has anybody with a 2004 or 2005 5.4l 3 valve triton had their plugs changed after 70,000 or more miles? if so, what was your experience/cost. thanks.

 

Well since nobody replied yet I'll give it a shot.
I've changed many plugs on these engines but don't know the cost.
What do you want to know as far as changing them?

 

IMO unless you are a pretty decent at mechanicing take it to a dealer there is a TSB out on how to do it without breaking the plugs off in the head these are not one of fords better ideas!!!!!!!!!!

 

i didn't know you could wait that long to change em on the 5.4Ls...lol

 

Actually the ford recommended change interval is 100K, doubt you would get them out though??

 

ha. i got 101k miles and i havent changed them yet :\

 

Yo Wr3ckin_Cr3w, I am an aggie too.

Ive heard this plugs have the potential to be nightmares. I have also heard it is a 300 dollar job at the dealership.

 

Better trade it before you do!!

 

I got a dealership quote of $330 for a normal plug change

 

Since my '05 only has 4000m on it, and I only put 5-6000m on a yr, I've got a while to worry about it. (Prob wont be any gas left by then anyhow).

 

baitmaster, I'm like you I have a little over 14.000 on my 04.

 

Somebody posted on a forum the other day that they changed their plugs at 103,000 miles and didn't break any.

 

They can be changed with high mileage without breaking them, it all depends on how knowledgeable the tech is and if he takes his time.
And that's a problem with them being paid flat rate to do repairs, they don't get paid to take the time to do it right.

 

changed mine at 72k, followed the tsb. a little scary but successful.

 

I decided to go ahead and apply the anti-lock to the plugs on my 2005 even though I only have 13,000mi on the truck. IMO, this is one of those problems that will only get worse with time and in turn be more difficult to remedy.

I ordered a spark plug socket from www.SKhandTool.com (Part #4419) and got ready for an afternoon of fear and tension. Although, I followed the TSB religiously, since I pulled the plugs so early, I think I could have removed the plugs without having followed the TSB (catalyst and all). The plugs had a small amount of carbon deposits, usually only on one side, toward the end. Well, all except for one...

Just one plug, definitely had some scraping and resistance. For about 10 minutes, I slowly moved forward, backed it up, and forward again. I may have been overly cautious, but I figured that even if I wasted an hour on it, that was still better than half-a-plug in the block. When I finally removed the plug, I had a significant amount of carbon build up on it. Same pattern, one side-toward the end, but it just had a lot more of it.

At any rate, the moral of my story is: I am very glad that I did it sooner rather than later. It was a painless procedure but had I waited, it may not have gone so easy. The plugs now have anti-seize on them and I will sleep better now, knowing that I do not have to pay $300 for the dealership to change my plugs. Personally, I think that its well worth the time to remove and apply anti-seize on your plugs every ~25K as an insurance policy.