Spark plugs ejected from cylinderhead
 

the original motor in 1998-2000 had less threads in the plug hole and had some ejection problems.. Normally that was thought to be fixed well before your motor was built......... Could be the plug was overtightened, or cross threaded...... Yes, there are kits to thread oversize and install an insert.. You will want to use one of the approved kits, not just a standard thread insert repair.

This is not normal for these heads
 

Earlier models had too few threads not so on these . Do not use a helicoil to repair . Time sert is the gold standard . You may have to pay a shop to do that . Plugs need to be torqued 25 to 28 foot pounds on these . Otherwise you will have blow by problems etc . Somebody did a poor job on those plugs. If you bought it at a lot go back and see if they will help .

Are you certain the threads are stripped? They do just back out you know.

Seems awfully coincidental that it blows out right after you buy it. I'd examine the spark plug hole carefully for signs of something like JB Weld to see if a quick fix was done just to be able to sell it. If there is you might have grounds to recoup the cost of the repair from the one you bought it from.

'Seems awfully coincidental that it blows out right after you buy it.'

Yes it does. Definitely some foul play here.

Yeah, good luck with that
 

Does the term "caveat emptor" mean anything to you? Purchasing a used vehicle is a crap shoot. Unless there was a warranty stated and agreed to IN WRITING, you're pretty much on your own. As a buyer you must do your due diligence, and even then you probably won't catch everything. The selling party has no legal obligation to disclose anything, short of safety issues. And even then they can simply claim ignorance of the issue. Anything you might get out of them would br more than offset by legal cost and time lost.

Just check the truck over with a fine tooth comb, correct/fix anything that needs to be done and chalk it up to experience .

Depends on the state, some offer private party sale protections and some don't. Many states do have laws protecting used car sales from dealers for 30 days.

Well, if it makes you feel any better...
 

I got suckered even worse :( Bought an '04 F150 XLT 4x4 with the 5.4L 3v. Knew up front that it needed some timing work. Did my due diligence by running a CarFax, taking it for test drive, looking it over top to bottom (as best I could). Bought, brought it home and the engine starting to sound like a Peterbuilt truck and it was shaking my teeth out. Figured I'd buy the parts, take it to my mechanic and get it fixed. Well, my mechanic called last night and said "Let's put a new motor in it". My heart sank. Turns out it's not even the original engine. Once he got it apart there was evidence of a swap and the motor is stuffed full of sludge. Cams are boogered, valley is full of coolant, just a mess. I've purchased many used vehicles in my life. At 48 years old I've only purchased two new cars, and I take pride in the fact that I know what to look for. But even the moist jaded of us can be fooled by clean packaging and "off record" repairs.

Like I said, it's a crap shoot. And this time, I rolled snake eyes.

WOW!! that horrible...
 

Have you checked the threads ,if not torqued to 25 to 28 foot pounds they can back out. Lots of complaints about gas smell in cab ,frequently loose plugs ,it will actually burn the the plug up due to the hot gases being pushed and pulled beside the electrode. A good shop can do a time sert on those threads .They even fix heads off the engine with time serts --no helicoils they don't stay. It uses a special tool thats quite expensive . I would try a new plug first and see if it torques down ,clean it out with carb cleaner . Maybe look at it with borescope or those small cameras for your smart phone that are cheap on amazon , I just got one .

My 06 had plugs replaced by the dealer at about 100,000 miles. After about 10,000 miles starting having misfire issues. My mechanic eventually found three or four spark plugs that were either loose or showed signs of carbon trails on the boots. He went and check all 8 plugs and has been running fine since then. I feel the dealership didn't do a very good job. Good luck with your truck.

Insert or no insert?
 

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What do you guys think?