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Spark Plug Blow Outs.
Ford has had a problem with the spark plug threads not holding spark plugs in their 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8 engines for awhile now. The aluminum heads have about five threads holding the spark plugs in place. If the threads fail the spark plug will eject, when it blows out it can break the ignition coil that is positioned over each plug. Ford does not recommend repairing the threads, they would rather the entire cylinder head be replaced with a head from Ford. Beware of purchasing a rebuilt head due to blowouts being so common, chances are the rebuilt head may have a repair insert that may not hold. Machine shops commonly use Heli-coils for repairing damaged or missing threads, however Heli-Coils are not the best repair in this instance.
The Heli-Coil is a thin coil that can fail due to the stress of cylinder compression and the fact that only a few threads are used to secure the spark plug. With this particular Ford spark plug problem, one of the best specialty tool inserts available is the CAL389-100 (much thicker than the Heli-Coil brand), it can be used in the vehicle saving down time and expense, the kit that it comes in has a short instructional DVD. Read on for Ford's latest spark plug problem.
Broken Spark Plugs.
Ford has redesigned the cylinder head on the 5.4 engines used in Ford trucks, Expeditions, Mustangs etc. unfortunately the new design has a different problem. When removing the spark plugs in these new
r 5.4 Ford engines the spark plug can break leaving a metal sleeve (electrode shield) in the spark plug hole. The threaded part comes out but the remaining portion stays behind and can be a real nightmare to extract.
Ford has made a removal tool kit, the Rotunda 303-1203 for removing the spark plug sleeve when this break occurs. The Rotunda 303-1203 is a specialty tool that has been in huge demand from many unsuspecting repair shops that were performing regular maintenance on their customer's vehicles. The Ford TSB describes how to try to prevent the break, although the procedure yields less than desirable results.
The Ford Rotunda 303-1203 automotive specialty tool can be used to remove this poorly designed plug.
About the Author. Hi I'm Dennis Bandy, thanks for reading about my background. I've been an ASE Master Auto Technician for over 23 years and have also sold professional auto tools since 2005. I am in a unique position to help readers on certain automotive repair related topics since I've had personal hands on experience with many auto repairs and automotive specialty tools. Let me just say, this is not a hobby for me, this is my business. Your feedback is really appreciated, if you thought this article was helpful or informative, please rate it below (thank you in advance).
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