Newbie looking to change the plugs on my 02 4.6 explorer | Ford Explorer Forums

  • Register Today It's free!

Newbie looking to change the plugs on my 02 4.6 explorer

emhGoExplore

New Member
Joined
February 21, 2008
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Thanks to a couple of other posts, I have managed to change the belt on my explorer. My next goal is to check and/or replace the plugs on my 02 explorer. Any help on the steps involved will be greatly appreciated.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year or try it out for $5 a month.

Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





These aren't too bad to do. The 4.6L V8 has a coil-on-plug design which eliminates spark plug wires. To change the plugs, locate the coil(s) that wil be close to each cylinder's fuel injector, disconnect and remove the coil, and then remove the spark plug. They're pretty easy, albeit a little time consuming.
One thing to remember...If a plug doesn't feel like it wants to come out easily, don't reef on it. You'll break it off in the head! If you start to feel resistance, turn it back in about half a turn, then back out till it starts getting tight again, back in a little, back out some more, and so on till you get it all the way out. A good penetrating oil such as PB B'laster is a must-have if you run into one or more that want to fight you. Spray a generous dose of penetrating oil down the plug hole and let them soak for a couple hours, then go back and do them the way I described...A little at a time.

I definitely recommend Autolite plugs for replacements. They're identical to the OEM Motorcraft plugs, but cheaper and more readily available. Go with the APP series double platinums or the XP series iridiums. I wouldn't use a single platinum (AP series) or non-platinum (no prefix) plug in these just due to the lack of durability. There's nothing to gain as far as performance goes with the higher end plugs, but unless you want to change them every 30,000 miles, get a good plug in there so they last a good long while.
 






Thanks. I have yet to pull the plastic cover off of the engine. I am simply looking at my GT Mustang's 4.6 mod engine and see that the fuel rails make things a bit tight. Before going down the path of plug inspection/replacement, I wanted to get an idea of how to handle the rails along with the coils. These are the first cars that I have owned that have the coils on the plug. Will the fuel rails be any issue?
 






#8 cylinder is a bit tricky, but the other 7 can be done without disturbing the fuel rail. On #8 (driver's side rear), you may have to unbolt the fuel rail to be able to wiggle it around and get the coil out.
 












Thanks for the advice Mike. I am giving my 100k ride some much needed tlc. I'll be back...

Well hurry up! It shouldn't take you more than a couple hours!:D
 






They were easy!

I did the plugs on my 02 limited last night. It was 24 degrees, in the dark, and no big deal. This was the easiest tune up Ive ever done. The 4.6 in this truck was way easier to work on then the 4.6 in a 97 F-150 I had. My 02 has 130,000 miles on it and Ive never seen plugs look so good! Clean and deposit free. Good news for me, as I got the truck 3 weeks ago.:thumbsup:
 






what's involved with unbolting the fuel rail to get out #8? I don't want to start any fuel leak issues.
 






These aren't too bad to do. The 4.6L V8 has a coil-on-plug design which eliminates spark plug wires. To change the plugs, locate the coil(s) that wil be close to each cylinder's fuel injector, disconnect and remove the coil, and then remove the spark plug. They're pretty easy, albeit a little time consuming.
One thing to remember...If a plug doesn't feel like it wants to come out easily, don't reef on it. You'll break it off in the head! If you start to feel resistance, turn it back in about half a turn, then back out till it starts getting tight again, back in a little, back out some more, and so on till you get it all the way out. A good penetrating oil such as PB B'laster is a must-have if you run into one or more that want to fight you. Spray a generous dose of penetrating oil down the plug hole and let them soak for a couple hours, then go back and do them the way I described...A little at a time.

I definitely recommend Autolite plugs for replacements. They're identical to the OEM Motorcraft plugs, but cheaper and more readily available. Go with the APP series double platinums or the XP series iridiums. I wouldn't use a single platinum (AP series) or non-platinum (no prefix) plug in these just due to the lack of durability. There's nothing to gain as far as performance goes with the higher end plugs, but unless you want to change them every 30,000 miles, get a good plug in there so they last a good long while.

PB Blaster is some good stuff for sure!

However, I was wondering what happens if a small amount of that gets down inside when you take the plug out?

Can someone expect any kind of performance gain by replacing old plugs?

Also, is it imperative that one use a torque wrench when putting the new plugs in?
 






If a little PB B'laster gets down in the cylinders, it'll just burn up. The carrier oil is mostly just glorified diesel fuel.

If your old plugs were working fine, there's no real gain by installing new ones. Same goes with various brands of "performance" plugs. All gimmick. Stick with the OEM Motorcraft (Autolite) platinums and you'll be fine.

I put the Autolite XP series iridium plugs in mine, just because they looked interesting. No difference in performance.

Torquing them is probably a good practice, though I've never had a problem just using a ratchet and going about 1/16 turn past seated. You'll get a feel for it if you do a few.
 






What size socket is required for the '02 4.6L V8?
 






Should be the standard 5/8" size. Only the 3-valve engines had the little peanut 9/16" hex on them.

I'd highly recommend to everyone doing plugs on these engines (as well as any engine with aluminum heads) to smear a small dab of anti-sieze compound on the threads of the new plugs before you install them. It'll make future removal a snap, and should result in fewer broken off plugs in the heads.
 






No problem removing #8 just maybe a shorter extension. I didn't have to remove any rails on mine. Don't forget to use dielectric grease in the boot on the spring.
 






Featured Content

Back
Top