BrianK

Good to hear from others that I 'should;' be OK. But nothing like being prepared.

DippinBob

I just went through this ordeal at 100k miles on my daily driver. I didn't find out about this plug issue until I broke the first plug on removal. I read the TSB, heavily soaked the rest with PB overnight and still broke two more. The extractor tool worked like a charm, I removed all of the broken porcelain shards and used a magnet to pull out any metal frags. After I was done I had a P0353 issue as I somehow broke the coil pack connector. Car was running great at 100k, I just thought I should replace them. This problem is why I joined this forum, to read more BEFORE I break something again.

Ricardo

I changed mine last year...theres a seperate thread I started then with pics around here somewhere...
I would not reccomend anyone attempt to break their plugs loose without the extractor tool on hand. Its dirt cheap compared to a tow to the dealership to have the heads removed. I think 6 of mine snapped...had a few small shards of porcelain fall down but some tubing duct taped into my shop vac hose cleaned the cylinder up nicely.

edit- Just stick with the stock plugs...follow the TSB, coat the threads, and just break them loose every few thousand miles you should be fine. Plus a search on aftermarket plugs shows ALOT of issues in the 3V, stock plug seems to be best overall reliability wise aside from the removal issue.

jz

I used Champions on my car as well. No issues to date.

Also, this is the first I'm reading about the "plug material" being the problem. I have read for years that it's the two piece plug that's the problem. It's even been on a few of the weekend Motorhead shows and they always mention the "two piece" plug as being the cause. Who knows.

I'm also not understanding why you would need the head removed when they make a tool for removing the damaged plug. I'm friends with several Mechanics at my local dealership, even a few who are Ford Master Techs, and they have never had to remove a head from the 3V for a broken plug. Just use the tool and out it comes.

hootie_john

Seems like I read of some situations where the threads strip, and you can't get the plugs out. I think trying it on a warm/hot engine was the culprit.

Goldenpony

I don't buy the story that the problem with these plugs is due to plug material. It's a build up of carbon around the protruding "barrel" below the threads which cements the lower portion of the plug to the head. The plug is made in two separate pieces, and they aren't even welded together, but swedged. If you apply over maybe 35 ft/lbs of torque while removing, this swedge joint separates. I'll stay with the one piece Champions until Autolite or Motorcraft (the same plug actually) come out with a 1 piece design.

S197GT07

You don't buy that its the real problem because you need something to give you assurance you're $100 plug change was worth it. Its ok, we understand

The build up of carbon was mostly due to the material of the actual sheath!
Copper = bad
Nickel = good!

Also, when I took mine out @ 30k miles I had my tq wrench at 40ftlbs and they came out fine. It clicked at 35 too, and no breaks, no squeaks at all. There just wasn't enough buildup at that point for them to be fused and break.

Also 90% of people who have FI use HT0's, which are a 2-piece with Nickel coating. Ever hear horror stories from them doing plug changes?

Didn't think so.

pinche_maniaco

I'm not gonna lie I'm sitting at 100,500 and I haven't changed them out yet, but ill post when I do lol.

Kotobuki

I just did this a week ago at 101K. Got my plugs and the Lisle tool from O'Reilly's. Had a hard time tracking down the Nickel anti-sieze, ended up getting an 8oz tub from Grainger, so I'm in anti-sieze for the rest of my life. Anyway, I took plenty of time, let it sit far longer than needed, and only had 2 plugs that so much as squeaked. Let those sit a little longer, and worked them back and forth a couple partial turns. Came out fine.

I read plenty of horror stories from folks here at much lower mileage than I did mine at. All I can say is that I use fuel that has detergent additives, and maybe not trying to save $.02 a gallon made my life easier. I don't know. But take your time, have the tool handy just in case, and you should be just fine.

Oh, well, I did disconnect the fuel injectors to give myself a little more room to work (not necessary)... I did that after the engine was totally cold and it was like, 30 out. Most all the retaining tabs on those broke. So that sucked. Make sure there's a little (and I mean LITTLE) heat there when you're disconnecting the plastic stuff if you're doing this stuff in the winter.

whiterabit998

This right here explains and solves all the issues!!! This is crazy how this always happens...