1999f1504x4

so i went to the dealership the other day and told them im changing the plugs on my 1999 f150 4x4 and i needed the ford plugs for it.

so they gave me the plugs i got the spark plug code thing from my "any advice" post i added earlier so i made sure i got the right ones.

so i was told in that post that they need to be torqued to 28 ft lbs dry after installing them so just for s**ts and giggles i thought i would ask them what they thought.

their response:

just snuggem up lol. then he looked at the specs and told me 13 ft/lbs. so i told him that i was told to put them at 28 ft/lbs and he said best of luck getting a torque wrench in there.

and i keep getting told from other people that ill strip it if i torque it to 28.

and all the people that are telling me not to torque them do not own f150's especially a 5.4.

TheJMC

This will add confusion to your thoughts. I use anti seize on mine and I tighten them by feel. I do not use any swivel or universal joints on the extension either. I have seen numerous threads on other boards toating the 28 number. BTW, the engine in my truck is out of a 99.

jhelrey

Like he said, good luck getting a torque wrench in there.

jameslleary

Whenever I replace plugs in an aluminum head, I usually warm the engine to Operating temp, and then replace the plugs using a short handled ratchet. By all means, use a little anti-seize, start the first few threads by hand, then you can feel when the plug bottoms out on its seat/gasket, then I try to get another 8th of a turn out of it. The shorter ratchet reduces the leverage, so you have less of a chance of stripping it out.

otto457

That dealership has probably fixed a fair share of blow outs from plugs too. Hmmm and they still can't figure out the reason. PI heads are tested to over 100 ft/lbs of torque, so either you're a gorilla, the heads are warm, or the plugs are cross threaded to strip the heads.

Ford never changed the torque spec from 13 and there's still blow outs today. The anti seize acts as a lubricant when tightening. As long as they're tight, it's your call on it but Motorcraft plugs are nickel coated so there's really no need for it.

http://blownoutsparkplug.com/

xmustangloverx

Whats the big deal? Just snug them down. I've done tons of these plugs, including my own truck, and have never had one blow out or cause problems. I always use antiseize too. You're putting spark plugs in, not performing a heart transplant.

AFSOCSGT

No problem here either, I have done at least 5 trucks, I use anti seize due to being close to the sal****er. Year of working on Aircraft has shown me what contact between different metals and sal****er can do. Another this is I use a small tube hooked to my vaccum and suck all of the crap out from around the plug prior to pulling it, and after to minimize contanimation. The I use the ole elbow torque.

1999f1504x4

Well got the plugs done, took me a few hours cause I dropped so many tools but the plugs weren't that bad. Rear two are by far the worst, thanks everyone for ur help.