A Ford Dealer told me recently that the 5.4 plug change is a PITA and that the plugs are prone to breaking off and you need special tools. What have you heard or experienced that either backs this up or makes it BS. I will need to do a plug change in the spring and I want to know what I'm in for. What would make this engine so strange that it would be that problematic!?
That only applies to the 04-08 3v 5.4s. You should be fine, though I'd suggest finding a different dealer
Thats good news (for me!) It was a friends relative that is a salesman and my truck came up in conversation, not MY dealership. Anyway nobody touches my truck unless I physically cant do it and I'd believe you guys on here before a dealer any day! Thanks for the info Will!
its a peice of cake bud. just make sure the engine is cold and dont fight the plug if it wont come un done. spray some pb blaster on it and move to the next plug so it can soak in. Also be careful when unscrewing and screwing in the coil packs. if you get resistance when trying to reinstall the coil packs, back the bolt out and clean it off really good and then try it again. i would recommend putting some anti seize on the coil pack hold down bolts. i busted one of my hold down bolts on one of mine, the pack is held in place with a peice of heater hose snuck in between it and the fuel rail lol. Dont forget to put anti seize and di-electric grease on the new plugs.
Tim youll be fine its the 5.4 in the 05-07 f150's have a 2 piece spark plug that is prone to breaking and being left inside the head. A lisle tool is used to remove them properly. This was the main reason i bought an 08 i didnt want to have to deal with the cam phasers or the 2 piece spark plugs.
before you pull the plugs, blow out the plug holes with compressed air to get the dirt out, since you offroad. i had 1/4" of dirt in my plug holes when i changed mine. i used a flat head screwdriver to break up the dirt so i could blow it all out. dont put anti sieze on the plugs and torque them to 28ft lbs DRY.
