Bamamav
Well-known member
Got a 05 Expedition with the 3 valve 5.4, had a "mechanic" put a new set of Motorcraft plugs in it about last November. These are the infamous ones that are known to break off in the head, so I didn't trust myself to change them. So, about a month ago, had a misfire start, I figured a bad coil, replaced it, nope, pulled the plug, no electrode on it! Figured it was a fluke, a bad one got through, took it back to O'reilly's and got them to replace it, 2 year warranty, no big deal. Put it in, everything was hunky dory. Then last week, another misfire, different cylinder. Ordered a couple of coils and a plug from Rock Auto, waited on it to come in. Put a coil on Thursday, still a miss, so pulled the plug , it to had lost the electrode. Put the new plug in and the new coil, good to go again.....
Wife drove it about 30 miles, ck engine light back on, another misfire! This time, it was the plug next to that one. So Sat, I went and got a warranty replacement on the other one I had just taken out, and bought a spare, just in case...
In my internet searches, I found out if the plugs aren't properly torqued down, it allows extra air to pe pulled into the cylinder and lean the mixture, torching the plug. The last plug was finger tight! I didn't even have to use the ratchet to break it loose! So, for chits and giggles, I checked a couple more of them, both turned a quarter turn. Apparently the "mechanic" just snugged them down, never torquing them.
The two I haven't checked are a mofo to get to, I'm hoping they are tight enough. Going to run it and see, if they do go bad I will man up and do them, but I dread the heck out of it. Good thing is they all have came out real good and screwed back in good, so I don't fear breaking one as bad, t's just all the stuff in the way making access almost impossible. Stupid design with half the engine under the damn cowl like that!
Took a couple of hours, laying on my belly across the fender and radiator to do them, just killed my day.
Wife drove it about 30 miles, ck engine light back on, another misfire! This time, it was the plug next to that one. So Sat, I went and got a warranty replacement on the other one I had just taken out, and bought a spare, just in case...
In my internet searches, I found out if the plugs aren't properly torqued down, it allows extra air to pe pulled into the cylinder and lean the mixture, torching the plug. The last plug was finger tight! I didn't even have to use the ratchet to break it loose! So, for chits and giggles, I checked a couple more of them, both turned a quarter turn. Apparently the "mechanic" just snugged them down, never torquing them.
The two I haven't checked are a mofo to get to, I'm hoping they are tight enough. Going to run it and see, if they do go bad I will man up and do them, but I dread the heck out of it. Good thing is they all have came out real good and screwed back in good, so I don't fear breaking one as bad, t's just all the stuff in the way making access almost impossible. Stupid design with half the engine under the damn cowl like that!
Took a couple of hours, laying on my belly across the fender and radiator to do them, just killed my day.