Spark plugs

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Displaced Canadian

Displaced Canadian

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
3,248
Location
Millersburg, OR
Having an older brother who liked mechanicing I didn't do a lot of it growing up. I changed the plugs on my 1990 Mazda 2600i in about 15 minutes. There's 4 of them and they are right on top. Trade in for a 1999 GMC Sierra. Little harder, Few different tool configurations, about an hour and done. Moving on to tonight. 2005 Ford F150 5.4 V8. Spend 10 minutes looking for the spark plugs, 10 min. thinking mean thoughts about the idiot who thought it was a good idea to put them what seems to be inside the engine. Try put the socket on the plug, no dice. Look down the hole and see dirt around plug, blow out dirt and try again. Still no dice. Check 4 different times to see if indeed I have the right socket because no matter what I do it won't fit on the one in the engine. Finally look down the hole and notice a slight tapering at the bottom of the hole. Mark the outside of the socket with a sharpie, try again and see that the marker is scraped off the outside of the socket. Did Ford really make an engine that you need a special socket to change plugs? I tried to do this on my own to save money, now I'm thinking the mechanic that does this is going to earn every penny.
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Yes. It's a 9/16 spark plug socket on the 5.4 3valve engine. A word of warning- those spark plugs are different than previous designs. They have a tendency to break in half, leaving the lower portion of the plug lodged in the cylinder head. Then you need special tools to remove the broken plug. They're not a lot of fun to work on.
 
truckfixr said:
Yes. It's a 9/16 spark plug socket on the 5.4 3valve engine. A word of warning- those spark plugs are different than previous designs. They have a tendency to break in half, leaving the lower portion of the plug lodged in the cylinder head. Then you need special tools to remove the broken plug. They're not a lot of fun to work on.
Click to expand...
I've read this comment numerous times on another forum.

try changing plugs in a Dodge truck with a Hemi...it has 16
 
My f-150 uses oil somehow. It is a 460 which of course kills my gas rate. My 13 yr old granddaughter wants my f-150 in three years, I hope that it is still running, it has 285450 miles on it. Scares me. Spark plugs are not the easiest to change either. We née to make the ngineers actually perform the service on the vehicles so they get an medicating in reality. YMMV JMHO
 
truckfixr said:
Yes. It's a 9/16 spark plug socket on the 5.4 3valve engine. A word of warning- those spark plugs are different than previous designs. They have a tendency to break in half, leaving the lower portion of the plug lodged in the cylinder head. Then you need special tools to remove the broken plug. They're not a lot of fun to work on.
Click to expand...

Definetly correct on this!! I've fixed alot of them where the guy broke the plug off. The set you need runs about $300.00 for this. Also have you priced the plugs, as they run about $12.00 each!! It's worth the money and aggrevation to have someone else fix it, especially if your not really comfortable with doing it yourself.
 
Yep; At one time the designer would follow the design thru the construction and testing phases of the manufacturing process. They might be told, "you need to strengthen this part to prevent stress cracks", or, "it will be difficult to replace this part after the vehicle is assembled". Then the bean counters took over and said "no, you are a designer and can't follow the design". Some car companies don't even let the designers look at other components that they didn't design. Is it any wonder that the Japanese and everyone else ate our lunch?
 
Totally feel your pain on this one... i used to drive a full size '91 Chev van... obviously vans have short little hoods, and therefore the engine doesnt actually sit under it... so to change the plugs you had 2 options... get under and try to some how do it from the bottom (not so doable unless you have freakishly long arms) or take the "dog house" off and do it from between the front seats... even with the dog house off and the whole engine RIGHT THERE they made it difficult... the front plug on the passenger side was so confined you had to slip the socket over the plug then put the ratchet on the socket to break it free. oh.. and the extra sharp heat shields.. i loved that old truck, i just didnt love working on the motor. :cool:
 
Ford has a tech bulletin for the plug removal. If you break one and you probably will, make sure you have the removal tool handy. Order in advance. About 60.00, it is made by Leisle I believe. Soak the plugs with carb cleaner prior to taking out and only go a quarter turn at a time. The problem is carbon has built up around the plug tip causing it to freeze up in the head. How many miles are on your truck? The lesser the better. My Ford dealer wants 200.00 to change the plugs, plus 100. for every plug that breaks. paying 60.00 for the tool is nothing compared to that. Now is the aggravation worth it though?
 
Autonoz said:
Ford has a tech bulletin for the plug removal. If you break one and you probably will, make sure you have the removal tool handy. Order in advance. About 60.00, it is made by Leisle I believe. Soak the plugs with carb cleaner prior to taking out and only go a quarter turn at a time. The problem is carbon has built up around the plug tip causing it to freeze up in the head. How many miles are on your truck? The lesser the better. My Ford dealer wants 200.00 to change the plugs, plus 100. for every plug that breaks. paying 60.00 for the tool is nothing compared to that. Now is the aggravation worth it though?
Click to expand...

Kinda makes you wonder how many they actually break on purpose to get that extra $100 per plug.

I had to change the plugs in my finances 06 Pontiac grand prix. A couple months ago.The front ones were a breeze.Got to the back one and couldn't get between the motor and the firewall.Had to take the motor mounts loose and tilt it forward to get to the back plugs.Even then it was still a pain.I was up under the hood balled up like a monkey trying to get to the plugs.Needless to say when they need changed again I wont be the one doing it.Now my 94 GMC sierra is a different story.Only takes me 20 minutes to change the plugs in it.It has 270000 miles on it and still running strong.When the motor gives out I will be replacing it.No need in me getting a newer truck.
 
Fords good at that. My Dad had a '56 when I was a kid. The easiest way yo change the plugs would have been take the front fenders off. Coarse he didn't do that but it required a lot of swearing and resulted in a lot of barked knuckles! Then there was changing the oil filter! One of us kids had to sit in the car and turn the steering wheel one way while he lowered it a little and them back the other way to get it the rest of the way out. Again many swear words and barked knuckles. He was a Ford man until he had that car. It was the last Ford he owned.
 
Last edited:
GaTurner83;1364825 Kinda makes you wonder how many they actually break on purpose to get that extra $100 per plug.[/quote said:
I really can't imagine any tech breaking any plugs on purpose. Even with the special tool, it's a royal PITA removing broken plugs. The best way I have found to remove them is to loosen the plug 1/16 turn, and pour about a teaspoon full of decaebonizer into the plug bore, then let it soak overnight before attempting to remove the plugs. It works most of the time. Other times, nothing works.
It's also a good idea to add some BG 44K to the fuel and go through a couple of tanks of fuel if you're planning to replace your plugs in the near future. That'll help remove some of the built up carbon.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Sounds like a dream compared to changing the plugs on my wife's Chevy Uplander. Engine is sideways and to get the plugs in the back you either have to unbolt the motor and tilt forward, crawl in through the wheel housing which means removing the wheels, or have the special curved ratchet. I have the special curved ratchet because it is necessary for certain boats to get around the exhaust manifolds. I still had to take the thing to the dealer. I watched them put the thing on a lift remove the wheels and go in that way. Mechanic said it was the easiest way.

Car designers have started taking design classes from boat designers.
 
sbell111 said:
You guys should try replacing the alternator on a northstar allante some time. The first step is 'remove the radiator'.
Click to expand...

Try a cutlass supreme 3.4l. Take the right front axle out and drop the subframe, 4 hours labor. Or better yet, a heater core on a 90's model taurus or mustang, 14 hours labor!! I know there's hundreds more, but that's why there are no more shadetree mechanics around.
 
Truck went to the shop today for plugs and a little TLC. There is a hole in my butt where my wallet used to be. On the other hand it is running a lot better and the fuel smell in the cab is gone. My next truck is going to be a late 80's Chevy. Like the body style and it is something I could actually work on. No complaints about the dealership, Kept me informed, Solved an issue the other dealership tried twice to solve, washed the outside cleaned the inside and I got it back the same day.
 
Stuff doesn't have to be difficult to be expensive...

My 2-yo 370Z failed to start this past Tuesday, right after I dropped my step-daughter off at school (I was in the bus-loading zone). Long story short, it was the steering column solenoid... it fried itself (a known issue), which told the keyless entry system "Don't let him start the car!". Takes about an hour to pull off the dash piece under the steering wheel column, unplug the bad module, and plug in the new module. Cost me $1k when all was said and done. I'm not happy, particularly since others have had the same issue...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom