2000 F150 Triton 5.4L #&*@!! = $$$$$$$

[Scooby074]

Dave

Id change them up ASAP.

THe longer theyre there the more carbon and corrosion that builds up.

When i changed mine at 100k they were well worn.

About liability, the mechanic will be pretty clear that if they break, your paying.

You might get lucky and a shop will take it on, but i doubt it. Too much to lose. Its a real possibility that the heads will have to be pulled it the fouling is severe and the tool wont work.

The local ford dealer pretty much told me that there is a real good chance theyll break, and if they do, its straight time to fix it.

Same thing they said about the leaking exhaust manifold. If the bolts break, straight time to fix. Its pretty common.

 

[CurlyDave]

Dave

Id change them up ASAP.

THe longer theyre there the more carbon and corrosion that builds up...

As much as I believe you are right, my personal situation is that I just got the permit to rebuild my burned-down house in CA. If I can make it through rebuilding and then selling the house my finances will be a lot stronger and I will buy a new truck.

I really need (well at least want really, really bad) one that can tow 10,000 lbs maybe even 11,000.

So, if I can get 120K miles out of the ones in there--poof, the truck is traded in and no longer my worry.

 

[Scooby074]

As much as I believe you are right, my personal situation is that I just got the permit to rebuild my burned-down house in CA. If I can make it through rebuilding and then selling the house my finances will be a lot stronger and I will buy a new truck.

I really need (well at least want really, really bad) one that can tow 10,000 lbs maybe even 11,000.

So, if I can get 120K miles out of the ones in there--poof, the truck is traded in and no longer my worry.

Good answer... Let the next guy worry about it:thumbsup: As im sure you know now, it can get messy (and expensive) in a hurry if you have a bit of bad luck.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Well, put my 2000 F150 in the Quicklube shop today for a very simple thing.... I just wanted the plugs changed out, right? Any decent greasepit mechanic should be able to handle such a simple task, right? Well, get a call at work and the mechanic gave me some news that sent chills throughout my wallet. I think I even puckered up some too, like when your tractor starts leaning over more than you thought it would going on a sidehill!

The first plug he tried to pull out broke off flush with the head. See pic. He said the broken plug looked to be quite rusty. He pulled all 7 of the coil packs off and said far as he could tell everyone of the other 7 plugs looked to be in just as bad of shape. Lots of rust and corrosion down in the plug "well". Ok, I know I probably should have had them changed a LONG time ago. And the place I had them changed at previously might not have used any anti-seize on the plug threads. And just maybe the seals that are on the coil over plug (COP's) packs might have let some condensation in. But, still, this Autolite PLatium Plus plug looks like it's almost rusted through entirely. These are some p*sspoor looking plugs now. Sorry for the bad pic, still haven't learned to macrozoom yet.

Well, the Quicklube shop wasn't equipped to handle such "disasters" so I told him put it all back together and I would get it out of there. Called my local Ford dealer and they said bring it in and let the "experts" take care of it. Yep, they had seen it before. Btw, they wanted $115 to tow it in. I said forget that.

So, I get off work and drive it 19 miles at 55mph with a dead cylinder. (The mechanic did disconnect the fuel injection for that dead cylinder so it wouldn't pump raw gas into the exhaust). The service advisor looked at it and gave me the "oh crap" line. He was thinking the plug might have blown out, but when he saw this plug, it was obviously way worse than that.

This was right at closing so the mechanics will look at it tomorrow. Friends, in all likelihood, they are going to have to PULL BOTH CYLINDER HEADS OFF JUST TO CHANGE OUT A SET OF SPARK PLUGS!!!! Have you ever heard of such?? This simple tuneup might wind up costing me $1000-$2000 dollars!!

Anybody ever had to go through this, or know of someone else that did? Any words of encouragement out there?? This is the sort of thing that makes me think of leaving Ford in the dust and buying another truck brand, but Toyota's having their share of problems right now. I had planned on keeping this truck for a lot longer, in fact I have been setting aside some funds to get it repainted in another month or three. I really don't want to change trucks now, but I hate knowing I could go through this same scenario in another 2-4 years. Would you change trucks in this situation?

A permanent and (relatively) inexpensive solution to your problem...I had a plug blow out on a '99 F350 V10...knew it was a potential problem I didn't want to revisit. I pulled my own heads to investigate...couldn't get the other plugs out, even on the bench and the one that blew out only had 4-5 threads engaging. I called Clearwater Cylinder Head in Clearwater, FL, they specialize in Ford Modular engine heads...gave them my casting numbers and they had a set of rebuilt heads on the shelf...just needed my cores...I sent the cores and $650 and received my new heads in 3 days...they have been ported and polished, 3 angle valve job, new seals and guides (you get the idea, completely rebuilt) and here's the best part...they drill out the spark plug holes and install pinned steel inserts...it's like having cast iron heads again...the plugs seem to have a problem with galvanic corrosion caused by the 2 dissimilar metals which causes the plug seizure. And yes the heads do come with a warranty. Total time invested was approximately 1 day for tear down and replacement, and the cost was around $750 total. $650 for the heads and around $100 for new gaskets, plugs and head bolts (torque to yield...have to be replaced). Did the work myself under the carport and saved a fortune over the $3,750 my local dealer wanted to replace the heads. May work for you?

 

[kebo]

Well, the part about doing the work myself (pulling the heads) won't fly.... I'm just not that much of a mechanic unfortunately. I'm gonna wait and see what happens tomorrow before I decide my next course of action. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[ray66v]

This problem was foreseeable by those of us in the industry, (and anyone with common sense), when manufacturers decided to make plugs that last "forever", and install them in aluminum heads.

While some vehicles have more problems than others, if you decide to leave them in "forever", you gamble with the possibility of them seizing, in almost any vehicle today.

No sane mechanic is going to accept the responsibility for any problems that may arise as a result of your decisions.

I suggest saving yourselves a lot of grief, by going no more than 8 years, or 75k miles, on a set of plugs. Pull them when the engine is warm, and it if your going to use anitseize, make sure you use one with nothing but aluminum in it.

 

[IH3444]

Kroil, Kroil, Kroil

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Kroil, Kroil, Kroil

I once thought Kroil was manufactured by God himself...the heads on the V10 proved me wrong...it's the only time that Kroil has ever failed me.

kebo...got a friend or small garage that would remove the heads for you...it's really not that complicated.

 

[ModMech]

My 01 F150 (4.6L Triton) still has 5 original plugs as I approach 100K miles (97500 now). The other three were replaced when the COPs modules crapped out (#6 at 47200 miles, #7 at 57000 miles, #8 at 73000 miles). At the time these plugs were replaced I had no idea of the problems other Ford owners have had with busted plugs.

I really detest this COPs design and I hate aluminum heads.

The idea of COP is nothing new and almost all gasoline engines use it today. Ford did have a quality problem with them from 2000-2002 however.

As with COPs, aluminum cylinder heads are the norm workdwide and there is absolutely zero reason not to use an AL head.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

The idea of COP is nothing new and almost all gasoline engines use it today. Ford did have a quality problem with them from 2000-2002 however.

As with COPs, aluminum cylinder heads are the norm workdwide and there is absolutely zero reason not to use an AL head.

I like the aluminum heads...I hate to think how much the V10 heads would weigh if they were cast iron...I wouldn't mind seeing the steel inserts for the plugs made an industry standard, however. My plug blew out about 6 weeks after the warranty expired and I knew I was keeping the truck, so the steel inserts were a no-brainer for me. I have since made it a habit to pull a random spark plug at oil changes and can't imagine ever going any more than maybe every other year on a plug change now.