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Derolds.Com
As Ford unveils its turnaround plan, it might want to turn around and examine a problem it's left in the dust: Ford F-series trucks built between 1999 and 2004 have a nasty habit -- they spit. Spark plugs, that is.
For years, consumers have complained about their trucks blowing spark plugs out of the aluminum cylinder head, leaving a hole in the head and rendering the $30,000 vehicle useless, often on the side of the road, until repaired.
Ford has never conceded that there's a problem.
For years, consumers have complained about their trucks blowing spark plugs out of the aluminum cylinder head, leaving a hole in the head and rendering the $30,000 vehicle useless, often on the side of the road, until repaired.
Ford has never conceded that there's a problem.
Hundreds of drivers around the country have filed complaints about their Ford trucks, claiming the spark plugs have been literally blown out of their engines. And now they're running into a dead end trying to get the problem fixed.
More at ABC News
This is a thread I am starting to have a collection of ideas on what to do if you have a spark plug blow out and preventive methods. If you have had a blow out please list the particulars in one of the many threads
PG Spark Plug Repair
Fort Wayne, IN
ph: 260.438.4658
phil@pgsparkplugrepair.com
Fort Wayne, IN
ph: 260.438.4658
phil@pgsparkplugrepair.com
It effects various 1997-2007 vehicles with a 5.4L or 6.8L engine with stripped or missing spark plug port threads in modular engine aluminum heads. Ford Motor Company now authorizes our custom aluminum inserts and tool kit.
Ford Motor Company has determined that repairs made with our aluminum inserts and tools do not affect the heat transfer function between spark plug and the cylinder head.
Ford Motor Company has determined that repairs made with our aluminum inserts and tools do not affect the heat transfer function between spark plug and the cylinder head.
TIME-SERT is a solid bushing insert. This guarantees easy installation and allows for full load use of tapped hole, ensuring protection against stress and vibration.
TIME-SERT is thin walled due to synchronized internal
external threads. Thin cross sectional area allows for installation in areas of limited space and clearance material.
external threads. Thin cross sectional area allows for installation in areas of limited space and clearance material.
TIME-SERT Positive Placement. Having a flange on the top of the insert will insure that the insert will have positive placement and cannot wind down into the newly repaired hole.
TIME-SERT is self locking. On installation the bottom internal threads of the insert are cold rolled to expand the mating external threads into the base material locking the insert in place. Locking mechanism is at the bottom of insert.
TIME-SERT thread repair system the ultimate way
to repair threads in stripped or damaged holes.
to repair threads in stripped or damaged holes.
More Links to help with Spark Plug Blow Out Problems
With the regularity of a piston engine, Ford trucks continue to spit out spark plugs, and some Ford truck owners are now reporting that 2005 Ford trucks are suffering from the expensive engine defect.
ConsumerAffairs.com has received more than 100 complaints from Ford truck owners since the first of the year reporting a spit spark plug.
ConsumerAffairs.com has received more than 100 complaints from Ford truck owners since the first of the year reporting a spit spark plug.
Used truck buyers beware; problem still not solved
Thursday morning the dreaded flying spark plug hit me. Yes, you heard me right, a flying spark plug. It seems that the Ford Triton engines from 1997 to 2003 had a problem where spark plugs would randomly fly out the cylinder head. This appears to be due to a few issues… First there are insufficient threads in the head to properly hold the spark plug. Second the threads in the head are not inserted, in other words the threads are in the aluminum and are not very strong. Many ford owners have had problems and the shop who repaired my head claimed to have done over 100 repair jobs on Ford Triton engines in the past 5 years. If you are faced with this problem here are your options
Heavy wall inserts are available for spark plug holes that have been seriously damaged by other failed repair inserts. Our standard thin wall insert will repair most failures of coil type inserts but when a large solid style steel or stainless steel insert comes out and leaves a large stripped hole, Our FST style insert will easily repair the damage better than new.
Inserts for aluminum heads are made of aluminum and are hard anodized to prevent them from ever stripping again. It is very important to understand that all coil inserts are made of stainless steel which simply transfers heat to slowly to transfer heat fast enough to allow the plug to cool and operate at the prescribed heat range. If a steel insert is used in an aluminum head it will fail to maintain metal to metal contact with the head as the engine heats up. Aluminum expands at a rate of 2.8 times more than steel. The aluminum will simply expand away from the insert and the plug will begin to loose its ability to transfer heat. If the spark plug overheats, pre-ignition and detonation can occur.
Ford spark plug blowout repair is covered in this article for 4.6, 5.4 & 6.8 liter engines. There are different brand insert repairs available for this Ford spark plug problem, however they are not all as effective and long lasting as the solution we recommend. Many Ford dealers want to charge thousands to replace the cylinder heads, when our repair can be done in the vehicle for a fraction of the cost. We sell some competitive brands like Lisle and Helicoil, however the Horizon made Calvan 38900 (Mount.9200 same w/different labeling) is the best repair system on the market today. We've sold hundreds of these, saving Ford owners a ton of money in the process. In the following article we'll explain why this should be the next and last repair purchased for this particular repair.
Ford spark plug blow-out? Repair kit part number 5553 Ford Triton spark plug kit will repair blown out spark plug's in Ford heads.
Spark Plug Blow Outs.
Ford has had a problem with the spark plug threads not holding spark plugs in their 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8 engines for awhile now. The aluminum heads have about five threads holding the spark plugs in place. If the threads fail the spark plug will eject, when it blows out it can break the ignition coil that is positioned over each plug. Ford does not recommend repairing the threads, they would rather the entire cylinder head be replaced with a head from Ford. Beware of purchasing a rebuilt head due to blowouts being so common, chances are the rebuilt head may have a repair insert that may not hold. Machine shops commonly use Heli-coils for repairing damaged or missing threads, however Heli-Coils are not the best repair in this instance.
The Heli-Coil is a thin coil that can fail due to the stress of cylinder compression and the fact that only a few threads are used to secure the spark plug. With this particular Ford spark plug problem, one of the best specialty tool inserts available is the CAL389-100 (much thicker than the Heli-Coil brand), it can be used in the vehicle saving down time and expense, the kit that it comes in has a short instructional DVD. Read on for Ford's latest spark plug problem.
Broken Spark Plugs.
Ford has redesigned the cylinder head on the 5.4 engines used in Ford trucks, Expeditions, Mustangs etc. unfortunately the new design has a different problem. When removing the spark plugs in these newer 5.4 Ford engines the spark plug can break leaving a metal sleeve (electrode shield) in the spark plug hole. The threaded part comes out but the remaining portion stays behind and can be a real nightmare to extract.
Ford has made a removal tool kit, the Rotunda 303-1203 for removing the spark plug sleeve when this break occurs. The Rotunda 303-1203 is a specialty tool that has been in huge demand from many unsuspecting repair shops that were performing regular maintenance on their customer's vehicles. The Ford TSB describes how to try to prevent the break, although the procedure yields less than desirable results.
Ford has had a problem with the spark plug threads not holding spark plugs in their 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8 engines for awhile now. The aluminum heads have about five threads holding the spark plugs in place. If the threads fail the spark plug will eject, when it blows out it can break the ignition coil that is positioned over each plug. Ford does not recommend repairing the threads, they would rather the entire cylinder head be replaced with a head from Ford. Beware of purchasing a rebuilt head due to blowouts being so common, chances are the rebuilt head may have a repair insert that may not hold. Machine shops commonly use Heli-coils for repairing damaged or missing threads, however Heli-Coils are not the best repair in this instance.
The Heli-Coil is a thin coil that can fail due to the stress of cylinder compression and the fact that only a few threads are used to secure the spark plug. With this particular Ford spark plug problem, one of the best specialty tool inserts available is the CAL389-100 (much thicker than the Heli-Coil brand), it can be used in the vehicle saving down time and expense, the kit that it comes in has a short instructional DVD. Read on for Ford's latest spark plug problem.
Broken Spark Plugs.
Ford has redesigned the cylinder head on the 5.4 engines used in Ford trucks, Expeditions, Mustangs etc. unfortunately the new design has a different problem. When removing the spark plugs in these newer 5.4 Ford engines the spark plug can break leaving a metal sleeve (electrode shield) in the spark plug hole. The threaded part comes out but the remaining portion stays behind and can be a real nightmare to extract.
Ford has made a removal tool kit, the Rotunda 303-1203 for removing the spark plug sleeve when this break occurs. The Rotunda 303-1203 is a specialty tool that has been in huge demand from many unsuspecting repair shops that were performing regular maintenance on their customer's vehicles. The Ford TSB describes how to try to prevent the break, although the procedure yields less than desirable results.
Spark Plug Blow Outs.
Ford has had a problem with the spark plug threads not holding spark plugs in their 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8 engines for awhile now. The aluminum heads have about five threads holding the spark plugs in place. If the threads fail the spark plug will eject, when it blows out it can break the ignition coil that is positioned over each plug. Ford does not recommend repairing the threads, they would rather the entire cylinder head be replaced with a head from Ford. Beware of purchasing a rebuilt head due to blowouts being so common, chances are the rebuilt head may have a repair insert that may not hold. Machine shops commonly use Heli-coils for repairing damaged or missing threads, however Heli-Coils are not the best repair in this instance.
The Heli-Coil is a thin coil that can fail due to the stress of cylinder compression and the fact that only a few threads are used to secure the spark plug. With this particular Ford spark plug problem, one of the best specialty tool inserts available is the CAL389-100 (much thicker than the Heli-Coil brand), it can be used in the vehicle saving down time and expense, the kit that it comes in has a short instructional DVD. Read on for Ford's latest spark plug problem.
Broken Spark Plugs.
Ford has redesigned the cylinder head on the 5.4 engines used in Ford trucks, Expeditions, Mustangs etc. unfortunately the new design has a different problem. When removing the spark plugs in these newer 5.4 Ford engines the spark plug can break leaving a metal sleeve (electrode shield) in the spark plug hole. The threaded part comes out but the remaining portion stays behind and can be a real nightmare to extract.
Ford has made a removal tool kit, the Rotunda 303-1203 for removing the spark plug sleeve when this break occurs. The Rotunda 303-1203 is a specialty tool that has been in huge demand from many unsuspecting repair shops that were performing regular maintenance on their customer's vehicles. The Ford TSB describes how to try to prevent the break, although the procedure yields less than desirable results.
Ford has had a problem with the spark plug threads not holding spark plugs in their 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8 engines for awhile now. The aluminum heads have about five threads holding the spark plugs in place. If the threads fail the spark plug will eject, when it blows out it can break the ignition coil that is positioned over each plug. Ford does not recommend repairing the threads, they would rather the entire cylinder head be replaced with a head from Ford. Beware of purchasing a rebuilt head due to blowouts being so common, chances are the rebuilt head may have a repair insert that may not hold. Machine shops commonly use Heli-coils for repairing damaged or missing threads, however Heli-Coils are not the best repair in this instance.
The Heli-Coil is a thin coil that can fail due to the stress of cylinder compression and the fact that only a few threads are used to secure the spark plug. With this particular Ford spark plug problem, one of the best specialty tool inserts available is the CAL389-100 (much thicker than the Heli-Coil brand), it can be used in the vehicle saving down time and expense, the kit that it comes in has a short instructional DVD. Read on for Ford's latest spark plug problem.
Broken Spark Plugs.
Ford has redesigned the cylinder head on the 5.4 engines used in Ford trucks, Expeditions, Mustangs etc. unfortunately the new design has a different problem. When removing the spark plugs in these newer 5.4 Ford engines the spark plug can break leaving a metal sleeve (electrode shield) in the spark plug hole. The threaded part comes out but the remaining portion stays behind and can be a real nightmare to extract.
Ford has made a removal tool kit, the Rotunda 303-1203 for removing the spark plug sleeve when this break occurs. The Rotunda 303-1203 is a specialty tool that has been in huge demand from many unsuspecting repair shops that were performing regular maintenance on their customer's vehicles. The Ford TSB describes how to try to prevent the break, although the procedure yields less than desirable results.
More and more Ford mechanics and technicians are siding with consumers, charging that the troubled automaker is fully aware of a major flaw in Ford engines that causes the power plant to spit out spark plugs at random and without warning.
They complain that Ford is covering up the defect while squeezing and short-changing technicians and mechanics tasked with repairing the problem for Ford consumers.
The trouble is, no one is listening to the warning and Ford continues to stonewall and cover up the spit spark plug hazard, according to Ford technicians and mechanics.
Ford did not respond to requests for comment.
Read more:
They complain that Ford is covering up the defect while squeezing and short-changing technicians and mechanics tasked with repairing the problem for Ford consumers.
The trouble is, no one is listening to the warning and Ford continues to stonewall and cover up the spit spark plug hazard, according to Ford technicians and mechanics.
Ford did not respond to requests for comment.
Read more:
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Ford dealers and customer service reps still insist to some customers that the expensive engine flaw is a rare occurrence, reacting as though they had never heard of a Ford truck with a blown spark plug before.
The owner of a 2000 Ford F-350 equipped with the V-10 Titan engine and 79,413 miles on the odometer said he received that runaround from Ford.
Last week the number 4 spark plug on the driver's side blew out of the head, he wrote. Called Ford customer service and they act like I'm the first one to have this happen.
Faced with angry customers paying expensive repair bills many Ford dealers are conceding there is a problem with the truck engines.
One Ford owner in Panama City, Florida received both stories. Ford pretended the spit spark plug problem did not exist. His dealer was more forthcoming.
My local Ford dealer tells me they are averaging 3 or 4 vehicles per week with the blown or broken spark plug issue, the Florida man said.
Book value
The continuing problem with Ford engines blowing spark plugs strongly suggests a used Ford truck, especially a Ford truck from the 1999 to 2003 model years, is a risky purchase. Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/05/ford_spark_plugs.html#ixzz10aUH5vdK <http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/05/ford_spark_plugs.html>
The owner of a 2000 Ford F-350 equipped with the V-10 Titan engine and 79,413 miles on the odometer said he received that runaround from Ford.
Last week the number 4 spark plug on the driver's side blew out of the head, he wrote. Called Ford customer service and they act like I'm the first one to have this happen.
Faced with angry customers paying expensive repair bills many Ford dealers are conceding there is a problem with the truck engines.
One Ford owner in Panama City, Florida received both stories. Ford pretended the spit spark plug problem did not exist. His dealer was more forthcoming.
My local Ford dealer tells me they are averaging 3 or 4 vehicles per week with the blown or broken spark plug issue, the Florida man said.
Book value
The continuing problem with Ford engines blowing spark plugs strongly suggests a used Ford truck, especially a Ford truck from the 1999 to 2003 model years, is a risky purchase. Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/05/ford_spark_plugs.html#ixzz10aUH5vdK <http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/05/ford_spark_plugs.html>
