Gen 2 V8 Spark Plug Removal Tip

[TrainTrac]

I was watching "Motorweek" this past weekend, and on the "Goss' Garage" segment, Pat Goss talked about removing spark plugs from Ford 5.4L V8's, and featured a tool that can be used if the plug snaps off in the head. Folks here have said that this is also a problem with the 4.6L V8, so I thought I'd share this here. Here's the text transcript of the segment, with a link to the "Motorweek" web page.

Now, 5.4 liter Ford V8 engines in pickups and sport utilities, they have a problem. You go to take the spark plugs out of the engine and...pop! The spark plug breaks off, you've got the top of the plug, the threads are down inside the cylinder head. Now presuming that these are the threads and that they're still down in the cylinder head, what do we do? Snap-On-Tools has the answer, and that is very simple: you take the tap that comes with the tool kit, the tap threads the inside of those remaining portions of the sparkplug. Now you take this tool, it screws into those threads that you just cut, then you tighten this top down which wedges everything together, you put a wrench right up here on the very tip of it and you turn those broken threads out of the cylinder head, and you're not spending $3 or $4 or $5,000 for new cylinder heads. What a savings that is.



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[CobraXP]

I've still got to change mine out...



I talked to a few of my Stang friends about changing them out. Most have laughed and said it was not that big of a deal as long as you are paying attention. I haven't talked to anyone yet (that I trust anyway) that has broken one.





Good article regardless. I imagine with my luck I might be looking for this again to help get a plug out. I seem to know how to break things...

 

[MikeSondra Grossen]

Hey Cobra, check these posts:

 

[MikeSondra Grossen]

 

[scott degroot]

Not as easy as the article makes it out to be. I have done a few of these adn have had to remove a couple ones that don't come out. If they break it makes it easier, the problem occurs when the plug unthreads from the head but carbon buildup prevents it from coming out. Then you have to break the plug, not as easy as it sounds, and get the crap out of the hole before you can use the tool. If you have one of these 3 valve motors I highly recommend pulling the plugs and installing the new design plugs....could possibly save you alot of grief, and money, in the future

 

[Bill Barber]

Is actually a piece of cake if you follow the TSB on the recommended process to remove them.

 

[CobraXP]

Hey Cobra, check these posts:

I remember the thread. I'm not saying this is not a real, verifiable problem. All I am saying is that many of the people I trust when it comes to engine work and people I would let touch my rides (very short list) have told me as long as you pay attention, follow the directions, it is not that big of a deal.



Like bill said, follow the instructions and pay attention, and you shouldn't have any problems.



Grab it and use the 'gorilla wrench' techniques on it - and you will be pulling heads to get the pieces out...

 

[scott degroot]

by bill barber,2/9/2009 17:45 MT



Is actually a piece of cake if you follow the TSB on the recommended process to remove them.

This is true of a vehicle that has had good mainteneace or has low mileage and the customer has decided to change the spark plugs early before the carbon buildup on the plugs has become an issue. The Ford tsb for removing the plugs is only good for unscrewing the plugs from the head, which is seldom a problem, the problem starts when the spark plug is completely unscrewed but won't come out of the hole due to carbon buildup on the electrode shield. I don't care who you are or how good you think "your mechanic" is but once the plug is unthreaded there is next to nothing that you can do to remove the plug from the hole if it is carboned up excessively. At that point you better have te service kit to be able to remove the spark plug because that is all that you can do. These tools will not always work. I have heard of instances where proven expert technicians have had to remove a head and heat and hammer out the piece that gets stuck in the head.



To the people that say oh yeah just follow the tsb and you won't have any worries...how many have you done?

 

[Robin Cox]

Has anyone made a performance plug for the Gen 2 V-8's yet?

 

[Bill Barber]

Call Brisk

 

[D Potts]

Everytime I hear abotu this I cringe!



The thought of one breaking off in my driveway is not something I want to do! But I do not want to spend the cash to have the Dealer do it!

 

[scott degroot]

I would recommend to anybody who has this motor to get the plugs out now and get the redesigned plug that is all one piece....haven't heard about any issues with these yet

 

[Bill Barber]

realize that the 5.4 and the 4.6 have diff issues, yes the carbon problem is the same with both, but the 5.4 has about half the threads than the 4.6, the 5.4s have been known to blow plugs out of the head, not an issue with the 4.6 3 valve.

If you follow the TSB As I did and dingo did, you should not have an issue, that being said should you be afraid to do the deed, go to the dealer and have it done.about 300 bux:blink:

There are single piece plugs for N/A 4.6 engines that can be gapped in the conventional manner.

My only choice for the stang which is F/I was the brisk 3VR14S, they can also supply plugs for N/A 3 valves.

 

[2]

realize that the 5.4 and the 4.6 have diff issues, yes the carbon problem is the same with both, but the 5.4 has about half the threads than the 4.6, the 5.4s have been known to blow plugs out of the head, not an issue with the 4.6 3 valve.

NO!!! We went through this the last time, the 04-08 F150 (5.4) does NOT have a problem with blowing plugs. Apparently Ford fixed that problem by ensuring the plugs never come out again.



l1tech is correct. There is about one person a week on the F150online.com site that is dealing with broken plugs, they are both do it yourselfers and ones that brought them to do the dealership. The vast majority that do have them break off can get them out with the tools. Only a couple that have needed to have heads pulled. I predict this will become a bigger problem as time goes on and more F150's need plug changes..

 

[scott degroot]

For the record the 3 valve motors have problems with the plugs not coming out, the old 2 valve motors have problems with the plugs blowing out(actually they loosen up first and then blow out) I like the old design where the plugs blew out....you knew when it was time to change it that way.



Ford is gonna be eating this one for a looooong time to come.

 

[scott degroot]

Reblford,2/10/2009 06:49 MT



Has anyone made a performance plug for the Gen 2 V-8's yet?

No such thing as a performance plug, anybody who claims that their spark plugs are going to give you more power is full of it. Now if you are "HEAVILY" modified then using a different plug may be beneficial. For the record an air filter and a muffler don't even come close to falling into the heavily modified catagory.