View Poll Results: Spark plug blowout, has it happened to you?
Yes, on 5.4 engine.
64
28.70%
Yes, on 4.6 engine.
10
4.48%
Yes, on 6.8 V-10 engine.
4
1.79%
Never happened, knock on wood 
.
.
145
65.02%
Voters: 223. You may not vote on this poll
Spark plug blowout Poll, how many have had this happen?
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 123
Likes: 2
Yes, my 02 blew one this summer. 85k on the clock. I did a plug replacement a year and a half previous. Sure enough, AFTER I blew the plug I rechecked the torque on the others, 3 had lost torque and had to re-torque. I will check them at least yearly now.
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Lehigh Acres, FL
Haven't had a problem with my '98 4.6L. 136k miles on her and on the way to Denver. Hope my bro never has problems with the plugs. I'll have to remind him to use anti-seize compound and a torque wrench every time.
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: Scotland, CT
I just blew cylinder 2 yesterday. A friend of mine is the service manager at the local gmc dealer who also owns the local ford dealer. They told me it looked like the plug backed out and pulled out 4 out 9 threads. They said I had 5 good threads and they chased it anyway to make sure they were clean of anything. I have an 01 f350 with the 5.4. It's odd i would have 5 threads left and earlier in a post someone said they only had 4 from the factory. 76k miles until first eruption. I'm checking the rest of them.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,561
Likes: 423
From: Long Island USA
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
We had this happen on our work van recently, and have heard there was a place in town that could fix it for $250 using something other than a helicoil. Any ideas on how they are doing it, and where i can buy the tool they are using?
Junior User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Tyronza, AR
I just done a plug and boot change on my 2000 5.4L expedition. Its got 152K miles now and the old plugs had a .075-.080 gap. It runs great now. There is a nice heli coil kit for this problem. If I blow one, then I will do all of them. $540 for the kit.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,713
Likes: 2
From: In my House
Krewat, you may be onto something....Maybe with the pre 03's having only the 4 thread count, they are easily being crossthreaded and that may be the cause of the blowouts?? Afterall, the plugs are quite deep down in the hole and you really can't see down there.. I have 94k on my 01 and I bought it used, so I BELIEVE they are the original plugs, so I think I may just leave them in there until I start having a problem.
Rich
Rich
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,561
Likes: 423
From: Long Island USA
Ford definitely thought it was cross-threading or torque-related initially. I don't have any other information that what I already posted, but they did try to address the issue in about three different ways.
Cross-threading at the factory, incorrect torque at the factory, and the number of threads holding the plugs in.
Cross-threading at the factory, incorrect torque at the factory, and the number of threads holding the plugs in.
