Blew out a spark plug

[Greenman]

My old reliable F150 finally went tits up, blew out a plug as I was pulling in my driveway. I really thought it was going to make 300k without a major problem.
I just ordered the Time-sert repair kit, any of you used it? I need this truck to run for 3 more months, then it can go into semi-retirement.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

That sucks. I've heard the ford aluminum heads can have these problems but not seen it first hand. Also heard the heli coil kit is an option but you have already ordered time sert.

Did the whole plug come out? Do you have to do any extraction?

 

[Greenman]

That sucks. I've heard the ford aluminum heads can have these problems but not seen it first hand. Also heard the heli coil kit is an option but you have already ordered time sert.

Did the whole plug come out? Do you have to do any extraction?

The ford 4.6, 5.4, and the 6. something are notorious for blowing plugs. I guess I've been lucky, I made it 260K without blowing one out.
It didn't come all the way out because the coil pack sits on top of it, though it did break the mount on the coil pack.
I did a lot of reading and the Time-sert appears to be a better setup than the helicoil. It certainly costs enough, the kit is $409, plus the expedited overnight shipping is another $85.
I really need this to work, I can't just go buy a new truck because all they sell now are SUV's, 4 door short bed trucks with an astonishing amount of useless garbage, and about the same towing capacity as a Honda Civic. Anything that will work for me has to be ordered.

 

[pauldun170]

The ford 4.6, 5.4, and the 6. something are notorious for blowing plugs. I guess I've been lucky, I made it 260K without blowing one out.
It didn't come all the way out because the coil pack sits on top of it, though it did break the mount on the coil pack.
I did a lot of reading and the Time-sert appears to be a better setup than the helicoil. It certainly costs enough, the kit is $409, plus the expedited overnight shipping is another $85.
I really need this to work, I can't just go buy a new truck because all they sell now are SUV's, 4 door short bed trucks with an astonishing amount of useless garbage, and about the same towing capacity as a Honda Civic. Anything that will work for me has to be ordered.

From what I've heard from other Ford owners over the years who had this issue,
The time-sert kit was worth every penny.
As other plugs blew they were able to get the job quicker each time (practice makes perfect)
The various Mustangs, F150's involved continued to serve the owners well long after the repair.

Not one person regreted the repair or purchasing the kit.

 

[JCH13]

I've used a TIMESERT kit with JLee to fix exhaust studs on his MR2. Works like a charm. Just be careful, go slow, use a good grease to catch chips from tapping, and use a good grease or motor oil for the thread rolling portion. Gotta keep things nice and lubricated at all times...

 

[Greenman]

I've used a TIMESERT kit with JLee to fix exhaust studs on his MR2. Works like a charm. Just be careful, go slow, use a good grease to catch chips from tapping, and use a good grease or motor oil for the thread rolling portion. Gotta keep things nice and lubricated at all times...

Good advice for re-tapping a spark plug, and for any young man in general.

 

[JCH13]

Good advice for re-tapping a spark plug, and for any young man in general.

Basically tapping of any sort.



:awe:

 

[Greenman]

From what I've heard from other Ford owners over the years who had this issue,
The time-sert kit was worth every penny.
As other plugs blew they were able to get the job quicker each time (practice makes perfect)
The various Mustangs, F150's involved continued to serve the owners well long after the repair.

Not one person regreted the repair or purchasing the kit.

That seems to be the general consensus. The kit is pricey, but a bargain compared to replacing the head. Along with that, it seems near pointless to do major repairs on an engine with 260k on it. A crate motor would be the obvious choice, then start sweating about how long the tranny is going to last.
I'm going to have to quit procrastinating and order a new truck pretty soon.

 

[Greenman]

To wind up this thread. I got the kit, it's not as easy as they make it sound because you're working blind, but it worked. The truck is running, now it's just a matter of seeing if it's a long term repair.

 

[Squisher]

This thread gave me anxiety. I have to change the #4 plug. I truly hate the F150 V8 setup when it comes to the back plugs.

 

[boomerang]

To wind up this thread. I got the kit, it's not as easy as they make it sound because you're working blind, but it worked. The truck is running, now it's just a matter of seeing if it's a long term repair.

I'm not trying to be a dick when I ask this but how do you justify the cost of the kit? Do you expect to get that much more usage out of it?

I love tools and rarely skimp on their purchase but the cost of that would have me shopping for prices to get the work performed somewhere.

 

[pauldun170]

To wind up this thread. I got the kit, it's not as easy as they make it sound because you're working blind, but it worked. The truck is running, now it's just a matter of seeing if it's a long term repair.

The one you repaired should be a permanently fixed.
Now you just have to wait for the other ones to pop

 

[pauldun170]

I'm not trying to be a dick when I ask this but how do you justify the cost of the kit? Do you expect to get that much more usage out of it?

I love tools and rarely skimp on their purchase but the cost of that would have me shopping for prices to get the work performed somewhere.

Cost of timesert kit vs Cost of Alternatives
seems like a no-brainer

 

[Greenman]

I'm not trying to be a dick when I ask this but how do you justify the cost of the kit? Do you expect to get that much more usage out of it?

I love tools and rarely skimp on their purchase but the cost of that would have me shopping for prices to get the work performed somewhere.

I'm a contractor, I need my truck every day. When it's not working, I'm not working. The options were repair it myself (shop couldn't get to it for a couple days), or go buy a new one. The timing is bad for a new one right now, and I wouldn't be able to get what I really want as it has to be ordered. All things considered, $500 was cheap, I'd have spent a thousand without blinking an eye, two thousand wouldn't have been out of the question.

This did make me realize that I have to order my new truck this month, as it won't be delivered for twelve weeks.

 

[Greenman]

The one you repaired should be a permanently fixed.
Now you just have to wait for the other ones to pop

But now I'm set, I can fix them in about an hour and a half each.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

This thread gave me anxiety. I have to change the #4 plug. I truly hate the F150 V8 setup when it comes to the back plugs.

Ways to mitigate the risk:

Motorcraft/autolite plugs only
tiny amounts of anti sieze
reverse spin when seating new plugs to ensure no cross threading
torque to spec
Pull fuel rail, it gives you a more direct shot at the plug holes. Yes I know you don't HAVE to but when you go to do torque specs having swivel joints between your wrench and the plug causes problems being in spec.

Good luck. I feel your anxiety. I've done a few 4.6 2v's and have one on deck for this weekend. So far I've not had a problem following the guidance above.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

But now I'm set, I can fix them in about an hour and a half each.

Glad it worked out.