2004 spark plugs HELP!!!!
07-29-2007, 12:41 AM
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2004 spark plugs HELP!!!!
Okay, I have been a diehard Ford fan my entire life. I grew up in a Ford family, but I have to say that this may push me over the edge to turn my back on Ford.
I own a 2004 Ford F150 Lariat Super Crew 4x4 5.4 L 3V Auto. Since I bought the truck back in 2004, I have always bragged about how much I love that truck. I drive a lot, and I have never been more impressed with a half ton truck than I was with this 2004 model. At this point I have put over 150,000 miles on the truck. A number of small, but reasonable problems have been building up until I decided to just have them all fixed at once. I brought the truck to my local Ford garage so I could be confident that everything was done correctly. I had a somewhat lengthy list and have been pretty good about maintanance except for the tune up because most of the miles were highway.
The list included a recently leaking exhaust manifold that turned out to be cracked, cruise control that quit working because of 2 faulty switches, alignment, oil change, front brake pads and rotors, etc. My mistake was saying, "...and go ahead and change the plugs while your at it." I have never regreted a statement so much in my life. Over a week later, all the problems were fixed except the spark plugs. They had informed me that this was the first 2004 5.4 3v that they had changed the plugs in and it was having problems. He explained that the porcelin grounding electrode shield on the first 2 plugs were stuck in the holes. Ford has apparently come out with a new tool to get this shield out, so they ordered it. It was going to take too long, so they borrowed one from another garage.
Finally, they called me and said, "We've got problems!" The manager went on to explain that they still could not get the porcelin out and they would have to pull the heads! He then added that to pull the heads, they have to pull the engine! Oh crap, I thought. "Okay, are you saying this will cost me more than the total of $2,200 you had estimated for all of this work?"
"Heck ya! It's gonna cost you at least another $1000!" I am not a mechanic, I just know what I like, but are you kidding me? You have to pull the freakin engine to change the plugs? This is the most retarded crap I have ever heard in all of my life! I have not okayed the work yet, because I worry that the less than superb mechaics that work at that garage are either just too stupid to fix it or perhaps that they screwed up messing with stuff they didn't research first and created the problem.
Is this garage trying to screw me? They said the only other option was to chip away the procelin, with a very likely risk of dropping debris on top of the piston! My God, did Ford actually design a motor that needs to be pulled to tune? I need help! What should I do? Is there another option? Did they screw something up?
Please help me, I don't want to hate Ford, but I am extremely angry about this! I am not talking about the 99-2003 spark plugs blowing out problem. I have half a dozen of these trucks in my fleet with no problems. This is on a 2004 3-VALVE 5.4 L.
I own a 2004 Ford F150 Lariat Super Crew 4x4 5.4 L 3V Auto. Since I bought the truck back in 2004, I have always bragged about how much I love that truck. I drive a lot, and I have never been more impressed with a half ton truck than I was with this 2004 model. At this point I have put over 150,000 miles on the truck. A number of small, but reasonable problems have been building up until I decided to just have them all fixed at once. I brought the truck to my local Ford garage so I could be confident that everything was done correctly. I had a somewhat lengthy list and have been pretty good about maintanance except for the tune up because most of the miles were highway.
The list included a recently leaking exhaust manifold that turned out to be cracked, cruise control that quit working because of 2 faulty switches, alignment, oil change, front brake pads and rotors, etc. My mistake was saying, "...and go ahead and change the plugs while your at it." I have never regreted a statement so much in my life. Over a week later, all the problems were fixed except the spark plugs. They had informed me that this was the first 2004 5.4 3v that they had changed the plugs in and it was having problems. He explained that the porcelin grounding electrode shield on the first 2 plugs were stuck in the holes. Ford has apparently come out with a new tool to get this shield out, so they ordered it. It was going to take too long, so they borrowed one from another garage.
Finally, they called me and said, "We've got problems!" The manager went on to explain that they still could not get the porcelin out and they would have to pull the heads! He then added that to pull the heads, they have to pull the engine! Oh crap, I thought. "Okay, are you saying this will cost me more than the total of $2,200 you had estimated for all of this work?"
"Heck ya! It's gonna cost you at least another $1000!" I am not a mechanic, I just know what I like, but are you kidding me? You have to pull the freakin engine to change the plugs? This is the most retarded crap I have ever heard in all of my life! I have not okayed the work yet, because I worry that the less than superb mechaics that work at that garage are either just too stupid to fix it or perhaps that they screwed up messing with stuff they didn't research first and created the problem.
Is this garage trying to screw me? They said the only other option was to chip away the procelin, with a very likely risk of dropping debris on top of the piston! My God, did Ford actually design a motor that needs to be pulled to tune? I need help! What should I do? Is there another option? Did they screw something up?
Please help me, I don't want to hate Ford, but I am extremely angry about this! I am not talking about the 99-2003 spark plugs blowing out problem. I have half a dozen of these trucks in my fleet with no problems. This is on a 2004 3-VALVE 5.4 L.
08-28-2007, 05:31 PM
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Dude...I have the EXACT same problem!!! (same year truck...same engine) My problem was that I was just getting the routine 90k mile service (promptly at 100k miles). Of course the spark plug change is recommended by Ford at this time...and if you call the local ford rep in your area he/she will tell you that since your truck has such high mileage...there isnt a lot that they can do. I think that the best thing people like us can do is get all of our complaints together and take them to Ford. We need to find MORE people with the same problem
08-28-2007, 10:08 PM
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Update
Okay, thanks guys for the response. I was aware that there was a TSB for this problem already. I was also aware that Ford is making a special tool to remove these broken plugs. I finally got my truck back, after another week and a half. As it turns out, this is the first 2004 spark plug change this Ford garage has ever done. The TSB clearly states to "not use power tools to remove plugs", along with other preventional warnings about the breaking tip of the plug. This stupid garage does not even bother with any TSB reports until they actually have a problem. I insisted that they check for TSB reports on this situation because they told me that they did not have any. They updated with Ford, and what do you know? There is a load of information on this exact problem.
In the end, they had broken every plug on the left bank before they stopped. They could only pull one of the tips out with the special tool from Ford, which they had to borrow from another dealer. I had to wait for their best mechanic to get back from vacation and then he put air pressure in the cylinder and proceeded chipping away the procelin until he could get the special tool to grab the metal enough to get it out. Finally, the left bank plugs were changed...with a newly designed plug...huh? The final price was exacly what they had estimated to me in the beginning. However...they didn't even mess with the right bank at all. All the plugs in the right bank are still there. What a load of crap. I would expect that as the thousands of 2004 F150 owners bring their trucks in over the next couple of years, Ford is going to have to give an answer besides making a special tool that really doesn't help that much anyway.
I think the whole problem is that Ford keeps hiring these "new" engineers...no doubt right out of college. They come up with all of these ways to increase performance, but they don't have the experience to know the basics of a bad idea. I don't know what is wrong with the pre-1999 plugs that they had to make some that blew out, or what genius decided that they should go to the other extreme so that you can't get them out at all in 2004. I am still proud to be a Ford owner. I will sell this truck ASAP before the old plugs start fouling, but that will be the new owners problem. I know Ford is trying, I just wish they tried to be a little bit smarter. I hope someone got fired over this whole design flaw thing though. I am pretty sure they changed the design in 2005, so newer truck owners don't need to worry.
If you do have a 2004...dump it or at least get the plugs changed ASAP and make them look up the TSB BEFORE they even touch your plugs. There is a solution that they are also making to soak the on the plugs before even attempted taking them out.
Good luck to all with this problem.
In the end, they had broken every plug on the left bank before they stopped. They could only pull one of the tips out with the special tool from Ford, which they had to borrow from another dealer. I had to wait for their best mechanic to get back from vacation and then he put air pressure in the cylinder and proceeded chipping away the procelin until he could get the special tool to grab the metal enough to get it out. Finally, the left bank plugs were changed...with a newly designed plug...huh? The final price was exacly what they had estimated to me in the beginning. However...they didn't even mess with the right bank at all. All the plugs in the right bank are still there. What a load of crap. I would expect that as the thousands of 2004 F150 owners bring their trucks in over the next couple of years, Ford is going to have to give an answer besides making a special tool that really doesn't help that much anyway.
I think the whole problem is that Ford keeps hiring these "new" engineers...no doubt right out of college. They come up with all of these ways to increase performance, but they don't have the experience to know the basics of a bad idea. I don't know what is wrong with the pre-1999 plugs that they had to make some that blew out, or what genius decided that they should go to the other extreme so that you can't get them out at all in 2004. I am still proud to be a Ford owner. I will sell this truck ASAP before the old plugs start fouling, but that will be the new owners problem. I know Ford is trying, I just wish they tried to be a little bit smarter. I hope someone got fired over this whole design flaw thing though. I am pretty sure they changed the design in 2005, so newer truck owners don't need to worry.
If you do have a 2004...dump it or at least get the plugs changed ASAP and make them look up the TSB BEFORE they even touch your plugs. There is a solution that they are also making to soak the on the plugs before even attempted taking them out.
Good luck to all with this problem.
09-01-2007, 02:00 PM
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The problem is Ford over-enginered the plug - in my opinion. The plugs were blowing out so they made damn sure they wouldn't - but created another problem.
I just had my 90K service - I will check if they changed the plugs!
I just had my 90K service - I will check if they changed the plugs!
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09-01-2007, 10:46 PM
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Holy crap, guys!!! As I was reading his problem, I was hoping that was an isolated incident. To say the least...that goes above and beyond sucking.
So I'm assuming Ford has corrected this problem on vehicles after that 04 fiasco, right?!?
So I'm assuming Ford has corrected this problem on vehicles after that 04 fiasco, right?!?
