2004 2v 4.6 V8 spark plug replacement

[rmcknight]

Today i replaced the plugs on my 2004 2v 4.6 Explorer, after researching this forum i mustered up the courage and went for it.

Things worthy of note:
The vehicle had 105K on the clock.

The job was very easy, there was nothing tricky at all and each plug took about 5 to 10 mins, only because i was being very cautious.

I used Champion Iridium 9204 Plugs for $5 each. The old ones were NGK.
No need to remove the fuel rail, just the large air intake, in some cases i used the swivel joint though.
The old plugs looked quite used (except for the electrodes that all looked in great condition - i guess iridium does last!)
The 2v engine does not have the plugs that break in two. Some were tight and im sure they would have broken in two if they could have...
I used the plug grease on the bottom of each boot coil inside the spring.
I did not torque to any specific point, just till it was quite tight.

After i removed each coil i vacuumed the hole and then again after i pulled each plug, that did a great job of cleaning up any dirt.

Regards, Ralph.

 

[pet575]

Sounds like you did a solid job. Notice any performance improvement?

 

[rmcknight]

im not sure, but it does seem to sound slightly better / smoother.... and possibly goes stronger at higher rpm > 5000. im waiting on the fuel figures over time, but they seem about the same.

 

[ccrider]

Did the same today on my 02 EB (new to me). I appreciate all the forum posting that has been given here. I concur that the fuel rail on this engine need NOT be moved if you have extensions and swivels. It does help to take the air box off at the throttle body for cylinders 1-4, passenger side. Dielectric grease and anti-seize should make it better. I used Motorcraft platinums AGSF32PMs/ They made it through 137K so,...

 

[Number4]

The spark plug torque is only 13 lbs. Doing it by feel may over tighten and cause thread damage to the heads.
The use of anti seize will reduce resistance and also lead to over torquing.
As an fyi - spark plugs that have black threads need anti seize. Most of today's spark plugs are silver in color as they are manufactured with an anti seize coating.
I don't know that the Explorer heads have spark plug issues, but if the book calls for only 13 lbs spark plug torque, I wouldn't risk guessing at it.