Call me lucky...plug blew out

[Little Red]

Well I found out my fast idle issues was a stuck IAC. Some Kroil and brake cleaner fixed that. I went to the bank 3 miles away and on the way home I backed off the gas in town now to make a turn and I heard a pop and then a loud exhaust leak and miss.So I parked the truck until I can get to it and had to move it last Fri. (2nd) and a power steering line blew. I just fixed that this AM and discovered my #4 plug was laying sideways compared to the rest.What causes this? Faulty installation? I mentioned the previous owner replaced the plugs. Is the hole usually done? What's the fix? Helicoil? What a bear it will be to get at and we only have 2 more days of good weather predicted here in Pa. before winter comes back. I have to work in the driveway. If I find a sucker for punishment I might have him fix it but I don't want to trust someone else to do it right. Any help will be appreciated. Maybe I'll do an article on it.


2000 F150....4.6

 

[adsm08]

It is a quite common issue caused by the threads being too short.

Helicoil is the best solution, those or time-serts but I haven't used one of those on a spark plug hole before.

 

[shane96ranger]

Maybe you'll get lucky and find the PO didn't tighten them down well enough. But, I would guess you are going to have to repair it. I sure hope I don't ever have to do this. I actually read on a Mustang page to only use the timesert repair because the helicoil can cause detonation from creating a hot-spot.

Did you hear a "tick" prior to blowout? That is supposed to be a sign that they need to be re-tightened.

 

[adsm08]

Ford has approved Helicoil for non-warranty repair of the head. Under warranty they still require head replacement. That means it is good enough, but not perfect.

 

[shane96ranger]

Ford has approved Helicoil for non-warranty repair of the head. Under warranty they still require head replacement. That means it is good enough, but not perfect.

I'd still be OK with it then - if it's good enough for Ford, it's good enough for me. I've never used a timesert at all, but I've used helicoils several times. That's all we use on the machines at work - and I've never seen one fail.

Do you know if the Windsor or Romeo is more prone to blowout?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Do you know if the Windsor or Romeo is more prone to blowout?

Since 4.6's are not really as noted for doing it as the 5.4's and 6.8's which are considered Windsors while most 4.6's are Romeos... if I had to bet it would be the Windsors are more prone.

Both not tight enough and too tight will do it.

I have a helicoil in one of my tractors... it is a cast iron head though.

 

[adsm08]

I'd still be OK with it then - if it's good enough for Ford, it's good enough for me. I've never used a timesert at all, but I've used helicoils several times. That's all we use on the machines at work - and I've never seen one fail.

Believe it or not I have only used one helicoil in my life, and never a timesert. I generally prefer to drill the hole to the next size and re-tap, when viable. I also have a very low rate of bolt breakage, and most of the early Tritons had been fixed by the time I got to that level.

Since 4.6's are not really as noted for doing it as the 5.4's and 6.8's which are considered Windsors while most 4.6's are Romeos... if I had to bet it would be the Windsors are more prone.

I have seen a fairly even distribution across the three engines. I think I have seen a few more 6.8s do it, but I think people tend to beat on those a hair harder.

 

[Little Red]

It's a Romeo.I guess there ain't a workable plug with bigger dia. threads? Shane, I didn't hear a thing beforehand and when I had the #7 coil problem the 2 I took out were pretty snug. I bet he fouled up on the #4. It ran like a new truck and then.... Whammo! I had that great feeling that everything was back to normal and then I got kicked in the sack again. Is there a special kit for plug thread repair for these motors? I deal w/NAPA 99 and 44/100th of a % of the time.I put a Heli-coil in a 350 Chevy head bolt hole in the late 70's and repaired a plug hole in my chainsaw but the kits had short taps and drill bits. The depth of the plug hole is my concern.I even have a thread chaser but I know it's too short.I happened to ask the counter man yesterday when I bought my power steering line and he never heard of a Ford blowing out plugs. Well I got something to tell him. I need a new coil too. I'd get rid of it after I fix this deal but it'll be like a new truck until something else blows up! Tranny cooler lines look next. I'll carry lots of rubber hose + clamps and a gal. of fluid around with me. A guy at work told me once,"You get a Ford wrench (monkey wrench,not Crescent) and a piece of cardboard to lay on with every Ford you buy." He's right with this one but the PO must have wore his out,I have to supply my own. LOL

 

[kunar]

Dorman 42025
http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-317...parttype=Spark%20Plug%20Thread%20Repair%20Kit

 

[shane96ranger]

I have seen a picture of a timesert kit that is supposed to be for the mod motors specifically. Don't know about the helicoil brand/type.

How many miles are on your truck? Mine has 209,000 now. FWIW, I used anti seize on my plugs.

Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

 

[adsm08]

Timesert kit:

http://www.timesert.com/html/triton_repair.html

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

"You get a Ford wrench (monkey wrench,not Crescent) and a piece of cardboard to lay on with every Ford you buy." He's right with this one but the PO must have wore his out,I have to supply my own. LOL

Actually way back when you used to get a really neat tool kit (including a monkey wrench) with your Ford, like back in the Model T days.

 

[adsm08]

You know 85, I was out pounding on my truck this morning, partially driving for fun, partially because she sits too much and needs to roll around a bit, and I was doing a high-throttle 4th gear pull on the highway trying to hit a certain speed where I had a vibration last week, and I was thinking, she's not old, she just needs a little cosmetic work here and there.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You know 85, I was out pounding on my truck this morning, partially driving for fun, partially because she sits too much and needs to roll around a bit, and I was doing a high-throttle 4th gear pull on the highway trying to hit a certain speed where I had a vibration last week, and I was thinking, she's not old, she just needs a little cosmetic work here and there.

That is a modified line out of "Master and Commander" when the captian is trying to convince his friend the doctor that his less than new ship was still viable against a much newer and bigger ship... pretty much the same arguement that comes up about my Ranger vs just about anything else.

Dr. Stephen Maturin: By comparison, the Surprise is a somewhat aged man-o-war. Am I not correct?
Capt. Jack Aubrey: Would you call me an aged man-o-war, doctor? The Surprise is not old; no one would call her old. She has a bluff bow, lovely lines. She's a fine seabird: weatherly, stiff and fast... very fast, if she's well handled. No, she's not old; she's in her prime.

I looked it up, bluff more or less means blunt... which fits a first generation to a t.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

The last time I did a helicoil was on a old merc outboard it is real important to get the new threads good and strait I didnt need to rem it out first I just used the tap 1/2-1 turn at a time. Have a can of axle grease and a rag handy run the tap in a couple threads after dunking the end in axle grease and back it out and wipe the grease off. The grease will catch the shavings just go slow and keep the tap clean and well greased turn 1/4 turn and back out then back in and back out. Get it strait with baby steps use the proper coil and it should be just fine. I allways use the metric crescent wrench much more reliable.