Anyone ever heard of any tsb's on 5.4 motors blowing plugs out of the head?

My friend and I were delivering a mustang and on the way to Georgia, we heard a loud bang and sounding like the truck (2002 F150 Lariat) dropped a valve. Of course we had no tools, no flashlight, and we were in the middle of nowhere no how Georgia at 11:30 at night. Turned out the plug blew out of the head and took the threads with it. Ford says there is basicly nothing you can do but heliocoil it ($600) and do the same every time you change plugs and assume it will probably do it again, or buy a new motor $3,700!! I thought I've heard something about Lightnings blowing plugs out of the 5.4's and was wondering if this was an issue with those motors.

And Raymond, yes it was the course of the convertible. For everyone, I sold a convertible and the tranny broke, so I took it back and installed another tranny and promised to deliver the car. So we rented a uhaul trailer and they say, go hook up number 0626 after we did the paperwork, walked outside and there was no 0626!!!!! So we finally got that straightened out and another trailer and about gainesville the trailer lights quit working!!! Then of course the famous plug incident which we didn't realize it took threads with it (blew the plug wire and coil pack apart btw) and had to buy tools and plugs and try to fix it in the dark in a parking lot until about 3 this a.m.!!!

 

It's fairly common. There are only about 2 threads of engagement on the sparkplugs in 5.4L triton 2 valve heads. The new 3 valve heads have 5 threads of engagement and don't suffer the same problem.

I'm not sure whether Ford has issued a recall or TSB on this. My guess is that they have not and will not as it tends to happen only in higher mileage vehicles (after the plugs are changed and not torqued to spec). The Lightnings do tend to blow the plugs a bit more frequently. Whether you attribute that to boost or more frequent plug changes due to better owner maintenance is up to you.

 

Same thing happened to me in a 2001 lightning. I was showing the truck off and with it in park just reved it a few times and it blew the plug right out of the head.

The thing was under warrenty and when we had it at a ford dealer the service tech told me it was fairly common and that it was going to fixed at no cost to us. They actually put a new head on and recommended a different plug for it. I sold the truck before it ever needed a new set of plugs so I never had any follow up to the different plug thing.
Truck had 26,xxx miles on it and was about 2 years old at the time. All stock no pulleys or anything else.

 

the delievery truck i drive at my other job has done it twice. it's a 98 with 160k on it

 

There have been a few cases of this happening to Crown Vics with the 2-valve 4.6's

http://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/s...ue#Post1120933

 

it seems like if it's happening to so many people it's a design flaw and ford should fix the problem.

I've never blown a plug out of a supercharged, high compression, or nitrous 302, 350, 396, 327, 427,454, 400 small block, etc and I've had more cars than I car to remember.

wonder how we get enough people to complain to get something done?

 

They already fixed the problem. I heard 2 versions one was a new plug that has a better thread set for the motor. I doubt the head only has 2 threads but more then likely only 2 threads on the plug could thread?
Other is a better desing of the spark plug hole. I know the 3 valves dont have that issue. Other then that who knows.

 

http://www.f150online.com/forums/sho...hreadid=103042

 

Ah Yes Rick but on the lighter side the demon car has left the state. That in itself is a blessing.

 

racingrick i know a guy that works at freedom ford who will take care of that fairly cheap if its not covered by warr. pm me ill give you detials.