Finished (Almost) Spark Plug Replacement
09-30-2012, 08:19 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Finished (Almost) Spark Plug Replacement
Greetings. I thought I'd do a write up on my experience with my spark plug replacement.
First off, I have to give credit to Kozal01 for his help. If it weren't for you, brother, I would've send it off to the dealer and been out a s**tload of cash. Probably will still send it off for the #8 but we'll see.
Second of all, gather all your tools before you even attempt to do this job. Make absolutely certain you have carb cleaner/PB blaster, the Lisle spark plug tool, all sorts of 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch sockets, universal joints, extensions, ratchets and finally air tools! I did this entire job with air tools and it saved a lot of time.
This is my procedure. I started the truck and let it run until it hit operating temp. Then I shut it off, removed the battery cover by disconnecting both negative (first) and positive battery cables. Then I disconnected the three electrical connectors to the ECM/PCM. After that you can zip off the ECM/PCM by removing the four 10mm bolts that hold it in place. Then I remove the three 10mm bolts that hold the bracket in place. Then you remove the vacuum tube as Kozal01 points out. One other thing about this tube is it is very, very fragile so be careful! The coils are held in place by 7mm bolts. Zip 'em all off, remove the coils and be sure to number them! Then use a blowgun to blow all the s**t out of the spark plug holes. You'll see a lot of stuff floating around after you do this. Then spray some carb cleaner or PB blaster and let that b***h soak. This whole process, with air tools will take you about 10 minutes. I then moved to the driver side. I removed the vacuum tube on that side as well, since it was in the way of everything. It too is very fragile so be frikking careful! I zipped off the 7mm bolts that hold them in, pulled them out of the spark plug hole and disconnected them from the electrical connector. And of course, number these. Clean the hole with compressed air again, and let that carb cleaner soak in. I went back to the passenger-side (Bank 1) and took my flex head ratchet and 9/16 deep socket and cracked each spark plug. I would only turn them about 1/4-turn and just work them back and forth. I did that with all 8 spark plugs. I let the engine cool down by waiting for about two hours. Then I took my 3/8-inch impact wrench and with all sorts of U-joints and extensions I zipped off the spark plugs. I did use anti-seize on the new spark plugs (Motorcraft SP515) around the area that is recommended by the Ford TSB. I also put some on the threads to prevent this s**t from ever happening again. Reinstallation of everything is just the reverse order.
Everything went well except I actually rounded the spark plug in Cylinder #8. It is all the way in the back and I guess I must've f**ked it all up. Now I need either a deep socket extractor or send it off to the dealer. That's my mistake.
I must say that this job is very, very doable. Just take your time and don't rush it like I did, and make sure you have all the tools. I broke 5 out of 7 spark plugs that I removed. The Lisle tool was very, very easy to use especially with an impact. Getting the tip off the extractor requires using vise-grips on the spark plug tip and putting the impact wrench on forward (left hand thread) to remove the tip. My spark plugs were seriously seized in there, and while others have accomplished this without requiring the Lisle tool I would still recommend getting one before you start. If you break off the spark plug and you don't have a Lisle tool, you are f**ked.
The one thing I missed was putting di-electric grease on the contact points. I might go back and do when I upgrade my boots.
Ford quoted me $450 for the basic service and $100 per spark plug that breaks off. So for me, that's $950 plus taxes, shop supplies and bulls**t fees. I paid $100 for the plugs from RockAuto and I bought the Lisle tool for $100 shipped off ebay. So $200 and I almost all of it myself. Saving that money was really helpful. So special thanks to Kozal01 for everything. And for everyone else out there, go ahead and do it on your own. It is not nearly as difficult as it seems.
First off, I have to give credit to Kozal01 for his help. If it weren't for you, brother, I would've send it off to the dealer and been out a s**tload of cash. Probably will still send it off for the #8 but we'll see.
Second of all, gather all your tools before you even attempt to do this job. Make absolutely certain you have carb cleaner/PB blaster, the Lisle spark plug tool, all sorts of 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch sockets, universal joints, extensions, ratchets and finally air tools! I did this entire job with air tools and it saved a lot of time.
This is my procedure. I started the truck and let it run until it hit operating temp. Then I shut it off, removed the battery cover by disconnecting both negative (first) and positive battery cables. Then I disconnected the three electrical connectors to the ECM/PCM. After that you can zip off the ECM/PCM by removing the four 10mm bolts that hold it in place. Then I remove the three 10mm bolts that hold the bracket in place. Then you remove the vacuum tube as Kozal01 points out. One other thing about this tube is it is very, very fragile so be careful! The coils are held in place by 7mm bolts. Zip 'em all off, remove the coils and be sure to number them! Then use a blowgun to blow all the s**t out of the spark plug holes. You'll see a lot of stuff floating around after you do this. Then spray some carb cleaner or PB blaster and let that b***h soak. This whole process, with air tools will take you about 10 minutes. I then moved to the driver side. I removed the vacuum tube on that side as well, since it was in the way of everything. It too is very fragile so be frikking careful! I zipped off the 7mm bolts that hold them in, pulled them out of the spark plug hole and disconnected them from the electrical connector. And of course, number these. Clean the hole with compressed air again, and let that carb cleaner soak in. I went back to the passenger-side (Bank 1) and took my flex head ratchet and 9/16 deep socket and cracked each spark plug. I would only turn them about 1/4-turn and just work them back and forth. I did that with all 8 spark plugs. I let the engine cool down by waiting for about two hours. Then I took my 3/8-inch impact wrench and with all sorts of U-joints and extensions I zipped off the spark plugs. I did use anti-seize on the new spark plugs (Motorcraft SP515) around the area that is recommended by the Ford TSB. I also put some on the threads to prevent this s**t from ever happening again. Reinstallation of everything is just the reverse order.
Everything went well except I actually rounded the spark plug in Cylinder #8. It is all the way in the back and I guess I must've f**ked it all up. Now I need either a deep socket extractor or send it off to the dealer. That's my mistake.
I must say that this job is very, very doable. Just take your time and don't rush it like I did, and make sure you have all the tools. I broke 5 out of 7 spark plugs that I removed. The Lisle tool was very, very easy to use especially with an impact. Getting the tip off the extractor requires using vise-grips on the spark plug tip and putting the impact wrench on forward (left hand thread) to remove the tip. My spark plugs were seriously seized in there, and while others have accomplished this without requiring the Lisle tool I would still recommend getting one before you start. If you break off the spark plug and you don't have a Lisle tool, you are f**ked.
The one thing I missed was putting di-electric grease on the contact points. I might go back and do when I upgrade my boots.
Ford quoted me $450 for the basic service and $100 per spark plug that breaks off. So for me, that's $950 plus taxes, shop supplies and bulls**t fees. I paid $100 for the plugs from RockAuto and I bought the Lisle tool for $100 shipped off ebay. So $200 and I almost all of it myself. Saving that money was really helpful. So special thanks to Kozal01 for everything. And for everyone else out there, go ahead and do it on your own. It is not nearly as difficult as it seems.
Last edited by Tradesman; 09-30-2012 at 11:25 PM.
09-30-2012, 08:40 PM
#2
Senior Member
Originally Posted by Tradesman
Greetings. I thought I'd do a write up on my experience with my spark plug replacement.
First off, I have to give credit to Kozal01 for his help. If it weren't for you, brother, I would've send it off to the dealer and been out a s**tload of cash. Probably will still send it off for the #8 but we'll see.
Second of all, gather all your tools before you even attempt to do this job. Make absolutely certain you have carb cleaner/PB blaster, the Lisle spark plug tool, all sorts of 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch sockets, universal joints, extensions, ratchets and finally air tools! I did this entire job with air tools and it saved a lot of time.
This is my procedure. I started the truck and let it run until it hit operating temp. Then I shut it off, removed the battery cover by disconnecting both negative (first) and positive battery cables. Then I disconnected the three electrical connectors to the ECM/PCM. After that you can zip off the ECM/PBM by removing the four 10mm bolts that hold it in place. Then I remove the three 10mm bolts that hold the bracket in place. Then you remove the vacuum tube as Kozal01 points out. One other thing about this tube is it is very, very fragile so be careful! The coils are held in place by 7mm bolts. Zip 'em all off, remove the coils and be sure to number them! Then use a blowgun to blow all the s**t out of the spark plug holes. You'll see a lot of stuff floating around after you do this. Then spray some carb cleaner or PB blaster and let that b***h soak. This whole process, with air tools will take you about 10 minutes. I then moved to the driver side. I removed the vacuum tube on that side as well, since it was in the way of everything. It too is very fragile so be frikking careful! I zipped off the 7mm bolts that hold them in, pulled them out of the spark plug hole and disconnected them from the electrical connector. And of course, number these. Clean the hole with compressed air again, and let that carb cleaner soak in. I went back to the passenger-side (Bank 1) and took my flex head ratchet and 9/16 deep socket and cracked each spark plug. I would only turn them about 1/4-turn and just work them back and forth. I did that with all 8 spark plugs. I let the engine cool down by waiting for about two hours. Then I took my 3/8-inch impact wrench and with all sorts of U-joints and extensions I zipped off the spark plugs. I did use anti-seize on the new spark plugs (Motorcraft SP515) around the area that is recommended by the Ford TSB. I also put some on the threads to prevent this s**t from ever happening again. Reinstallation of everything is just the reverse order.
Everything went well except I actually rounded the spark plug in Cylinder #8. It is all the way in the back and I guess I must've f**ked it all up. Now I need either a deep socket extractor or send it off to the dealer. That's my mistake.
I must say that this job is very, very doable. Just take your time and don't rush it like I did, and make sure you have all the tools. I broke 5 out of 7 spark plugs that I removed. The Lisle tool was very, very easy to use especially with an impact. Getting the tip off the extractor requires using vise-grips on the spark plug tip and putting the impact wrench on forward (left hand thread) to remove the tip. My spark plugs were seriously seized in there, and while others have accomplished this without requiring the Lisle tool I would still recommend getting one before you start. If you break off the spark plug and you don't have a Lisle tool, you are f**ked.
The one thing I missed was putting di-electric grease on the contact points. I might go back and do when I upgrade my boots.
Ford quoted me $450 for the basic service and $100 per spark plug that breaks off. So for me, that's $950 plus taxes, shop supplies and bulls**t fees. I paid $100 for the plugs from RockAuto and I bought the Lisle tool for $100 shipped off ebay. So $200 and I almost all of it myself. Saving that money was really helpful. So special thanks to Kozal01 for everything. And for everyone else out there, go ahead and do it on your own. It is not nearly as difficult as it seems.
First off, I have to give credit to Kozal01 for his help. If it weren't for you, brother, I would've send it off to the dealer and been out a s**tload of cash. Probably will still send it off for the #8 but we'll see.
Second of all, gather all your tools before you even attempt to do this job. Make absolutely certain you have carb cleaner/PB blaster, the Lisle spark plug tool, all sorts of 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch sockets, universal joints, extensions, ratchets and finally air tools! I did this entire job with air tools and it saved a lot of time.
This is my procedure. I started the truck and let it run until it hit operating temp. Then I shut it off, removed the battery cover by disconnecting both negative (first) and positive battery cables. Then I disconnected the three electrical connectors to the ECM/PCM. After that you can zip off the ECM/PBM by removing the four 10mm bolts that hold it in place. Then I remove the three 10mm bolts that hold the bracket in place. Then you remove the vacuum tube as Kozal01 points out. One other thing about this tube is it is very, very fragile so be careful! The coils are held in place by 7mm bolts. Zip 'em all off, remove the coils and be sure to number them! Then use a blowgun to blow all the s**t out of the spark plug holes. You'll see a lot of stuff floating around after you do this. Then spray some carb cleaner or PB blaster and let that b***h soak. This whole process, with air tools will take you about 10 minutes. I then moved to the driver side. I removed the vacuum tube on that side as well, since it was in the way of everything. It too is very fragile so be frikking careful! I zipped off the 7mm bolts that hold them in, pulled them out of the spark plug hole and disconnected them from the electrical connector. And of course, number these. Clean the hole with compressed air again, and let that carb cleaner soak in. I went back to the passenger-side (Bank 1) and took my flex head ratchet and 9/16 deep socket and cracked each spark plug. I would only turn them about 1/4-turn and just work them back and forth. I did that with all 8 spark plugs. I let the engine cool down by waiting for about two hours. Then I took my 3/8-inch impact wrench and with all sorts of U-joints and extensions I zipped off the spark plugs. I did use anti-seize on the new spark plugs (Motorcraft SP515) around the area that is recommended by the Ford TSB. I also put some on the threads to prevent this s**t from ever happening again. Reinstallation of everything is just the reverse order.
Everything went well except I actually rounded the spark plug in Cylinder #8. It is all the way in the back and I guess I must've f**ked it all up. Now I need either a deep socket extractor or send it off to the dealer. That's my mistake.
I must say that this job is very, very doable. Just take your time and don't rush it like I did, and make sure you have all the tools. I broke 5 out of 7 spark plugs that I removed. The Lisle tool was very, very easy to use especially with an impact. Getting the tip off the extractor requires using vise-grips on the spark plug tip and putting the impact wrench on forward (left hand thread) to remove the tip. My spark plugs were seriously seized in there, and while others have accomplished this without requiring the Lisle tool I would still recommend getting one before you start. If you break off the spark plug and you don't have a Lisle tool, you are f**ked.
The one thing I missed was putting di-electric grease on the contact points. I might go back and do when I upgrade my boots.
Ford quoted me $450 for the basic service and $100 per spark plug that breaks off. So for me, that's $950 plus taxes, shop supplies and bulls**t fees. I paid $100 for the plugs from RockAuto and I bought the Lisle tool for $100 shipped off ebay. So $200 and I almost all of it myself. Saving that money was really helpful. So special thanks to Kozal01 for everything. And for everyone else out there, go ahead and do it on your own. It is not nearly as difficult as it seems.
09-30-2012, 11:07 PM
#3
Senior Member
Sounds good! I don't know how the dealers stay in business charging what they do. Just did the spark plugs on my '04 with the 4.6 engine, so it wasn't too bad. Yours has the 5.4?? Surprised me you used air tools to remove the plugs.
09-30-2012, 11:18 PM
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Dealers stay in business because some owners won't and don't do their own maintenance and repair. I had to use air tools to remove the plugs. All my air tools are top notch and were the best at the time I bought them and even then my impact had a hard time zipping off those plugs. If I did it by hand I would have given up.
09-30-2012, 11:25 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Here are some pics to help out:
Here is a pic of the engine bay. Bank 1 is the bank on the left, meaning the passenger side. Bank 2 is on the right, which is the driver side.
Cylinders start closest to the bumper and then move to the firewall.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00615.jpg
I had to remove the battery cover on mine since it was in the way of the lower left hand bolt holding the PCM in place. I had to remove the fuse, some sort of heavy duty cable and then the battery terminal clamps. Be sure to disconnect/reconnect the negative first.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00616.jpg
The ECM/PBM has three main electrical connectors. I numbered mine before disconnecting them. There is a little red adapter piece inside, be sure you do not lose this piece! It can come off easily and fall into the engine bay.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00618.jpg
Here is a picture of the vacuum tube you should remove to gain accessibility. It is the piece that my magnetic pick-up tool is pointing to.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00619.jpg
Here is the actual coil installed in the cylinder head. It is deep in there and there is a bunch of s**t in the way but it is still accessible using a 1/4-inch drive ratchet, universals and extensions.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00620.jpg
Here is the driver-side vacuum tube that you need to remove as well. Be careful these are fragile!
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00621.jpg
Here are some of the tools that you will need. I used practically everything here plus some other stuff I didn't take pictures of.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00622.jpg
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00623.jpg
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00624.jpg
Here is a pic of the engine bay. Bank 1 is the bank on the left, meaning the passenger side. Bank 2 is on the right, which is the driver side.
Cylinders start closest to the bumper and then move to the firewall.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00615.jpg
I had to remove the battery cover on mine since it was in the way of the lower left hand bolt holding the PCM in place. I had to remove the fuse, some sort of heavy duty cable and then the battery terminal clamps. Be sure to disconnect/reconnect the negative first.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00616.jpg
The ECM/PBM has three main electrical connectors. I numbered mine before disconnecting them. There is a little red adapter piece inside, be sure you do not lose this piece! It can come off easily and fall into the engine bay.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00618.jpg
Here is a picture of the vacuum tube you should remove to gain accessibility. It is the piece that my magnetic pick-up tool is pointing to.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00619.jpg
Here is the actual coil installed in the cylinder head. It is deep in there and there is a bunch of s**t in the way but it is still accessible using a 1/4-inch drive ratchet, universals and extensions.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00620.jpg
Here is the driver-side vacuum tube that you need to remove as well. Be careful these are fragile!
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00621.jpg
Here are some of the tools that you will need. I used practically everything here plus some other stuff I didn't take pictures of.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00622.jpg
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00623.jpg
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00624.jpg
09-30-2012, 11:30 PM
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Oh yeah, one more thing. With the proper tools this isn't nearly as difficult or as tedious as replacing all 16 spark plugs on my 5.7 Hemi. Go for it and save some money!
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10-12-2012, 05:10 PM
#8
Senior Member
10-17-2012, 10:23 PM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
So, I rounded the #8 spark plug. What a pain in the ****. I knew how I did it too. I guess the 9/16 socket wasn't sitting flush when I tried to zip it off, and with my impact wrench on max it just f**ked it up. Special thanks to Goldteam for his assistance. He gave me step by step instructions on how not to s**t oneself during this situation. I was able to prevent myself from having to purchase diapers. It still was a b***h of a job on just one plug but I got it out, and all is well. Special credit to Kozal01 for the instructions and Goldteam for the added help!
And now go out and do it on your own, what the f**k are you waiting for? Save yourself some money and make your wife proud!
And now go out and do it on your own, what the f**k are you waiting for? Save yourself some money and make your wife proud!
10-18-2012, 12:27 AM
#10
Senior Member
Haha Most shops probably would have left it in there.... Glad to see you made out good and are a local guy. I live in Vancouver too. Good job on getting it done. I took my truck to a shop and they broke a few and refused to change anymore.... So i fixed the ones they broke and struggled with a few so I took it to a shop for the rest. I can't handle mechanics and this is the only time I have taken my vehicles there and they screwed me over(well maybe not screwed me over... but it was a lot for what spark plugs are supposed to cost...). You probably worked out better than me but I can't leave my truck for a day so I had no choice. We are back in action and that's all that matters. My truck feels great after new plugs and I'm sure yours will too