Ford F Series 5.4 3 Valve: Broken Spark Plug Removal
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- I bring you along in this video as I replace the plugs and coils in this 2005 Ford F-150 3 valve engine. I bust off a couple in the head and I'll show you how I get them out.
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TOOL USED IN VIDEO:
Lisle (LIS65600)
Broken Spark Plug Remover for Ford Triton 3-Valve Engines
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not South Main Auto Repair.
Watching your channel is better than any car related program on TV. Better content, actual trouble shooting and tips and no commercials. Simply the best auto repair channel I have found so far.
+wyattoneable Cool! Glad you like it !
this guy is a natural
I love your attitude, If I can do it so can you! God bless you and I always have that out look at my job with others ;)
Keep up the great work and I felt as if I was right there with you :)
I agree with you
tennessee ftw
Hello Eric O. This video really brought back some memories for me. I was working as the shop foreman at a Chevrolet dealership in Centerville Ohio when we had a customer with a 2008 Chevy Monte Carlo SS come in with what he felt was a misfire concern. Very much like the concern your customer had in this video. No trouble codes set, ran perfectly and all date looked normal. We would test drive the vehicle and could not duplicate the customers concern. The vehicle had the LS4 5.3 V8 engine with the 4 speed automatic transmission. The customer brought the vehicle into us several times over the next two months with the same concern. I finally ask the customer to leave the vehicle with me and authorize me to drive it that weekend. He agreed to let me do that. That Saturday morning I installed a GM Tech II into the vehicle and programed it for data loop record. I started driving , my wife was riding with me, and drove from the Dayton area to Lexington KY then on to Louisville KY then north to Indiana and then to Cincinnati. We were on the 275 bypass when I told my wife we had driven over 300 mile without and sign of a problem. About 3 miles later it happened. It felt just like more than one cylinder was misfiring. This happened for only a few seconds and I saved the data loop record. No more problem all the way back to the Dayton area. No engine light came on during the event. I got back to the shop and downloaded the data stream recording. No codes set and data looked normal. Then I noticed the brake switch suddenly showed on / off on /off several times. We were doing about 65 mph when the event happened. Problem solved - faulty brake switch causing torque converter to rapidly lock and unlock at highway speed. Replaced brake switch and no more problems. Customer happy and a lot of our technicians also. Weird tough one.
How about use so sort of vacuum with man made hose to fit in hole
Hey Eric O. I love watching your videos even though I don't wrench professionally any more. The method I used to use was a boroscope to inspect the cylinder and a shopvac reduced to rubber hose via duct tape to sneak in through the spark plug hole and suck up the debris. Smaller stuff sucks right through but for larger chunks that get stuck to the end of the tubing you gotta pull the hose out with vacuum still applied and then grab it off the end. Then I use the boroscope again to verify the cylinder is free of debris. I found it works best to rotate the crank by hand to get the piston to the bottom of its travel. Every now and then for chunks that I can't quite reach with the vacume tubing shopvac combo I'll blow air into the cylinder to move the chunks around a bit and try again. But I've always been successful in removing all debris this way. Ps not great on your shop vac choking it down that much so turn it off when your checking with the boroscope or blowing air in the hole. Thanks for the great videos. God bless.
This is exactly the thought I had. Glad to see this comment near the top.
Probably would have at least been worth a look with the borescope before popping the plug back in
I was thinking the same thing..if you can get a large removal tool in the hole..a small hose should fit to suck out debris..seems fairly simple logic and i'm no mechanic..just like learning to do new things..really enjoy the videos to the point i think i could do a lot of the things myself if i was patient and had the right tools.
We all thought the same thing. We can't expect Eric to be the master of everything. This is where we chime in. 😊
It all sounds simple until you have to contort yourself and your tools in there. @pauldoucette7627
The gents who took the time to build that extraction tool are hero's. They really gave something to society.
Lisle makes some pretty good tools.
Would be pretty much game over without the thing. Brilliant tool
And the Ford engineers who designed the engine / plugs are demons from hell.
Maybe there just needs to be a spark plug company that makes them with maximum available wall thickness for extra strength.
If they cost twice as much would you buy some?
After watching these videos ( not to mention breaking plugs ) I think I would.
Heros!
The 5.4 Triton Engine: The official engine of the $1000 tune up.
Shade Tree Giants haha aint that the truth
$1000 tune up? I need to do the timing real bad on my 5.3 Triton as the phasers went out. Quoted $2400 :-( it's like $900 just in parts. #feelsbadman
that's about what a friend of mine spent recently on his Ford.
Another better idea from Ford.
@@KilroggWOW 5.3? what happened to the other liter? Did it rust and fall off?
Imagine the Ford designer, a real Man of Genius, who put fresh eyes onto an old, simple, and bulletproof design; who took it upon himself to redesign that object in such a colossaly flawed manner... that other people would need to design new tools, and produce new UA-cam videos... to undo the effects and the damage his redesign brought to the automotive landscape.
That guy is a true legend.
Imagine what Henry 1 would have thought...How can something so simple be turned into a nightmare when they truly believe they are doing good..and get paid for it too!!!
Another spark plug over achievement .gone wrong buy the truck co. Who would have thought......hey just an old tip from the days of aluminum motor cycle head then auto heads......i never use impact on plugs......i use a 3/8 short ratchet .pull on ratchet if it makes a cracking sound stop count to 15 seconds pull again .if it makes a cracking sound again stop wait again.slowly repeat until it does not .take your time the first full round is what will bite you .........the carbon build up on the bottom threads will ( rip threads to crap..on first time plug change I figure 20 min per plug to remove slow and ...cut out the crappy job having to rethread.... believe it or not..and I never have told anyone till now..and a (yamaha. mechanic told me in 1973.......ive never lost a aluminum thread sence...good luck. beats watching tv..
This guy definitely knows what he is doing !!!! Very systematic in his diagnosis - not a scatter brain approach. He is careful and thinks ahead. Never bored watching him work and explain the task. He has my thumbs up every time !!!!
He's one of a kind...A good dude
Yep if there ever is a such thing he's got it!
@@JasonSmith-qx3zhDo you know where i can get a set of bb 454 heads theirs a asaz 1AM 5ire welder i want the welder
I work for The new Wells Brand WVE and Our new GO TECH You tube and Tech Support They are Owned By NGK Japan. Part of a Great Automotive Family> Enjoyed your Plug and You Tube Thanks
I used SHop Vac, made my own "adapter" on it, taped small clear plastic hose , just big enough to go in sparkplug hole, and vacuumed that piece of porclain out!! Worked =)
Will a straw do???🤣🤣
That’s what I did too.
@@leonechevarria359 Try it,...but Suck Hard !!!!
How were you sure you got it, did you put a screen in it to catch what got sucked up?
Used a camera with phone app to look in cylinder.
This is just a guess, but perhaps removing the back plug on each bank 1st while the engine is still hottest would help. If I lived in New Youk, you would be my go to. You're one of the best wrenches I have ever seen Eric!
I worked selling Ford parts for 35 yrs. I dealt with many moron and hack mechanics....parts replacers. What a pleasure to see a real Mechanic like yourself. Great .Thanks
then it means that you started in the distributor cap era . Then you know that if a brand needs to replace all coil at the same time as the spark plugs that it makes the the brand a total junk .To me if you do a tune up and need to replace the coils then you are not doing a tune up you are replacing the entire ignition system in fact . Not something to be proud of for a mecanical product if you ask me . thats the equivalent of replacing all injectors on a diezel engin when you change the fuel filters
Seems to me that motorcraft parts dont hold there weight. Id like to know where are motorcraft parts made . I like gm products there ac/delco like if u get the pro seem to get 200 to 300k use out of them . I think motorcraft cars dont as reliable. Tell me what you think .. Constructive critism but Im a mechanic ..Seeing a motorcraft plug break inside engine having issues with cars before they reach 100k from ford and trucks fail before 150k seekms there more a maitenance king when it comes to carparing maitenance cost to own breakdown the ford seems to be more prone to problems then other makes like toyota jeep honda and gm.
Bro. Best comment ever.
@@PackardBelltoll it's all cheap crap today. In my late age, I went back to toyota. Just bought a well maintained 1987 camry, 4 speed automatic, with 220,000 miles. Runs like a dream-boring as hell with no alarms or problems.
Yeah because the guy literally just ordering/selling the parts knows shit
You sir are TECHNICIAN/MECHANIC!!! As a fifty year veteran in the business it does my mind good that there are still a few ACCOMPLISHED Techs out there! And you are a great narrator and videographer!
A pleasure to watch you! I am now a subscriber!!!
Hate those plugs on them I will try Eric’s way next time i need to do one
Without a doubt, the best Mechanic channel on UA-cam. Your videos are greatly appreciated, and the amount of detail in diagnostics to tips and tricks is astonishing. I could only hope one day to shake your hand. Thank you sir!!
To remove the porcelain pieces, i used a spring grabber with a cotton ball covered in a thin coat of petroleum jelly. Swabbed around inside of cylinder to pick it all up.
Then flushed the inside of cylinder with starting fluid to break down any jelly still in cylinder. Works great.
First and foremost i want to say that you did a great job! I own an auto repair shop and we have done these several times through the years and you did everything the way we would have. Just a couple quick notes though...try starting with the rear ones first with the engine warmed up as the heat will help expand the threads on the aluminum heads helping the threads break loose from the plugs. The rear ones are always the easiest to break due to retaining more heat over time from being furthest from the fan and the cooler air that normally hits the engine. We also remove them by hand instead of with air tools being that air tools aren't as forgiving lol. I don't know how many we've seen over time where all but the rear ones have been changed. A lot of shops wont change those 2 for fear of this happening and i assure you they don't tell the customer. It's BS but that's the reality of it. But yea...Great Job and keep plugging away...no pun intended lol.
That is why asking to see your old parts is never a bad idea. If they are missing 2 plugs you know there is a problem
@@taylorjtaylorj Maybe they show you 6 and 2 from last job make 8
@@maxwell6504 No...i do. Linda is my wife and the you tube is just in her name is all. But does it really matter anyway?
The tsb from Ford says to use an impact for the obvious reason the jarring of the impact helps break the plugs lose. Also the night before, Get the engine up to temp. Pull the coils fill the plug tubes with the special carb cleaner Ford recommends let that eat away at the carbon after you run a half can of sea foam through it. They will come right out
It is relatively easy to remove the battery, and the ECM, so I do so. I always put nickel anti seize on the threads, and do this hot. Seems to help. I did a complete timing job at 157k and replaced everything on the front of the engine, including the oil pump with a high volume melling. The best tip I can give on these plugs is to cut three longitudinal groves in the LH Lisle withdrawal tap, and crank that insulator down to allow the tool to grab. Still, the guy that designed these plugs should be shot. It's not like it would have been difficult to predict what would happen with this design.
It's so weird that this pops up a day after discussing this same issue with a 3v owner. Spot on demonstration.
I could never imagine that watching an hour of changing plugs in a ford could be interesting. I was wrong, but I really need to rethink my life :)
Great video.
(didn't watch all of it)
I think you hit the nail on the head ! Me too.......
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Eric , you remind me of Aaron Tippin , my fav country artist, not only in looks, but you both seem like honest to goodness Americans who care about and love your family and others , and someone who does things right . always ,and someone we can look up to and emulate. Thanks for helping me be a better person .
I just had the same problem with my 2004 F-150 . After reviewing other videos I went with the way you do it with the impact wrench, except with #4 and #8…which I decided to extract by hand using the slow forward and backward ratchet and socket after an overnight soaking of carb cleaner and PB blaster. I was lucky enough to get them both without breaking. Thank you for the excellent video.
What has always work for me is: After the extraction I have made a device to connect a piece of plastic tube to my Henry vacuum cleaner with turbo button and put that tube down through the spark plug hole and it pulled all the crap out of there and problem solved. it always worked for me.
I've been watching your channel for around two weeks now. in my opinion it's by far the best automotive repair/information channel on UA-cam that I'VE seen. thanks for what you do for us......... I subscribed today.................
2024 and going through these old videos. Love it.
We use a shop-vac reduced with a copper tube that fits through the spark plug hole. It either sucks it into the shop-vac or it holds it to the copper tube. Works awesome
Great videos, better then any how-to videos on tv or the internet. Awesome job.
That's a great idea. I learn as much from some comments as I do watching these how to videos
Thanx for the tip!!! will try that!
Putting a pair of panty hoes or some kind of fine neting as a filter also tells you if you grabbed any out and if so how much
This was going to be my reply. I searched the comments first before replying just in case. I was going to say to use a thin plastic tube, but copper might be better to go all the way around the edge of the piston. Bad Ford...Bad
If you slow it down and look closely you can see the piece of porcelain shoot out just before it fires when he starts cranking, seems to work well enough.
VERY NICE ERIC ! Your smooth as silk brother , even in the heat of battle with these 3 V plugs….
Your patience has inspired me and I really respect your work ethic.
Please continue to do what you do, as you are one of the best UA-cam has seen in its history.
Your videos are consistent, and extremely easy to follow.
Thank you for sharing your experience and patience with us all.
Thanks brother your a jewel 💎, a cut above, ✅. The best in my eyes.
Take care, and I will continue to soak up your experience and use it for my own sanity !
Be safe and keep em coming my friend!
What was the past for 74 years I've worked on a few cars. I do the same thing you do. Except for one exception. I have used the cone shaped attachment on my vacuum cleaner cut it back and put a rubber hose on just suck any particles out.. hopefully this is helpful to you. You can take it with a grain of salt. As work for me in the past. Enjoy watching your channel especially when you call crap crap..
Great Videos! After extracting the plug portion, I use my borescope to see if there's any debris down in the cylinder, if there is, to get it out I use a piece of fuel hose taped to my shop vacuum and push it down into the spark plug hole and move it around. Then recheck with the borescope and 99% of the time the shop vac sucks it up. Hope this helps someone!
Thats the way how I did it in the past, works every time!
I'm an ASE mechanic, and I really love and enjoy watching and learning from your experience and expertise !
ASE MEANS PARTS REPLACER
Ricky Dockins are you a mechanic? Serious question
I replaced my plugs in '05 F250 at 115K miles back in 2015. Read all kinds of stuff on internet about how to prep before removing. I used sea foam to clean out combustion chamber then removed with engine cold and hand tools. I tried the break it loose then squirt penetrating oil and then work the plugs back and forth. I also bought the removal kit in case any broke. 1st one came right out so I thought I wasted money on the removal kit. but after that first one I broke the 7 remaining plugs and used the kit to get broken ones out. Also used shop vac with rubber hose reducer to suck out the broken pieces. All the plugs had the electrode worn all the way down to the porcelin, I'm surprised it was running OK. When I decide to remove the plugs in my mustang I will try this guy's method.
I think the engineers involved with developing the 3-vavle spark plug /engine design should be taken to the Hague and charged with crimes against humanity.
You mean camp Auschwitz
the 5.4 3v engine is a giant dumpster fire. gives the rest of the modular engines a bad rep
Lynch mob is more appropriate.
Shit, I did a cam phase on my dads 2006 f150 5.4 3v. Then my brother buys a 2005 f150 with the 4.6, ran great for the first 6 months and started sounding like a little tractor and having hard time starting and really rough idle, god dang cam phaser is out in it, I never had an issue with these plugs in either truck, but them Triton 3v engines are such garbage... The Triton 2v engines are not too bad but they like to blow plugs out at least the 5.4s and some of the v10's, and the 5.4 2v are gutless for an 8 cylinder....
Along with the clowns who botched the transmissions on so many Fiestas.
I did the plugs in my 5.4 3v expedition with 108k miles. I sucked a whole can of Seafoam in through the brake booster vacuum line. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Took it out and ran it like I stole it to blow all the carbon out. Then removed all 8 plugs while the motor was hot. ALL 8 CAME OUT! WOOOHOO!!!
buy a GMC next time . The only thing you'll need is a ratchet and a socket and you wont even need to change the coils either
@@guytremblay1647 the worst part of owning a gmc is telling ur parents ur gay
@@mdss4310 thanks for showing me that i've been lying to myself and all those hotties that i screwed my entires life for all those years .Good thing i had my chevys all this time to have fun with them and bring them home with a permament smile . Had a few Fords a couple of years and now i see why i never got laid during that time period .Now that i know that i'm gay i will go back to Fords
@@guytremblay1647 GM... GMC... are you serious? GM is pure crap today. Wake up already.
@@drdysl3xia795 hard to wake up more than i am now since the company i work has a fleet of 25 pickup truck and four 4500 all GMC Sierra and Sylverado from 2014 to 2019 and we never had any problem with any of them so far beside normal waer and tear from where we put them thru and trust me we put them thru a lot of shit in the forest cause thats where we work and you wouldn't believe what kind of terrain we put them thru all the time . . Sure if you buy a 1500 you maight have some problems a bit more but all ours start at 2500 in size
Just recently bought one of these trucks and have three broken plugs! This vid makes me feel more confident that I can get it fixed and running again. for whatever reason the spark plug in cylinder 3, similar to yours, was also caked in a bunch of junk. Had me thinking I broke another plug but it was just the socket spinning on top of the plug.
Great video! I used to be a Ford guy. I am very proud to say my last F150 went 275K before I sold it. Great truck. I can't afford new, so I buy vehicles about 5 years old or newer. The spark plug thing started happening around the time I was looking to replace the Ford. Bought a Dodge. Lasted about 5 years, rusted really bad. Bought an older Silverado. Brake lines and front hubs went bad- replaced with stainless and Moog. Still running great. Glad there's a good tool to fix the 5.4 though.
I remember this is the 1st SMA video I saw. Then I got hooked to SMA great channel bud.
I have a expedition 5.4 3 valve. did a tune up for a low-speed miss. Replaced thr plugs with motorcraft / removed plugs with 3/8 90^ rachet/ anti-sesed plugs toqurk to 30 ft. lbs. Problem repaired, about a half day job.
Wow, you've now steered me away from the 3 valve engine ford trucks. I don't even want to deal with that....
Love your videos, keep them coming! 👍
Not the most powerful things on Earth, and definitely not "modern", but you *can't* kill a Windsor. 30,000 mile oil change interval? 50 miles with a missing core plug (and no coolant)? Plugged up EGR and a siezed smog pump?
Shrugs and keeps on trucking. Now, the AOD behind it, on the other hand . . ..
Like they say more moving parts to break
"I don't know what you do if you snap the end of it off." Take the radiator cap off and put a new truck underneath.
Stall the engine over some rail road tracks, let the insurance deal with it
best advice ever !
Just make sure you change the radiator cap soon after.
@Big Bill O'Reilly
Only losers get mad when someone else is funny . You sir are a shit bag .
@Big Bill O'Reilly Nah, only a libtard would conspire to commit insurance fraud.
This guy one of the smartest guys when it comes to electrical
Of all the on line videos on automotive repair this is the best one ever. Easily explained and smart. Thank you.
Just wanted to let you know love your videos man teach me a lot as a home mechanic and working on others stuff. Your persona is just down to earth almost like an uncle! Hope the Shop is booming! Don’t stop your vids God bless -Dan
I have an F-150 05, it got 278,000+ and still going strong!! But I've had to change a couple transmissions!!but it had one break off of course it's in the back, and I did not have the tool at the time, had to have the dealer take it out!! the new spark plugs are made all in one piece instead of two separate pieces like the old motorcraft spark plug, put that tool works remarkably well😊, but I ended up buying the tool cuz my brother had saying your truck and 6 out of 8 broke and the tool works excellent!!
You have to get a camera probe down in there to see if there’s anything broken off in the cylinder. Air-blast whatever you can out of there. Another method is to place in a 1/2” plastic vacuum tube-connected to a Shop-Vac (make an adapter) and vacuum out whatever particles might be down in there. The anti-seize is the savior, though... 🤷🏽♀️
Great video as you clearly describe what you're thinking here. One suggestion when leaving the extracted plug out when you start hopefully getting the porcelain chips out... Maybe get a small shop vac and jamb the hose in the spark plug hole before you start the engine? The push and the sucking might work pretty well. Just a thought.
i just found your channel today 8 years after you posted this..THANKYOU! torque stalled that ol girl till the temp gauge climbed to 3/4 all 8 come out no never seize on any of them.
I really enjoy your vids. I had an 07 Expedition and broke 7 out of 8 plugs. I still have the Lisle 65600 broken plug remover kit. Took me an hour to extract each one. If I were to do it again, I would fill the plug wells with PB Blaster and loosen-tighten back, loosen a little more, tighten/loosen over and over until they work loose to minimize chance of breakage. Ford changed the spark plug (Motorcraft SP515/546) design to prevent this breakage plus using plenty of anti seize on the threads and extension. Like you, I just ran it open hole to let debris fly out, and it ran fine afterward. Good to check/replace these plugs every 50k mi. to prevent seizure and also prevent the low grade misfires as the electrodes wear. Vehicle was totaled around 180k, but ran good up until then.
He only broke one removing the plugs with a smoking hot engine
2. He broke 2.
Eric O we can always use a fresh perspective on an old problem. Love the work you do. Great video 📹
Gotten good at this plugs and coils in about hour and half ask me how lots of practice on the same truck 5.4 are a nightmare finally went to Ford plugs and coils this time going on 6 months without a problem thank god
I agree with your positive remarks about Wells. They have put a lot of energy into education and thought, with an open channel of communication with mechanics everywhere. That means a lot.
I dropped an o-ring from fuel injector down in a cylinder once. I took a small hose and duck taped up to the end of my shop vac hose and stuck it in there and it came out stuck to the end of the hose. I imagine you could get porcelain out like that. You could verify you got it all with a usb snake camera.
This was my exact thought.
Good note Frug,,, I use the small hose and medium shop vac idea for a bunch of issues removing unwanted material in small places(:
Fuckin a-plus much more succsess rate doing it with vacuum.was my thought also,imagine designers knew the problem.but also knew they had shops in there pockets too make some kickbacks on repairs.just like cancer fixing.they make more money on death than meds to cure illness.just my thought.!°°
Yes, or a slim stick with a wad of duct tape on the end to pick up crumbs
I was thinking Hubba bubba, a straw, and a mullet
WOW! What a thorough vid. I was glued from beginning to end. Nothing was untouched. Spark plugs 4 and 8 was especially informative in removing them broken or unbroken. GOOD WORK*****
That was a 5 ***** for me Thanks again!
I know this is an old video, but I wish I would have found your channel along time ago! Broke 5 of 8 in my 2004 5.4 3v, 170,000
Sell that sucker, FAST! :)
Those 2004 ford trucks are known to be lemons. Google it.
Ooooof
😬
If u still have it, u need to use champion plugs. When u change out. They've made them from the start and they're the traditional 1piece design made for this engine. You will never have to worry about this again. I'd still use some nickel anti-seize though. Seems like his method worked out reasonably well with only the two back ones breaking, but there are alternate methods as well. Some people soak with PB blaster overnight then they they loosen threads a quarter turn and spray some more and let soak before you start. It was only for a couple of years it's between 2006 and 2008, after that they redesigned.
The FordTechMakuloco guy uses the OTC tool. Ford says to soak the plug with carb cleaner first. Then try and remove it.
He doesn't work for Ford anymore. He works for himself now. He is doing a fixing Fords across American this summer for those that can't afford the dealer flat rate charge.
Great Stuff.
I use the OTC tool. And have an extractor too. I sold my Ford but my friends havent learned yet. I have LOTS of experience on these plugs. I only put antiseize on the shroud and lower threads very lightly. If you goop it on it will run on the porcelain and cause misfires. I also put dielectric grease on the top of the plug before installation to help keep moisture out of the boot.
Panther Piss soak while I let it run to get hot, Same way I take out O2 sensors, then I jury rigged a vacuum nozzle set-up with a piece of metal tubing and a PVC Cap then vacuumed, cranked and vacuumed at same time ,then blew it out while cranking with the long nozzle like you have, while cranking ,running. it is still a nightmare of a job but I have always been successful.Been a Tool Maker for over 50 yrs and that's my method also using the same Lyle tool extractor set up. Great Vid Eric keep up the good work
Man, I have to say, you made the removal of the broken plug look easy. Thank you or this video. A pleasure to watch a mechanic a who knows how to fix stuff. from the Geezer Gearhead.
When I was working on jets we used to duct tape a smaller hose onto a vacuum and use that to get small foreign objects out of tight places. If you want to ensure you got it out, you can either use an empty vacuum and check the catch basket after, or you can tape pantyhose over the inlet hole of the smaller tube and it should stick to the hose via the suction if you are able to get to it.
I just saw a video where the guy said it helps to dump a can of seafoam into a 1/4 tank of gas and run it down, he said it helps loosen or break up the carbon that binds the plugs to the aluminum head. He also suggested using a hand ratchet and turn slowly. Will be watching more videos on these as I just bought an '05. Seems to be ok but has a slight engine shudder and this video may be helpful in case I decide to take a shot at DIY. Keep up the good and "helpful" videos.
good video, this is gonna be my second go round on this truck,i did them a while back lucky i got them out then and buttered them up with antisieze ,now im going on 78 years old and im haveing the pre-game jitters but i still got the can do attitude
Can't imagine being 78 and doing anything let alone working on a car more powerr to u!!
First off, great video. To get the broken porcelain out, try blowing it out of the cylinder with a burst of compressed air. That seems to work well. If that doesn't work, start the truck like you did.
Did this job on my 06 F150 years ago around 130k. Got it hot, cracked them loose by hand 1/2 turn, sprayed PB Blaster down hole, let sit for a day. Repeated. Still broke 4 of 8 working out by hand. 😬 The $115 NAPA extractor tool (77-4021 also made by Lisle) I bought is designed not to push the porcelain through the tip. Just far enough to make room for the extractor. Worked great. I read too much Anti-seize on the electrode tip could cause misfires so I went halfway by only a thin smear on upper part of it and the threads. No issues. Traded it in 2019. Had my fill of 5.4 follies. 🤪
I am no expert. I have only done this job four times - one 2008 Exploder with a 4.6, and three F-150s with the 5.4 - and have never broken a single plug. Basically I spray PB Blaster in each spark plug galley, and let it soak over night. Then, not using air, I break the spark plug loose, then continually work the spark back and forth (alternating loosening and tightening) a little at a time until I get it out. That allows the PB Blaster to work it's way into the threads, thereby minimizing the pressure on the shank of the plug. It takes time and a lot of patience, but it beats extracting a broken plug, in my very humble opinion.
It makes a very pretty show upon startup - thick white smoke - but it burns off quickly. I follow that up with an oil and filter change.
I changed the plugs on my neighbours 04 f150 with 200 thou Klms, I ran 2 cans of Seafoam though the vacuum line in the combustion chamber. I choke it out and let it sit then drive it. I do that four times with half a can each then hit with impact. Bullshitkorner has a video on it. i didn't break one which i was shocked at cause i have the worst luck.
negativejeff Ok great tip thanks
I had an 04 and I had already heard of the long reach plugs. I changed my plugs every 80k kilometers just because. I also noticed the first time that because of the design of the coil boot a ton of road debris gets past and collects around the hex of the plug. A long pick and a blow nozzle or vacuum to clean the tube out. I now have a 14 w a 3.5 ecoboost and I do the same thing. Except ford designed the coil to cover the entire spark plug tube so they stay much cleaner. Great job Eric O!
The suspense was KILLING me! I tried this on my 06 Expedition once. I got the first two and then I "chickened out."
+K&S Locksmith Service Ahhh man !
Fantastic! My hat's off to you, sir! Well done, mostly on keeping your composure and temper...had it been me, I don't think I would have made it past the first one snapping :) Two cars I hate to work on, Fords and Mini Coopers...just shoot me. Thanks again for filming this and sharing with us, have a great week!
TheTexasCoder Some day I'll loose my mind on camera for you haha
Always enjoy watching a skilled tradesmen doing his craft. Thanks
Just wanted to drop the new Motorcraft spark plug number. It is the SP-546. Great video
Atuotech, just ordered a set, can't wait, my first, so excited,NOT!! :))
I put in Champions. All 1 piece. No way to come apart.
"First things first, im going to blast out that rear hole"
After that comment, I couldn't help but have naughty thoughts myself!
😂
This is the best video on the experience of changing out these hellacious spark plugs - thanks for the full-detail share.
I bought a full set of coils and plugs as well as the broken-plug tool.
Seven of the eight plugs/coils were just fine to replace, nothing crazy.
I did run a bunch of Sea Foam through the fuel tank through about 750 miles of driving before I attempted the job.
The motivation was that my #8 cylinder was misfiring on my 2008 Expedition per FORScan, which has worked great for me.
Truth be known I was driving with rough running engine on hills for at least 10 months - had a lot going on in that timespan that kept me putting off the job.
Also, over time I got to understand what the problem was caused by and so here I am. 2 garages confirmed it was a severely screwed #8 cylinder.
Well, #8 on my engine is deep on the driver side, but not too bad to access.
I tell you, I bought that 3-tray mobile tool kit from Tractor Supply and it was well worth the money - 3 tiers of 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch SAE and Metric - just thought I'd mention.
I bought the full 8 coils and spark plugs as my Expedition has 170k miles on it and I want it to get to 225k before I do something about another vehicle.
Well, don't you know that the #4 cylinder gave me all the problems, the hardes one to get to.
On the 2008 Expedition the computer wasn't in the way, and just disconnecting one of the major connectors gave me as much access as I was going to get to the old #4.
I pushed and pulled a few other cable bundles out of the way to get back there, deep on the passenger side.
I just couldn't get the leverage with any of my 3/8 or 1/2 inch socket extensions, lying across the engine to get the best angle.
I gave it all I had under the circumstances and the plug would not budge.
So, feeling like I really want all plugs changed, I am happy to have a garage do that one plug, and I even have the plug and the broken plug removal tool if the garage needs it.
There were a lot of cheap knock offs on ebay for the tool but I spent $119 special order from AutoZone - assuming that has a higher probability of being well constructed with good materials.
My regular garage has gotten fat and happy over the last couple of years and wanted $600 to replace just the one faulty plug and coil.
I spent almost that much to do 7 of the 8 plugs/coils myeself, and am going to try to find somebody to take on #4 cylinder and keep it under $100.
My gut feel is that #4 will break off. I'll give an update - if #4 doesn't break I can return the tool - I checked that out in advance with AutoZone.
Big thanks for the in depth process on this, you make the broken ones look easy. I have an 08 with the 5.4 3 valve 85000 miles, sure am gonna pray it goes easy when I attempt to do them. My truck runs smooth and idle, just does that bucking under load around 45-50 ish. Might have to look into the injector first as I keep hearing about those.
I'm curious since it's been a year since your comment. Did you end up doing the plugs?
@@dr_beetus Did mine this last summer. Tried all the tricks with warming up the engine, putting some lubricant down near the plug and don't think any of that worked for me as 6 came out broken. The lisle tool was a life saver, I got all the broken ones out with that. You can try the loaner tool from Autozone if you don't have the Lisle tool on hand but the Lisle tool is built a lot better. I recommend packing your patience and take your time, this is not your average spark plug swap. I used the updated motorcraft plugs, they are not cheap from local auto parts. If you by them online somewhere be careful as there are a lot of counterfeit ones out there.
Love this, I had this worry until a month ago when I had them done and was told I was the proud owner of a two valve, odd for a 2004!
You gave me so much false confidence today!😂😂😂😂 I ran the lisle tool today and got snubbed, had to go by the oem tool, so, hopefully tomorrow I’m able to actually finish the job. I’m on the last chance with this plug too. Hopes and prayers on this one.😂😂😂
Thank you.
I have a Ford 500. I thought about changing the spark plugs myself, then I researched and decided NO!!
For over 40 years I have changed plugs and other ignition parts. I never once had a problem with seized plugs, except when an acquaintance seriously over tightened a plug.
US vehicle manufacturers used to have a small office with three or four engineers to make sure it was easy to repair their vehicles! The accountants, aka "the bean counters" took over during the sixties or seventies and these offices were closed.
It has been a disaster more or less since.
When I worked at Ford, my friend was a senior master tech that told me to use an impact,he would always get those things out without breaking using an impact wrench so that's how I've done it for years and have only had 2 break on me.
What like an impact driver with a 3/8 bit?
My sister had a 289 in a mustang. # 6 or # 8 never was changed by me anyway. The inner fender was in the way. 45 years ago I didn't have enough tools or Eric to help. Or desire? My sister should have married a mechanic. Thanks again Eric for the show
Hey good job I enjoyed itBit surprised you did not disconnect the battery before removing PCM. that's what I always did before I fried a PCM(on a Volvo) not criticising you only commenting.It looks like the plugs should be changed more regular to avoid this.I get Ford Fiestas and Ford Ka's (UK spec) that snap plugs also but they say don't changed till over 80,000 miles, and they wonder why they snap !!!. However I can see you take good care and a lot of pride in your work.Congrats to you.Tam.
I was always afraid to try them hot , but may try it now . When they drive in i try to mist water , or seafoam, or something to maybe break up any carbon around plug , Prob does nothing , but makes me think i am . I then let completely cool . I go and snap each one loose , less than 1/8 of a turn , just got to be careful , i think anything over 33 foot pounds can snap them off . I spray a bit of Carburetor Cleaner, in each hole and walk far far away . Come back in a hour or so and try removing . A lot of them come right out , but if still hard to turn , i let soak longer , and longer And go work on something else . The carb cleaner eats the build up around the plug where a penetrating oil does not . May do nothing but i also never seize the crap out of those . I had run ford trucks since the early eighty's , a lot were older ones but good ones. Then that spark plug design was what made me buy a different brand of truck after all those years.
And the first time or two the removal tool is i bit on the scary side . And not sure if helps , but i start them with out a plug too , as that missing porcelain seems scary . My thoughts are if one does get all 8 out in one piece , they need to drop everything they are doing and go play the lottery , because it is your lucky day .
wtbm123 All good advice Terry. I agree on the last comment. I have not done all 8 or 10 successfully yet however the day I do I know that is the day to play :)
@@SouthMainAuto please say this is not so.
I have changed plugs in 04 -08 3v at least 30 of them only broke 1 plug but I don't get them hot, soak them, nor the impact them. Guess I am one lucky SOB .
We did get one from another shop that had broke one and tried to remove somehow when we got it tried the removal tool but it would not bite pulled head and it had been shoved down and bent over. Only way it would have ever came out was pulling head.
Here's a pro tip for you, when it comes to Fords the first thing I do is not have one. So far has worked great for me.
I hate doing these plugs on that engine. They suck! LOL I saw a ford dealer pull those plugs out with a 3/8'' impact gun after taking the truck on a 20 min. ride on the highway. They said it is easier and faster to do the plugs that way then the other way. Great video
The new procedure involves coating the tip not the threads with high temp nickel anti seize. Regular antisieze just burns off.
Watched the ENTIRE video! lol. On the edge of my seat the whole time. Mine is a 2001 5.3 triton. I was told a few years ago that I 'got lucky --
THOSE PLUGS started the year after mine'. I had them changed at a local shop (due to a wrist injury preventing me from doing it myself) a while back but I wasnt there to witness anything. So I'm not sure if I have them or not.
I actually just stumbled on this video while researching PO174. But after watching this vid, I wouldn't hesitate to change mine now. I just need one of those creepers that reach above the engine compartment.
*****IDEA*****...... as for seeing and vacuuming out porcelain chips from inside of a cylinder, I was thinking of a combination of an endoscope (amazon) and a rigged up small hose from the suction end of a sandblaster. Each one taped to a clothes hanger. I think they might fit separately thru the sparkplug hole. Sort of like laproscopic surgery.
Thank you, your channel keeps me from watching so many UFO, Ghost, and Bigfoot videos
When i break a spark plug and loose porselin, i take my air brake blead vacume and stick it down into the cylinder and move it around a bunch until i hear it start strughlein... its worked 15 times
good idea
WTF?
Strughlein?
Robert Britton I literally just caught the meaning of your comment, I’m dying man! This is the funniest thing all day!!!
John Hasty 😂🤣
Had 2010 triton. It felt like I had a miss fire while driving. Turned to be bad Schrader valves on the A/C lines. This caused the A/C pressure to drop and the pump to cycle erratically. This felt like a miss fire while driving. Once the A/C pressure was normal the problem was fixed for good!
For the record, the Ford shop was unable to find the problem after several attempts . My coworker was able determine the problem by simply popping the hood and watching and observing the A/C cycling at an idle! Ford only know how to add up the bill!
When I did my plugs I used the, two step forward, one step back method, by hand. Yes the snapping and cracking sounds all of the way out were horrible! They all came out with no breakage. I was sweating bullets the whole time. I put NGK plugs back without any anti-seize. I changed twice after that and never had any issues removing them again. NGK plugs are pretty good in my opinion.
Good luck, hope this helps!
Assuming that the heat trick is effective, you should remove the two plugs at the firewall first while the engine is hottest. The trick is a good idea because the heat will expand the aluminum head more than the steel spark plug
I would think u would want it to expand with the heat and contract as it cools a tad to break and seal..usually the threads come out of aluminum if to hot and hard to turn. With no lube
More important is not going gorilla on the hold down screws for the COP's they will strip easily,trust me I know >>
Yup!! I take those stupid plugs out hot as well!! Successful rate is higher, than on a cold engine. If you do an induction service before hand it helps as well!!
@@kwmiked it's not the threads that is the issue: the extension on the end of the plug builds up with carbon and sticks to the head. You want the carbon to be red hot aka softer when you try to remove it.
tried that once . it still broke
My method for taking out spark plugs is I pay a mechanic like you to do it, and I don’t buy Fords.
thanks EricO, I bet my wife can change out broken ford spark plugs now, because she has seen me watching this video over and over because it is so good.
So what you’re tell me is that the rear are the hardest and you need to do them hot and you understand how entropy works yet you still start at the front??
What amazes me is he did all 8 spark plugs and he didn't get that anti-seeze everywhere!
@Tobias The rule of the thumb is snug tight by feel not over tight. You don't really need a torque wrench for it.
I had a New Coil-pack put in that was bad after a week. I have a 1999 F150 4.6 V8 The original coil-packs went bad after around 120,000 miles. Replacement coil-packs don't seam to hold up as well. Right now its working great. I have two Coil-Packs on my 4.6 V8. when it was misfiring from the beginning, the one New Coil-Pack that was put on, but then they look at the other side yet the diagnostic computer said it was OK but when the Technician pulled the wires off, he found it was so corroded inside the coil-pack and couldn't figure out why it was still working while the new one on the other side failed. So they did both sides with new wires & plugs! No more misfiring. When they misfire it fells like the Transmission.
29:23 when I was heard the pieces break off.. and as you were explaining the process of extraction.. I was wondering, "what about the pieces in the cylinder". You answered my question. Leave the plug out and let it run.
if porcelin gets stuck between valve & seat your pulling it anyway, if it doesnt spit it out before it bends the valve
top dead center compression stroke then shop vac the cylinder with a rubber hose or some sort of contraption to seal the vacuum and if you're still not sure it came out, look around with a borescope
+Samuel Gonzalez Grease on a wire go inside and catch pieces. Try TDC before you take plug from each cylinder.
klong1972 yeah right. Copy cat
Fuck that shit, if the customer won’t pay I’m not doing it
I say put a thin nose air gun nozzle to the bottom of the piston and blow it out
I've done the shop vac and that works .
I have a F-150 2006.
I broke 4 spark plugs and remove the broken pieces with the same tool. Then I install different spark plugs and so far I changed 3 times with out problems.
Great video yours.
you stated that " there are probably a whole bunch of videos of this on you tube ,,and you probably should have researched it"
Eric we dont care if there are 120000 videos of a given repair ..we want to see YOUR videos
Amen
deepsquat600 Appreciate that thank you
Pomona Bill I
what he is trying to imply is that this is a common problem with Ford Products
@@guytremblay1647 let's address your unnecessary comment. - No, actually what he clearly said was that he didn't care to repeat content.
I always learn new things from your program, thank you for providing entertainment and know how.
Way to go Eric!
Turn an excruciatingly painful experience into an everyday repair!
And on the “Neverseize” thing.
2 broken plugs made me smile.
Sounds weird? But, I religiously use neverseize or a copper based similar producer on almost every bolt I remove..So makes me feel better about it.
But…it doesnt take much to fully coat threads and being very careful not to get any near/on/touch the plug tip!
No big “Globs” required.. (Very Conductive..maybe causing the miss eventually.
Super job that would have caused mere mortals to crumble Eric!-) Thanks.
Nice job man. you handle the anxiety pretty well. I would be nervous as a cat.
I use compressed air with a long bit of brake line. I's my favorite tool, much like your air gun, except longer. It will eventually shoot it up and out. Time for safety glasses.
I have seen that done on other videos .
Wyr
God bless
Even tho I've watched your vids for probably the last year, I just ran across this one. Had a Stang GT with the 4.6 engine and had the same issue with the plugs. Used the Lisle tool to extract the 2 broken plugs and, as you said, it makes the most gawd awful sounds when tapping and extracting the plug tips.Used a long plastic straw jerryrigged to a shop vac to clean out the debris. As others have said, I enjoy your vids..thank you
Other then a vacuum extension to suck the broken porcelain out maybe adding a little oil in the cylinder. The oil may help suspend the broken pieces and crank the engine to force the oil and suspended pieces out of the spark plug hole together.
I've always heard about the horror stories with the spark plug replacement, but never done a job myself. And I'm not looking forward to doing one either. Great work in the demonstration of the tool. Eric, I was thinking about the porcelain that breaks inside the engine. What about an adapter hose that fits the spark plug hole and the other end connects to a modified connector of some type to a vacuum source like a shopvac, etc.? To see if this worked, I would have a clean bag, filter inside the shopvac for inspection to see if any debris was picked up. The incoming air supply would come through one of the open valves such as an intake or exhaust. If the valves were all closed, the system would create a vacuum, but without the flow, it wouldn't pick up any debris sitting on top of the piston. Just a thought...
stuzman52 Yeah a good idea Terry, several others here mentioned something along those lines too. I just get stuck in the way of doing things in a certain way and sometimes they are right and sometimes wrong lol. Good suggestion though. It seems from what I read on the Lisle tool they are not to worried about the porcelain other than just blasting it out of there. I think there has to be some sort of effort to remove it IMO
Years later.... my friend's uncle was a master mechanic for a Ford dealership. He told my friend, "warm the car up real good, and use an impact wrench to remove the plugs"... so there you go. Sounds to me like you know the best way already. And I really, really hope you're right and all these long plug motors will be in the scrap yard so nobody will have to deal with those stupid broken spark plugs anymore....
It's down to rust, and other inherent issues with the Ford Triton engine putting these in junkyards pretty quickly.
If you service the cam phaser, change the oil and replace plugs every 50 or 60 thousand miles the Triton will go 300,000 easy. Look at the number of Triton powered taxi's in New York. Bad maintenance practices doesn't make an engine bad. Small block Chevys were known for cam lobe failure due to cold start oil starvation but they are still one hell of an engine.
@@biffmalibu3733 big difference in the earlier 4.6 (taxis and cop cars), and the 5.4 three valve.
The earlier engines were hardier, whereas the 3 valve was designed to fail, it seems.
03:43 I believe I have always done my plugs cold. For now on I will do them hot... just in case and so they come out easier.
@gregory pruden Then you get to play Heli-coil. Be sure to use anti-seize on new plugs.