My Spark plug replacement story
My vehicle had been “bucking” slightly under partial load (slight acceleration from highway speeds). It had been getting progressively worse over the last couple of months. No “check engine” lights but the dealer advised that it was probably plugs or a coil pack going bad. I decided it was time for new plugs.
After reading about all the nightmare stories, I bought the Lisle extractor tool, ordered some plugs from Summit Racing.com, bought a good deep 9/16” socket, spoke to a friend of a friend who is an experienced Ford tech, watched 3 or 4 “how to remove plugs” videos on You Tube, and finally gave it a shot.
FWIW my vehicle is a 2006 Explorer XLT, March 2006 build, 4.6 V8 with 86,800 miles. I bought the vehicle two years and 23000 miles ago from a dealer. I have no idea what the previous service records were. The daggum dealers always throw that good information away.
On the Ford tech’s advice I bought the Autolite HT0 plugs. I liked the look of the Champion one piece plug but the tech’s comment was that several customers complained about drivability with the Champion plug. The Champion plug by the way has a 5/8” hex head so if you choose Champions you’ll need a 5/8” plug socket as well.
As far as the procedure is concerned, the Ford tech advised not to bother with using the PB Blaster / Carb cleaner per the tech procedure bulletin. His experience was that it just makes a mess and does not do much good. He said just take it slow and let it squeak and complain as the plug comes out. I started with a stone cold (76 degrees in FL in May) engine. So as I got started I broke #1 and #2 loose per the video and Ford procedures. Since the guys on the videos were so emphatic about using the PB Blaster I squirted some PB Blaster down the #2 hole and let it sit while I worked on Number 1.
Plug number 1 came out slowly and it squeaked and squalked quite a bit. But it came out in tact. I proceeded to remove 3 and 4 using the “dry” method. They came out fine. I then went back to number 2 which had been sitting with the penetrant for almost an hour by this time. I sucked up the residue PB Blaster with a paper towel to prevent it from flooding in to the combustion chamber and started to work at removal. It did come out a little easier than the others but not significantly. It also looked more like so many of the others that have been pictured in this thread. The plugs that came out via the dry method looked more rusty than carboned up but that may be residue from the fuel system cleaner I have been using. More on that in a minute.
Plugs 5-7 all came out similarly to #1. All dry and in tact. The passenger side was a little more difficult as there are more obstructions on that side of the engine plus it was easier to “pull” on the wrench to loosen the plugs on the driver’s side vs. pushing on the wrench to loosen on the passenger side.
Plug #8 was a real bugger to break loose. I did put a little PB blaster in that hole to loosen the threads. After allowing that to sit a while and thinking about how to get some more leverage on #8, I did finally get it broken loose.
All 8 plugs came out in tact and there was no need to use the Lisle tool. See photo.
Shot at 2012-05-14
As a precursor, I did run a couple of bottles of Amsoil PI fuel system cleaner through a couple of tanks. I am not sure if that cleaned off the carbon build up, caused the remaining carbon to look rusty, and allowed for easy removal of the plugs or not. I think it may have as the electrodes look pretty good and there was not much carbon for 86,000 miles. It is possible that the previous owner had newer plugs installed not long ago but by the looks of the plugs and the way the vehicle was driving, I don’t think so. Plus, there was no evidence of anti sieze per the tech bulletin. I did use it on the new plugs.
The whole process took two hours and the vehicle seems to run better now. As I mentioned above, I did not need to use the Lisle extractor and feel lucky that I did not. If anyone thinks they might need one, I’ll sell this one for ½ of what I paid. Below is a link as to where to buy the Amsoil PI fuel system cleaner if anyone is interested. I think the stuff works and who knows, maybe just maybe it saved me a big headache by allowing these plugs to come out cleanly.
I hope this is helpful for anyone contemplating attempting the plug change on your own. For me it was not that bad and I feel a sense of relief that it is now complete. I’ll be changing these plugs again with 30000-40000 miles.
Don
Link To Amsoil PI -
http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/api.aspx
