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Spark Plug job on Explorer Sport 3.5L Ecoboost

Is it worth paying for a shop (or dealer), or should I replace the spark plugs myself?

  • Its worth paying to have someone else do it for you.

    Votes: 3 23.1%
  • Its not that hard, take care of it yourself and save the money.

    Votes: 10 76.9%

  • Total voters
    13
I replaced my plugs on the EB last year. WAY easier than I expected. No need for a Haynes manual, I followed the same video Peter posted earlier.

Here's a few things I ordered:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014ZVSVK
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AL8VD2
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BG5LA4
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009B5ROYU
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002UEOLO
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FMPKAD0

The swivel spark plug socket is an absolute must buy in my opinion. The magnets very strong and hold the plugs perfectly.
Your coil boots may not need replacing, but they are too cheap to take the gamble and not replace with plugs.

You do not have to remove much at all to get to the plugs on the EB. The back 3 are more of a pain in the ass than difficult. After finishing I remember saying to myself how I'm glad I didn't pay a mechanic as it would have been a waste of money for something so easy.

Good luck
 



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I know at this point this is a pretty old post, but I just wanted to follow-up and let everyone know how it went since I actually finally got around to doing it yesterday :D

It was pretty easy! Like BoominXplorer and Andy.J said, it was actually pretty pain free over all. The charge pipe for the turbo did need to be unbolted and pushed aside to get to the back drive side plug, but that really wasn't difficult. All in all, it was a pretty straight forward job, and I'm super happy that I didn't have to deal with the intake manifold.

I will say that the Haynes manual made it sound like I would have to take it off, so I'm a bit annoyed that they didn't make it more clear that the 3.5L EcoBoost engine doesn't require it :nono:

Thanks for everyone who took the time to respond - she's purring nicely with her new plugs. Best of all, the old ones look very good, no abnormal wear!

Oh and side note - the dealer wanted about $500 to do the job, which is crazy considering it didn't even take me 2 hours to do it in my driveway. Thanks to everyone who suggested tackling it myself!
 






I did this job yesterday. Really easy. Buy the swivel/magnetic SP wrench it will make the job really easy. I only had to unclip one boot, the one closest to the driver, to get the boots out. You will need to disconnect the turbo tube in the front only to get this boot out. I could easily do it in under 1 hour now. Do not be afraid to try. You will need an assortment of different length extensions. Far from a nightmare.

Btw, dealer quoted me $470 for this with three hours of labor. I was in for $41 in plugs(eBay) and $12 for the wrench. If you live in the Dallas area I will help you do it for a 2 cases of Ruby Redbird.
 






I replaced my plugs on the EB last year. WAY easier than I expected. No need for a Haynes manual, I followed the same video Peter posted earlier.

Here's a few things I ordered:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014ZVSVK
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AL8VD2
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BG5LA4
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009B5ROYU
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002UEOLO
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FMPKAD0

The swivel spark plug socket is an absolute must buy in my opinion. The magnets very strong and hold the plugs perfectly.
Your coil boots may not need replacing, but they are too cheap to take the gamble and not replace with plugs.

You do not have to remove much at all to get to the plugs on the EB. The back 3 are more of a pain in the ass than difficult. After finishing I remember saying to myself how I'm glad I didn't pay a mechanic as it would have been a waste of money for something so easy.

Good luck
Thanks for taking the time to post this. The socket made the job really easy.
 






Im too little too late but I'll share anyhow i guess for others wanting to do it. I own the 16 ex sport and did the plugs myself. I went by what the Haynes book said to do and was successful. With that said the rear bank is a bear to do. Had to use a flat head to very, very gently pry/wiggle the coils until they finally popped out. Pretty much find an edge with the flat head corner and twist while wiggling with the other hand. I just could not get a decent grip with my hands. Once out job wasnt bad. You will have to unplug a few electrical connections and hoses but easy to keep track of and impossible to plug things back in the wrong way because the connectors are all different. Went one at time and used a cheap magnetic spark plug socket and it worked fine. Used some copper antisieze on the threads. Some sources say do that and some say don't need to but i did. Used a little dielectric in the boots, and torqued them to what the hayned book said to do and havent had any issues. Definitely worth saving hundreds of dollars. I'm no mechanic by any stretch so if I can, about anyone can
 






I just did plugs on my 14 Sport. Just under 90k miles. Definitely worn, but not bad.

I don't understand why people say the back 3 are difficult. I had no issues. Maybe I have lanky hands. Driverside rear was the most difficult, but not hard. As said, the swivel magnetic plug wrench makes it very easy. Took me less than 1 hour, cleanup and all.
 






I just did plugs on my 14 Sport. Just under 90k miles. Definitely worn, but not bad.

I don't understand why people say the back 3 are difficult. I had no issues. Maybe I have lanky hands. Driverside rear was the most difficult, but not hard. As said, the swivel magnetic plug wrench makes it very easy. Took me less than 1 hour, cleanup and all.

I have not changed the plugs yet, but I did change the Struts last week with a Quick Strut Assembly and I can definitely hope that the strut tower cross brace does not have to be removed. For my Taurus SHO it was easier to remove the brace but on this one the inboard rear bolt is definitely a PITA. Not enough clearance for a traditional socket... Need a ratchet wrench but the secret is to remove the rubber/plastic trim piece. easy just slowly pull from front to back and it is easy. Again hopefully strut tower cross brace doesn't have to be removed but if it does, resign yourself to removing the piece of trim...You will spend much more time fighting it than just removing. Remove the outboard rear first, a 45/90 degree 15mm ratchet wrench should make quick work once the trim is removed. I cant specifically speak for the Explorer 3.5 EB, but for the SHO removing the strut tower cross brace definitely helped maybe it will for Explorer too. Layout is generally the same for both vehicles, transverse mount V6, plugs are same, air/oil filter are the same. About the only major difference is the ground clearance and slight difference in the protective shield for underneath the engine. Still the same 1/4 Turn fasteners but you can literally change a 2018 Sport Oil without jack stands. I personally recommend race ramps though to allow a better incline to drain more of the old oil out of the pan,
 






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