Any fix for water in spark plug wells 4.6L?

[Explorer_PL]

I think I have about 7k on them and sometimes I am in shock how much power that little v8 is still making at 157k miles.

The Accells are working great so far, if any fails I will sure report it here.

 

[granadojl]

I just want to share my fix in this thread after reading the home depot fix for this problem. Thanks for the idea. It works.

A had a sheet metal guy make an aluminum water troth to keep water out of the sparkplug wells that looks like a Ford TSB fix. It attaches to the firewall without any new hardware to existing hardware on firewall. I am not sure how to upload photos for those interested but will find out if anyone cares to see it.

Here you can see the great "Drip Rail" DXGMMPA had fabbed up for his ride.

Here is what he has to say about this awsomness.

<<...>> <<...>> <<...>>
My driveway is on a steep incline. I like to park facing downhill. I would get water in the spark plug wells of my 06 explorer doing that. Always facing downhill and never facing uphill. I did your fix. I just paid to make it look like it belongs. Now I park facing downhill and the problem is gone. Pressure washing this engine is definitely not on the do list anytime soon without special attention to the sparkplug wells. Also just blowing out the spark plug wells and drying out the water do not seem to fix the missing for me. I tried several time and finally just changed out the plugs. I purchased 3 new boots but never install them. There was no need. In my case the trouble was with plug 6 and 7. New plugs and silicone grease around the newly cleaned boots and wells solved the problem.
Thanks,
-dxgmmpa

 

[willied]

Wow, that's a pretty nice looking fix!

 

[stacyg]

Could you just seal the clip holes with silicon?

I was looking at the clip area and it seems, as others have said, the leak comes through the clip hole. Has anyone tried sealing the holes with something like JB Weld, epoxy or a marine grade silicon? I like the idea for the gutter system, but the gutter sort of already exists, it just leaks. Please correct me if I am wrong so I don't do something dumb.
I was also thinking that adding a small amount of non-conductive grease on the bottom of the boot top seal might help the boot top seal to the top of the wells top surface. It would probably not make it completely waterproof but the surface tension should create an improved seal. Has anyone tried this?

I stumbled onto this post because I had to replace a soaked boot today because of a major misfire. It has been misfiring very slightly for a while and I figured I had a plug that needed replaced. I was planning to do it but you know how that goes. Anyway, today, the check engine light was on and I had ODBII code for misfire in the #3 cylinder (plus other misc codes). I dried out well and replaced the #3 boot and plug then reset the codes. It now runs perfect and is now not throwing codes and does not miss at all.
2006 Explorer XLT 4.6L 4X4 with tow package 85k.

Thanks,
Stacy
Trained and Certified US Navy A-4E-TA-4J Skyhawk Jet / SH-3G SeaKing Helicopter Structural, Hydraulic and Flight Control Technician and long time hobby of troubleshooting and repairing cars.

 

[kbills]

Discovered this issue when changing plugs - and apparently #8 was rusted enough due to the water that it broke while coming off. Now engine needs to be pulled to get the cylinder head off.

 

[pjw73nh]

No not really. Do a search here for 4.6 L broken spark plugs. Very common. start here:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...park-plug-removal-method.397121/#post-3382969

 

[kbills]

No not really. Do a search here for 4.6 L broken spark plugs. Very common. start here:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...park-plug-removal-method.397121/#post-3382969

that thread, and 99.9999% of what I can find online is for the issues with plugs on the 3V engine. This is a 2V engine, and the plugs are very different. The Lisle tool only works on the 3V plugs. Our other two vehicles are the 3V Triton, so I am very familiar with that process.

 

[pjw73nh]

I guess I am confused. The subject of this thread is 4.6 L in the 2006-2010 sub-forum . I was unaware there were some 2 valve 4.6 L engines 2006 and up. I thought they were all 3 valve. Learn something new every day. Tnx.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Kbills has 2005 model which was the last year of 2V in the explorers.

 

[kbills]

Kbills has 2005 model which was the last year of 2V in the explorers.

Correct, and sorry, this post showed up first on a google search, and I did not notice it was in a 06-10 forum. Though the OP issue with the water coming down the windshield and on to the engine is the same.

 

[PotatoExplorer]

I said this in another post, but I'll mention it again. I did what StacyG had said about using silicone to seal up the clips (There's the flat clips and several round plastic trim clips). I did this from the under side of the window cowl (inside the engine bay). I did about 3 rounds of heavy layers. Looks freaking awful and crude but I'm not entering in any type of judged competition and it stopped water from leaking onto my engine. Got a $3 small tube of clear silicone and that's it. Probably will also work on your 3rd Gen as well.

 

[pzy3339]

 

[MPrado1]

Discovered this issue when changing plugs - and apparently #8 was rusted enough due to the water that it broke while coming off. Now engine needs to be pulled to get the cylinder head off.

thats an unnecessary amount of work there is a lisle tool specifically for that motor to extract broken plugs

 

[Explorer_PL]

MPrado1 -

how did it break ? Did you get the threads out ?

 

[MPrado1]

MPrado1 -

how did it break ? Did you get the threads out ?

It's not me with the broken plug.

 

[Explorer_PL]

I see it

 

[07gtman]

mine was leaking through a little crack in the wiper cowl,I poured water from a bucket down the windshield slowly till i saw were it was leaking from. it was a little rusty crack in the wiper cowl. I sanded it a bit and caulked it, Put a bunch of dielectric grease around the boots and its been good ever since..about 1 1/2 years.

 

[kbills]

Follow up for my issue - which was posted in the wrong forum, but posting the update anyways for anyone who comes across this later in a google search. Especially since I came upon this exact post while now researching fixing the original issue that caused my broken plug.

My 2005 Explorer v8 4.6L had a rusted out spark plug, due to water collecting in the spark plug well from coming in through the "cowell" at the bottom of the windshield. when trying to change plugs, the plug broke, clear off above the threads, nothing to grab on to, no way to get an ez out in, nothing. The Lisle tool only works on the 3V Triton plugs, not on these ones.

Machine shop had no suggestions on how to get the porcelain and plug out. My regular shop did not want to touch it for risk of getting porcelain in the cylinder.

Different shop I took it to had a custom chisel made by the machine shop that would work with an air hammer. 9 hours of hacking away at the porcelain and they get the porcelain out and then pulled the plug shell with an EZ out. It was going to be a $4k job to pull the engine to get the head off (can't pull the head without pulling the engine out) and ended up being $900 in mostly labor to get the broken plug out. Most expensive spark plug change ever, but way less than it was expected to be in the end.

Now to go seal that gap that lets water drip in to the #8 well when parked facing downhill, ie in my driveway.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Thanks for follow up, that was nice of you.
Why would the head not come off with the motor in ?
Clearance issue ?

 

[kbills]

Thanks for follow up, that was nice of you.
Why would the head not come off with the motor in ?
Clearance issue ?

i am not sure, must be clearance. for this model/engine i know that is the procedure. i have never pulled a head myself. that is serious enough for me to take it to someone.