OT--Ford Triton V8 plug nightmare...

To shop for plugs and wires (all but impossible to do myself, this is the first time I have ever taken a truck to a shop for plugs and wires)
They found that #4 cylinder plug had "popped"
out of the head. Apparently this is a very
common issue with Ford"s Triton V8"s.

Now head has to come off, and an insert put in the #4 hole....to the tune of $750!

I knew I should have never bought a Ford. This is my first and last!

Anyone else get bit by this bug? Apparently there is a class action suit filed against Ford for this issue, now I am a member of the class!

Information is at the link below, if anyone is interested.

• Fix that thread!

Right side trim different than left side trim. Warranty

Quit running after two weeks with connector falling loose under dash. Warranty

Under rated POC transmission rebuilt after 28,000 miles. Warranty Transmission is going again at 40,000 miles

Cylinders three and four had bad ignition coils and spark plugs after 38,000 miles while on vacation out east in Portland. $430 to replace the two coils and plugs and a $48 fuel filter. Owner paid for this screw up.

The duds at the top can't understand why nobody wants their products. Just saying quality doesn't make it happen! Customers do understand bad products and no longer need to buy from one company.

I got it, lets pay union employees even more to do less and that will take care of the problem. It works in our school systems and federal government doesn't it?

Now we find out that one of the guys at Ford gets to fly himself to Florida every week on The Company private jet at a cost of somewhere between $30,000 and $70,000 per week. That money may be a drop in the bucket but it comes from sales of Ford cars and trucks and doesn't add one iota of quality or value to the vehicles that Ford makes.

Ford is a goner that just hasn't fallen over yet

I have never towed with it, he towed a little 5x8 trailer with a lawnmower on it from time to time.

I don't abuse my vehicles, and did not abuse this one. Check engine light came on on a Friday night, I parked it and took it to shop Saturday.

IF you were to educate yourself a bit about the Triton V8's you will find that this is a common problem.

The later heads have more threads in them.

You say you operate an automotive repair shop.

Why are you "dissing" job security (Dorfs)?

I can never rely on people to transport bobcats at a moments notice, because they call back saying their tranny is out.

One other note people, quit leaving the button on the shifter in overdrive when pulling loads. You force the tranny to do things at it's weakest link.

My next one will only have a Allison Automatic period.
The Ford automatics are junk. Stop by any truck tranny shop and just walk around asking stupid questions to the techs.
Act as if you don't know a thing, but want advice on what not, or what should.

Now you get the real story. Not just opinions.
I used to rebuild automatics for auto applications, and it's not that difficult. In an hour, one can be ready to reinstall it.

I think the main problem with Ford is always trying to use the smallest components to save a dime here, and there.

In my honest opinion, there is no excuse for the crap they throw at us for a one ton truck. If your a contractor of any type that pulls Bobcats, there is no good reason why the tranny can't perform flawless for years on a daily basis.

If Allison can do it, then Ford should be one up on it, not the lowest.

If some, all they do is haul groceries, then they have no clue what we're talking about. You can't compare apples and bananas

I plow snow for a living with a ten ton tandem full of dirt, and not once has it failed. It's a train on rubber wheels with the Allison.

You're blowin' smoke.

Allan

That's not fair. Everyone knows that the '03s were the problem children.

I've a Powerstroke also. Biggest and only problem I've had with it is keeping the windshield clean.

Don't give up on these workhorses yet,

Allan

ALways look them up.

I'll bet $50,000 no anti seize was applied to the threads to protect the spark plug holes in the aluminum heads. Even on cast iron as well.

I used to see this as a service manager for Ford.
Open the hood, and see the spark plug dancing in the hole.
That's just plain retarded.

This is standard practice since the early 70's. Smart ones anyway.

Here's the real time event how it was stripped:
1. No protection applied.
2. Now, the plug threads are already seized to the aluminum.
3. Now on removing plug, the seized aluminum is now ripped away by the plug, and forced over the good threads ruining those as well.
4. The tech sees this, says and does nothing. Tries to install new plug down into damaged head.
He's to retarded to make simple repair before doing this because it may take 5 minutes more time.
5. He applies final torque as usual, and it just spins away freely any remaining threads in the head.
Now claiming it's your fault, and the bill goes to $250 for repair, and maybe a couple days longer.

I've personally made hundreds of these repairs and after other techs have made them worse. The standard tooling for heli coils are not exact science. I modify the tooling just for aluminum.

Once One understand the properties of cheese compared to steel, will it make sense.

Good Luck,,
Phil, Mpls Mn.

"Now head has to come off, and an insert put in the #4 hole....to the tune of $750!"

You are dealing with thief, the "insert" is the $85 repair mentioned below.

If the spark plugs are put in with any form of anti-sieze and/or not torqued correctly they will come loose and out. If they had anti-sieze put on them the can't be torqued correctly. It is a deep hole with only 4 or 5 threads in the bottom which is why the problem comes about.

Removing the head is the only way to do a quality repair on #4 hole.

Over the years I've had a lot of different vehicles and the Fords seem to always last the longest with the fewest repairs.

That Triton can be fixed without pulling the head, find a real mechanic to fix it.

Ford specifies 12-15 pounds of torque when tightening the the plug - doesn't take much more then that to strip the threads. Even though it was missing (usually coil on plug issue) when it went in to the shop I'm willing to bet cold hard cash one of the shop's monkeys with a socket wrench stripped it not knowing what the torque specs are. Now they want you to pay for their mistake.

It's not "rare" for this to happen after the plugs have been replaced. Given the low tolerance of the torque spec and the aluminum threads even a person "following the book" while replacing them could have a plug blown - especially if they were difficult (galled plugs) to take out.

I had a '98 F-150 with the 4.6 and was trouble-free for the 126,000 miles I had it. I ran it hard, pulling overloaded trailers, carrying more than rated capacity, high speed driving, etc., etc., with absolutely no trouble.

My son now drives it back and forth to college and it now has over 150K on it with nothing other than routine maintenance. It still has the original rear brake shoes. I changed the plugs at 100K and had no such trouble with the plugs or threads. My experience has been nothing but positive with the Triton.

Scott

http://www.timesert.com/html/triton_repair.html

You need to get away from the rip-off shop that wants $$$$ to pull the head, and seek out a shop that can do the repair with the head in place.