Plug problems

There are major problems in the 5.4 and 4.6 3v engines because of the head-two piece plug designs in these engines. Ford changed the design in 2008. Carbon builds up around the extended tip of these two piece plugs. When they are removed they can break and leave the tip stuck in the head.
Ford has issues 3 TSB's concerning plug removal. Champion and Brisk have new one piece plugs which will help. Also applying nickel anti sieze to the tips help.

If you have one of these engines I suggest you pull the plugs and replace them with the one piece and apply anti sieze compound or face breakage down the road. If you have less than 25,000 you should not have much of a problem. I would follow the TSB which uses MC Carb cleaner to help free plugs.


Ford has done nothing except isssue TSB's and some F150 owners have got stuck with major bills when heads have to be pulled.

Beats the blow outs the old 2V heads had...

Deper into the schitt it goes... Damn they REALLY could have delivered a better design on teh threads or plug placement couldn't they have?

Thanks for the heads up!

It's not the heads or plug placement, it's the fact the plugs are made in two pieces and put together very weakly. If you're talking about the 2V heads, it's funny how the FRPP heads have the fully threaded spark plug hole while stock heads only have 6 threads holding the plug (and the older plugs were threaded 1/2 way only).

If Ford keeps putting half baked ideas out like these, they aint gonna be around long- I love my 06 gt, but know the plug issue is gonna be huge in a few years when these cars start going in for tuneups with 100k on the clock.

the 5.4 blowouts IMO shoulda been a recall- a bankruptcy causing recall maybe, but it never shoulda happened in the first place...heard of a lot of folks getting hit with >3k bills for repairing a engine with nothing wrong except its design. GM's no better- a buddies '04 avalanche just got 2 new heads- both had cracks in the heads and was burning coolant...thank God he had extended warranty and they were covered- think he said the bill was 3800 bucks...

the new cars might be the best ever regarding efficiency/emissions/stock performance, but they still make huge design errors that (maybe intentionally?)will turn the vehicles into scrap a few years after warranty expires due to repairs that cost more than book value. planned obsolescence I firmly believe is as big of a design rationale as meeting emissions requirements. I need to take a look at the wifes 07 avalanche and see if she has the same heads as my buddies(hope not), and pull the plugs from the mustang, never seize them...and replace with one piece ones that arent friction welded to a piece of tubing...we just picked up another mustang today for her- 07 pony v6/auto, but I think its got an all iron v6, hopefully it shouldnt have any of the aluminum motor blues down the road. havent even looked that closely under the hood yet.

Wish I had read this sooner! I decided to replace the plugs on my '06 GT at 46,000 miles. The metal sleeve on the first plug came out easily, leaving the remainder of the plug stuck in the head. I had the car towed to the dealership, where the service dept adhered to the TSB and still broke 5 of the 7 remaining plugs. My bill for the spark plug change......$1,056. I'm still fighting it!

im about to hit 20k miles on my 06- yesterday again read about the one piece/unbreakable plug Champion designed as replacement- and saw the part number, figured better do it before I forget... ordered from Summit and they showed up today...103 bucks shipped a set seems steep for freaking plugs, but better than a surefire battle in a few years with the oem snap off plugs.
read the TSB ford issued on 'least likely to snap them off in the head' removal method, still gotta get some kroil penetrating oil and nickel anti-seize for the new ones, but hope to get these in this weekend- hope I dont snap any off...

ChampionSparkplugs.com - Application Search Results

Man, you should have went w/ the Copper plugs w/ that kind of cost.

Just started a new thread on this plug issue.
Learned some lessons too.
Didnt want to hi-jak this one.

Richard Sr.