The 3 valve head ones are the issue ( 4.6 and 5.4). The spark plugs were suspect due to the new design, but the real culprit was a lack of anti seize on the threads. The older design 2 valves including the 6.8 v10 ( modular motors) could spit a plug, but that is an easy fix. That happened to the 4.6 v8 on my parents 2002 explorer. Any aluminum headed motor can have plugs strip, and should have antiseize on the threads, and re torque the plugs. There are a few years with only a couple of threads, ( 3 iirc on the first few years of the 3 valve) vs later years that has many more threads.
Hence why Ford put twin injector sets on the 17 3.5 ecoboost and all 2018 gas f150 motors. Port injection while it warms up so the valves don't get gunked up. Once warm, direct injection kicks in. Yota has this too on the newer 3.5 v6.
Antiseize still would have spared the problem to begin with especially if plugs are not zinc coated ( black plugbodies need antiseize, the chrome ( zinc) finished ones not much). So would removing and retourqing the plugs at intervals. Carbon building up here is what typically ruins the threads. Take them out, clean them up, anti seize them and you'll have less issues. Ford wasn't alone in this problem. Many other engines use aluminum heads, and have the same issues.
Oh yeah, don't remove plugs in warm aluminum headed engines. You're more apt to strip the threads then vs cold head'.
That’s the whole fight I had with myself right there! All the reading I did mainly leaned toward doing it hot/warm. To me didn’t make as much sense because don’t things swell as they are heated? I would think causing things to stick harder. On the other hand I think the warm theory had to do with softening carbon that is the main problem in the first place. Who knows! In my case I broke off the first one warm and the next 6 cold (it stayed around 20 degrees give or take for most of the project) and got one out cold.
Ya dun good! I always take the plugs out hot and I use a 3/8 impact to rattle(lightly) them out. Then anti sized the crap out of the plug threads and unthreaded part on the bottom being careful not to get any on the electrode. The plugs have supposedly been revised by motor craft so it shouldn’t happen again. I reccomend changing them every 60k
J. Dirt I can't remember if I asked you or if you told me but did the Ford paperwork that I sent you for the engine help you out or were you able to get the info you needed out of the Haines manual?
I have the same engine as Joe's and I took all of mine out with the engine at operating temp. Everyone came right out. Although it sucked because even with a long sleeve shirt on I still got burnt! I guess I got lucky. Although when I got to the one's by the firewall when I broke them loose I felt and heard a loud crack/pop sound and thought here we go but it was all good. I put the Bosch one piece spark plugs back in anti-siezed the crap out of them the threads and including the piece that goes out to the electrode to avoid any carbon build-up. With the one piece I shouldn't have any problems of the end breaking off like the ford 2 piece designed plugs! Better safethan sorry!
I recall reading once that anti-seize inhibited the flow of heat from the spark plug to the head making the plugs overheat, and that that's why OEMs don't install it at the factory. Personally, I've always used anti-seize on any plug going in an aluminum head. Plugs going in a cast iron head got a few drops of oil. Elsewhere, especially, motorcycles, I use anti-seize on any steel fastener going into steel or cast iron otherwise galvanic corrosion can lead to a lot of broken drill bits and cussing.
I’d buy a Cummins if it didn’t have a dodge wrapped around it! I have heard of people swapping powerstroke motors with Cummins. Haven’t seen one yet myself.
Double injector systems- sounds like a band-aid to me- an expensive and additional complication to boot- Better would be a proper filter system for the PCV circuit - after market kits available all though the cheap ones ain't worth anything. again an EPA thing - back in the day open to atmosphere ( those old enough will remember oil breathers) 2 valve ford the tension system had a ratchet assembly on the solenoid so it could not release all the way- 3 valve they did away with that because supposedly was putting to much tension on the only bearing on the cam shaft ( right behind the cam phaser) all other journals on the cam shaft are line bored- no shims oil ports or grooves strictly relying on oil vapor to permeate the porosity of the alum. ( in reality oil change intervals too long- 3 k is about all you can push it to- type of oil makes no difference - strictly a dirt issue vs the extremely tight tolerances in the timing circuit parts) Missing - change all plugs and coils - learned that the hard way on my v10 about 8 years ago. Stumbling/ rough running-sometimes caused by the pcv lines rotting out as well as dirty solenoid that supplys oil pressure to chain tensioner and cam phaser - worst case cam phaser gummed up as well ( very tiny ports and passages in there ) never seen the clock spring broken but it could happen as well but that would lead to catastrophic damage to eng. Loss of tension to timing chain due to disintegration of upper and lower guides,one of which is connected to the tension solenoid worst case same as before ( these are interference type valve /piston units ) Oil pressure related problem - there have been reports of to much play in the lateral movement of the crank shaft- leads to cavitation in the oil pump due to wear of the front cover Oem oil filter has check valve in it to hold oil in system so that at start up oil pressure almost immediately available to timing system- not all filters have this- oil viscosity ratings also very important particularly in cold climates. The old 10w30 standby is long gone on these. none of this is unique to Ford, I just have a lot of experience on these It will be interesting to see how soon my little 2l turbo unit dies ( 2016) from the gunked up valves - there are ways to run eng. top cleaner through the intake but it is hard on the cats. Course one could modify the exhaust to include a cut out for that purpose. ( just the ticket to wake a sleepy neighborhood on a early Sunday morning) sorry for the long wind.
I printed those pages and used them mainly and the Haines book just for a few other references. Thanks again if I haven’t already said it!
There’s a few running around here! I actually looked into it a bit years ago and again with this mess. Looking at almost $20,000 for the swap!! And the rust is just starting on the truck in my mind not worth it in this case, still would be pretty sick though!!!
