Blown Spark Plug
01-28-2008, 03:29 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 4
Blown Spark Plug
Hey has anyone ever blown out and stripped out a spark plug? I just did and wondered if anyone had the same problem before. I'm figuring out that I have to rethread, but has anyone done this and how much work does it involve?
01-28-2008, 10:53 PM
#2
2010 Blue Ball Award Recipient
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Eskimo Village, Indiana *No Igloo*
Posts: 7,907
RE: Blown Spark Plug
Dirty Vag > Fords Aluminum Head Design
Lots of people have done it. Horribly common on the 4.6 and I do believe 5.4 heads up till about mid 2001 when the heads recieved 8 full threads instead of 4.
IF you do a helicoil, or some sort of rethreading to the hole, the work itself is not all that difficult. Just takes time/patience/some inginuity to get the shavings off the head of the piston.
However, if it does not go 100% correct, you'll end up needing a new head. So if I were you, I'd attempt the rethread, but don't be shocked if it still blows the plug out again, or it hits the head of the plug in on itself as mine has done after the helicoil went in just a tiny bit too far.
Apparently, on top of all of this, finding a decent set of 02-04 heads is not as easy as it would seem either.[X(]
Lots of people have done it. Horribly common on the 4.6 and I do believe 5.4 heads up till about mid 2001 when the heads recieved 8 full threads instead of 4.
IF you do a helicoil, or some sort of rethreading to the hole, the work itself is not all that difficult. Just takes time/patience/some inginuity to get the shavings off the head of the piston.
However, if it does not go 100% correct, you'll end up needing a new head. So if I were you, I'd attempt the rethread, but don't be shocked if it still blows the plug out again, or it hits the head of the plug in on itself as mine has done after the helicoil went in just a tiny bit too far.
Apparently, on top of all of this, finding a decent set of 02-04 heads is not as easy as it would seem either.[X(]
01-28-2008, 11:01 PM
#3
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Houston TX
Posts: 732
RE: Blown Spark Plug
i thought they didn't double the threads until 03? but yeah, it's a common problem on the 4.6 engines. you can heli-coil it, but it will probably be a temporary fix at best. you'll end up needing a new cylinder head eventually, they're not too terribly expensive.. i've seen new stock PI heads with cams for just under $400. if you've got the money, and you're already working on the engine, Patriot Performance sells ported PI heads that are pretty damn good. match those up with some hotter cams and you'll get a significant boost in hp and torque.
01-28-2008, 11:15 PM
#4
2010 Blue Ball Award Recipient
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Eskimo Village, Indiana *No Igloo*
Posts: 7,907
RE: Blown Spark Plug
I'm under the impression that in 01.5, when they switched to Romeo motors, they fixed the issue...
I could be wrong, and as such, have been wasting my time talking to people with '02s ......
but i had heard that it was not until 03, but was corrected by someone..
some clarificationw oudl be nice
*as for the head/cam swap.. sure would be nice,, hell, i could have had 90% of the labor done myself by this point as the one head is in my kitchen, and the other is nearly disconnected from the block itself*
I could be wrong, and as such, have been wasting my time talking to people with '02s ......
but i had heard that it was not until 03, but was corrected by someone..
some clarificationw oudl be nice
*as for the head/cam swap.. sure would be nice,, hell, i could have had 90% of the labor done myself by this point as the one head is in my kitchen, and the other is nearly disconnected from the block itself*
01-28-2008, 11:19 PM
#5
4th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York
Posts: 1,859
RE: Blown Spark Plug
i just did one on Gstams car..... i have experience...so we removed the head and crap..took it to a machine shop..they checked head..helicoiled it...we put back togeather .. runs fine
01-29-2008, 07:39 AM
#7
aka 'Negative Nancy'
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 4,839
RE: Blown Spark Plug
ORIGINAL: 72MachOne99GT
Dirty Vag > Fords Aluminum Head Design
Lots of people have done it. Horribly common on the 4.6 and I do believe 5.4 heads up till about mid 2001 when the heads recieved 8 full threads instead of 4.
IF you do a helicoil, or some sort of rethreading to the hole, the work itself is not all that difficult. Just takes time/patience/some inginuity to get the shavings off the head of the piston.
However, if it does not go 100% correct, you'll end up needing a new head. So if I were you, I'd attempt the rethread, but don't be shocked if it still blows the plug out again, or it hits the head of the plug in on itself as mine has done after the helicoil went in just a tiny bit too far.
Apparently, on top of all of this, finding a decent set of 02-04 heads is not as easy as it would seem either.[X(]
Dirty Vag > Fords Aluminum Head Design
Lots of people have done it. Horribly common on the 4.6 and I do believe 5.4 heads up till about mid 2001 when the heads recieved 8 full threads instead of 4.
IF you do a helicoil, or some sort of rethreading to the hole, the work itself is not all that difficult. Just takes time/patience/some inginuity to get the shavings off the head of the piston.
However, if it does not go 100% correct, you'll end up needing a new head. So if I were you, I'd attempt the rethread, but don't be shocked if it still blows the plug out again, or it hits the head of the plug in on itself as mine has done after the helicoil went in just a tiny bit too far.
Apparently, on top of all of this, finding a decent set of 02-04 heads is not as easy as it would seem either.[X(]
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
lincolnshibuya
V6 (1994-2004) Mustangs
9
12-08-2015 04:37 PM
breaking
Audio/Visual Electronics
5
10-02-2015 01:27 PM
