Call me lucky...plug blew out

[Little Red]

Oh yeah, I have a metric Crescent wrench set plus metric hammers. The wrenches actually have the length and opening size forged into them in metric and American. The hammers are forged with metric weight on them. My gem has a little over 200k. I really think the PO messed this one up. I'll try to be carefull w/the tap. Where does the snap off spur go when you break it off w/a heli-coil? Oh, Thanks for the links guys.Very educating.

 

[Little Red]

Well, I ordered a repair kit today and it's supposed to come in tomorrow. I got everything ready to finish the job. I went to put my plug socket on the plug after pulling out the coil in pieces and it didn't come out with the socket. I got a mirror and there was no plug! Just a hole. So, that's what was bouncing around under the truck after the pop I thought to myself. I went around the block after the pop thinking that if it was the plug I might find it. It wasn't around. Oh well. Off to the races tomorrow.

 

[shane96ranger]

I learned a trick to not buggering the threads on the mod motors when inserting plugs. Use a piece of hose and insert the plug in the end. Use that to start the plug. If you stick these in with a socket, you have the extra leverage of a ratchet and it may not feel too bad before it's too late. I also used anti-seize (may have mentioned that already).

EDIT: Also, IIRC, Ford spec is 13 ft. lb torque on the plugs......

Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

 

[Little Red]

Yeah, I done the hose trick years ago. I got the threads fixed today and am waiting for the Loctite to cure. I ain't gonna rush it. Then I'll put in the plug and coil tomorrow and rock and roll.It wasn't that bad so far. It was the unknown that was intimidating. Maybe I shouldn't chirp yet. The hardest part was getting my big fat body close enough up in there for my arms to reach. I stood on a milk crate. When I was younger I'd have crawled up over the grill and layed on the motor to do this. Too old now for that.

 

[shane96ranger]

Yeah, I done the hose trick years ago. I got the threads fixed today and am waiting for the Loctite to cure. I ain't gonna rush it. Then I'll put in the plug and coil tomorrow and rock and roll.It wasn't that bad so far. It was the unknown that was intimidating. Maybe I shouldn't chirp yet. The hardest part was getting my big fat body close enough up in there for my arms to reach. I stood on a milk crate. When I was younger I'd have crawled up over the grill and layed on the motor to do this. Too old now for that.

I had a hard time reaching as well, and I'm 6' 3". I stood on my ramps when I worked on mine. My buddy did head gaskets on an '01 with a 5.4 a while back, and he took the front tires off and put it about 2 inches from the ground. That was a really decent height for it.

 

[Little Red]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Well another setback. I gave the loctite 24 hrs to cure but I left the socket on the adapter because I used tape to hold it on so the adapter wouldn't fall out of the socket and then the socket wouldn't come off the adapter. So I said I'll get it later. Well 2 days later I finally got the socket off the adapter. Seems the Locktite got on it and locked it to the plug well.I ended up putting an extension in the socket and heating it cherry red ... Twice. A hook made from a welding rod was of no use.The ext.was ruined so I put another one on and it would pull out just as before. So... I said I'm taking the whole darned thing out and starting all over. I got everything out and guess what. The adapter never got threaded into the plug hole. There wasn't a chip of alum. on it and the Loctite was still wet.I don't know what it was stopping at for me to torque it down. I am totally livid!!!!! Next I'm gonna put the plug in the adapter and screw everything in at one time by the plug and I better feel threads being cut or I'm gonna do something stupid. Good thing none of my neighbors came over to tell me to shut up.This trucks going bye-bye when I get it running. I'm sick of this thing.I'll buy an Obama motors truck if I have to.

 

[Fordisthebest30]

i did itrecently on an 89 mazda. It worked great.
What i did is i greased the hell out of the tap (catches most of the shavings that would go into the head) and gently tapped it with a 3/8s ratchet and the die the heliocoil kit came with. Lock tighted the helio and spin it into place. my Diesel Mechanic friend "blew" chunks out of keeping it open and cranking the motor. All is well now and it only took 30 mins.I would let it sit overnight or at least for a few hours before you try and go anywhere with it. Otherwise it works great. I sold the truck and still see it driving around every now and then.