Ford Truck problems

[score300]

There is a serious problem with the spark plugs that ford used in their 4.6, 5.4, and 6.8 motors from '97-'07 . The spark plugs are separating when you try to change them. I've been told if you can change them before you get to 60k miles you should be OK. My truck has 62k miles and the mechanic broke off 2 out of 4 yesterday. The only good thing for me is I got a quote before they started work. If ford does it they have a disclaimer stating that any extra work due to the plugs breaking off is the responsibility of the owner. I've heard of people paying in the neighborhood of 2500 dollars to have the heads pulled in order to get the broken plugs out. If you have a mechanic not familiar with this issue, there is a trick to having better success on getting the plugs out. Have them look up the ford service bulletin on this. Just a heads up!
wes

[Pomoxis]

I wonder if a little liquid wrench over a few days prior would help? seems steel plugs to Aluminum heads might have a little dissimular metal corrosion thing going.
Just a thought.

[POfisher]

I'm a ford technician by trade. I've had the wonderful luxury of having the plug tips break off in the cylinder head while changing the plugs on many a truck.

Pouring some type of lubricant into the plug hole will not reach to where the problem is actually at because the plug hole is filled with a spark plug.

What actually happens is the design of the plug has about a 1 inch extension at the base of it so that the electrode can protude down into the cylinder head to reach the firing chamber of the cylinder. Years of combustion causes a accumulation of deposits onto the extension thus seizing it to the tube wall of the head. When you attempt to remove it, the extension part of the plug is what you find left in the head. A special tool has been developed to remove the broken peice, but it doesn't work all that easily.
First off, the spark plugs aren't easily reached due to their location. Then you have a broken peice of plug, filled with porcelon that has to be dug out. Then you have to "thread" the metal that is left... which resembles a small peice of pipe stuck way down below the plug threads. Honestly, it just pure out sucks to have to do it.
I've spent all day getting two or three broken extensions out of a truck without compensation. You see, when the service adviser gives the estimate without considering the potential problem that surely will occur, it's the technician who has to pay that price.

The bullitin that Ford put it isn't much help. The main thing it does is to tell you how to do what I described above.
There is no easy answer or repair.

[Outlaw1&2]

Makes you wonder if the factory is putting anti-seize on the plugs before instalation. Got a GT Mustang with 4.6, factory plugs were hard to get out,but no breakage.Getting to them was harder as with most newer model stuff.

[score300]

I just got back from having mine done. It took the technician 8 hours to change 8 plugs. 3 of them broke off as mentioned above. I have never spent so much on having plugs replaced. To top it off, the actual plugs were $21 dollars a piece for the shop and then they have to charge a mark up. All in all it was over $450 just to replace some plugs..... What a bad design by ford. I thought I was going to get lucky since my truck only has 62k miles on it. To top it off, the "quote" i got yesterday was just for the price of the plugs not including labor.

[Outlaw1&2]

Ford isn't the only one, I've done a bunch of these, including this one a few weeks back, GM F bodys will take you to the limit, I promise, especially with headers from slp, terrible design at it's best for working on.

[Polefisher]

Answer is BY GMC or Chevrolet!!!

[Little G]

If you use PB Blaster and let it set for a few day's ,the plug's will come out.Did for me anyway.Just went throught this with a 4.6L.

[DKR]

thanks for the warning.

[papasage]

i would think running seafoam and hightest gass will work to clean the end of the plugs . couldnt hurt to try that .