..at WOT,..it used to shift at 4750,...now it just hits 5000,.weird,... after it was fully hot,..the erratic idle came back,..I was near a ford dealer where my friend works in the parts department. The service manager confirmed by tugging at it, that the little hose going down behind the engine on the pass. side had a leak at the charge motion box on the back of the intake manifold,..it has a 2 tubed fitting on it, and the one you can grasp,.is plugged, and goes nowhere,..the other one goes to the pressure swith on the drivers side fuel rail (specific to '04) He said he has never seen anyone get it off without removing the entire manifold,..I have a new double hose piece coming in the morning,..My plan is to remove the fuel rails, in back it prevents you from getting your hand between the firewall & intake manifold,..and try to use a mirror and really long needle nose to try to get ahold of it,...OR,..have a little kid stick his hand back there as I guide him with the mirror,..OR,....pull off the intake, and get it over with,..service manager was confident this would fix the idle,..WHY THE HELL DIDN'T THEY MAKE IT A STEEL LINE ????