A lot of times it sounds like an exhaust leak when you're sitting in the truck and the sound bounces back to your ears.

I'd stay with OEM Motorcraft coils.

Stewart

 

Four and a half hours for a plug change is NUTS!

I'm no mechanic. In fact I typically double the book labor rate when I'm estimating how long a job will take me. But it took this shade tree guy less than two hours to do all 10 plugs. The job isn't hard at all, and the hardest thing for me was finding a comfortable place to sit while doing the job!

 

Actually it is an exhaust leak.

 

Yep, if you can't inflate the price just inflate the book hours to justify it.............lol.

 

Mine ticked...like an exhaust leak.

 

Yes, it is. But for some reason, when the plug first starts to becomes loose in the plug hole, listening directly with your head in the engine compartment, it sounds like an injector pulse. But away from the vehicle, especially with the sound bouncing off a fence or something, it sounds like a traditional exhaust manifold leak.

Stewart

 

Thanks Miles!

yeah and no mention of oil filters...hmm

HAHA! dont forget riding around on the recalled tires (or recapped Chinese knock offs), seat sewed together with dental floss and glue, u-joints dipped in old tranny fluid...need i go on?

sorry i use good oil and change often, fix anything that's not 100% as soon as possible and keep my truck clean as possiblel. everyone i've ever sold anything to has been more then happy with because i take great care of my trucks! yes i drive them hard THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE MADE FOR...and that's still easier on them then say... towing ALL the time as an example.

 

Ok guys, good natured ribbing can cross over to flaming without any intent. Let's please not provoke a negative response with the way y'all post, causing a flame fest to ensue, which might cause Buster to come out.

Thanks y'all.

Stewart

 

Just sayin? Not sayin' much because it is always unopened name brand 5-30 oil.

 

> I buy new Motorcraft filters at every oil change.
> I didn't know they were recalled until 3 years later and I don't drive over the speed limit in snow with C rated tires (like somebody I know).
> It is sewn with nylon thread smeared with glue to keep it all in place and others have done the same in here also. If you want to send some money I will buy a new seat cover.
>The U-joints soaked in NEW oil rejuvenated them and they are working like new now, and have been for 2 years, (saving me a lot of time and money).
>All top quality oil and changed at exactly 5000 miles on the odometer.
>You take very good care and drive them hard?

Recapped Chinese knockoffs?, send some money and I will get some new Grapplers. Also; It's funny how you and acf6 think oil magically transforms itself as soon as it enters the garage sale (heaven forbid) arena.

 

haha, brand new c rated tires that are well within weight limits of a unloaded Ex..actually they are even within there weight rating towing 4,000lbs. soooo jokes on you

if you would like a seat cover donation fund started i'll gladly throw $20 at it.

what exact damage do you THINK is being caused by being driven hard and empty? this is worse then any one of these guys who tows 10,000Lbs every day? or the guy who never goes over 1500RPM's and drives 35mph eveywhere? i would LOVE to hear this explanation..i'm ALL ears! Do you want to know what it does? causes me to buy more brake pads and tires...bout it..so i can live with that.

 

Last warning guys, stop.

Thread derails and hijacks are part of internet forum life, but this is way off track.

Stewart

 

i can attest to this personally and i noticed it in a drive thru at first, my '98 5.4 started making a noise that sounded like an exhaust leak. checked the exhaust top to bottom and it was good this was after it had spit a factory plug at 63k miles. after reading online i found a plug finger tight and maybe..maybe 2 threads in the head. replaced all the plugs and the sound was gone. a loose plug ready to go (if that's how it goes and doesn't just pop) will sound exactly like a leaky exhaust manifold.

 

last word

 

well to get this back on track and maybe get flamed some by all those that gave me great advice.....

I just purchased 10 Motorcraft SP479 plugs, 1 Motorcraft DG508 coil (darn things are expensive), and a Dorman 42025 thread repair kit.

I know, I'm taking the cheap route. I bow my head to receive the blows. BUT i did get OEM plugs and coils after reading about all the horror stories associated with aftermarket COPs.

Also i wanted to get new boots for all the coils but i didn't know what brand to get or which is OEM, Rockauto had a bunch of different ones but Denso looked like maybe it'd be the OEM or closest to it? Any advice would be great on that. I can't afford to replace all 10 coils but i do want to make sure the ignition system has good contact all around and i'm not wasting any performance or MPG due to bad sparks or the like.

Also i'm a bit proud in that i'm gonna attempt to fix the issue myself after all. I read all the reviews on Amazon.com for that $40 thread repair kit and it really did get great reviews. Negatives are you've got to use a special sparkplug and boot. But this engine is at over 200K so I can live with an oddball sparkplug in there for another few years. Also i can understand how the overall quality of the repair is less than the other two options but the work involved and cost doesn't even come close. The worst part about it is i have a feeling my mechanic was gonna do the exact same thing and use this cheap kit then charge me 2 hours of labor for it.

I hope after changing the plugs, boots (if someone tells me which to get) and fix this issue the truck will run much better. I had noticed it was really huffin and puffin the last time i towed a trailer (around 5K lbs). I thought that weird considering it's a mighty V10. After i saw a sparkplug i just removed (almost completely burned out) i think that might be the reason for it.