I have been reading on here about how big of a pain changing the spark plugs can turn into if they break. I know about using the lisle tool if this happens. I read somewhere that the 2008 are not as bad because Ford took steps to make it easier after having trouble with earlier years in this generation. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

 

What engine do you have

 

5.4

 

What color are your COP boots ? Black or brown ?

 

black

 

You sure ?? Black boots you have the old heads...brown boots you have the re-designed heads...motors built after 10/07 have the new heads...look for an engine build date on a sticker on your valve cover.. if the brown boots are really dirty ...they may look black.. if you have the old heads your gonna need some special tools to remove your plugs if it has never been done before.. The new heads require a normal plug swap with SP509's

 

they might be brown just appear black. My engine bay stays filthy/dusty/dirty due to my line of work. It is original engine, so should be the brown boots/new heads

 

If so...piece of cake..normal plug change..

 

I just double checked, and after cleaning them off, they still look black? However, on the top of them someone has wrote with a paint pen 1,2,3... etc. My question is, are they like this from the factory? Or could the previous owner had them replaced and they were replaced with black ones instead of the factory brown?

 

If you have the re-designed heads you have to use the brown boots...the black ones will not fit. Look for the sticker on your valve cover and see the engine build date. You could have an older build motor..