Spark plug blown out of head

[DontGetBit]

I was on my way to work this morning and blew the plug out of my #1 cylinder. I was taking it easy and heard it pop when I shifted from 2nd to 3rd. I had it towed to the shop and they are going to check it out tomorrow. I am hoping that the threads are ok in the head, but it does not look too good. The COP was destroyed and the plug was beat up pretty bad on the lower threads.

The shop did not recommend the helicoil fix due to the supercharger, but I really do not want to drop ~$2,500 on a new head, gasket, labor, etc.

Any suggestions? How many have used the helicoil on our engine with no problems?

 

[ShelbyGuy]

my timesert repair is holding up just fine so far.

was the offending plug a tr-6?

 

[DontGetBit]

Yeah, I did a search and came accross your post on this. I am sure that you put your engine through a lot more stress on the track, than I do on the street. I do drive the car daily, but try to take it easy most of the time. What kind of boost are you running?

Yes it was a tr-6. Are they more prone to back out of the head?

I am embarrassed to say how many miles were on the plugs, but let’s just say it was too many. I have been procrastinating changing the plugs for the last couple of months. Now it looks like I will have to pay for a lot more than a plug change.

 

[ShelbyGuy]

i was just curious. trying to find out if there's something about the tr6, becuase thats what both you and i had, but its happened to other plug brands too so i dont think that its specific to that plug.

my car ran amazingly well on 7 cylinders. dont forget to change your oil since the injector on the cylinder with the missing plug is probably still squirting fuel.

 

[NHRACobra]

Sorry to hear about your dilemma. But, if the plugs are torqued properly, no one should have this problem.

 

[SSSNAKE04]

whats the right TQ.. on the spark plugs 12-15 ?????

 

[NHRACobra]

whats the right TQ.. on the spark plugs 12-15 ?????

I torque mine to (15NM)

 

[ShelbyGuy]

its a very common problem on fords, especially the two valve engines.

Sorry to hear about your dilemma. But, if the plugs are torqued properly, no one should have this problem.

 

[DontGetBit]

I agree with the statement about the plugs being torqued properly, but you must check them often. I did not do so and take 90% of the blame for this issue. I hate to say, but my plugs have/had 30K+ plus miles on them and I neglected to check them. However, I do blame Ford for designing a supercharged engine or any engine for that matter with only 4 threads to hold the spark plug.

http://www.timesert.com/html/triton_repair.html
So is this the kit that you used to repair your plug issue?

I just can not justify spending $2k+ on a new head and labor at this time. Also, with the engine out I might as well do long tubes, cooling mod, clutch, etc. The list and costs could go on and on. I have been contemplating selling the car anyway, but just can not bring my self to do so. I think the easy fix will work for now and if I keep the car, I will eventually build the engine.

 

[ShelbyGuy]

the plugs are under spring tension from the coil packs. they will not rotate out.

yup thats the one. i found it useful to have a telescoping magnet nearby too. dont forget to move the piston down BEFORE using the reamer. oops!

 

[95YellowGTBeast]

my car did the samething...i got mine covered under warranty...i claimed that due to me having the early run of 03 heads that only had 3 spark plug threads that was the reason it blew out...and now i have 2 new heads on my car the latest run.

Nick

 

[HISSMAN]

It has been a while since I have heard of this happening. It was more common a couple years back, then just went away.

 

[ShelbyGuy]

fwiw i have a new passenger side head in the for sale section

 

[DontGetBit]

fwiw i have a new passenger side head in the for sale section

So I take it you are happy with the Timesert repair?

 

[ShelbyGuy]

yup. works fine.

the lightning guys blow them out with amazing regularity and one of the things they do as part of normal head prep is the timesert on all the plug holes.

 

[Derek@Amazon]

the lightning guys blow them out with amazing regularity .

its really not that big of an issue... known to happion just not with "amazing regularity". plus its the 99-02 heads that have 4 threads. the 03/04's have 8 with those its not in issue.

even then the early heads wont so it if the plugs are tight.

 

[DontGetBit]

I got the rough estimate for the repair and it would be around $3,000 for parts and labor. I mentioned the Timesert and they refused to do this, due to liability and they would want to take the head off to drill it.

So it looks like the Timesert is the way to go for now. I have a mechanic who has done the repair on many different modular v8's that will just charge 1 hour of labor ($60) plus the cost of the Timesert sleeve, COP, and 8 new plugs.

 

[ShelbyGuy]

nifty.

life is too short to worry. worry just expends energy with nothing useful done to show for it.

at worst, it buys you some time. at best, you go on with your life and never think about it again.


my service writer offered to fix it under warranty, but i "got a good one" so i didnt want the dealership tech to open up an otherwise good running engine.

 

[DontGetBit]

Just to give you guys an update. I just returned from having a Timesert installed and everything went great. The car is running like it did before the plug blew, but I did not get into real heavy boost yet. I had to install a new coil and we also did the passenger side plugs while the intake tube was removed. Now I just need to change the drivers side plugs, the supercharger belt, and the oil incase any gas is in it.

Thanks for the suggestions and helping me save $2800. :beer:

 

[Glfbaluhwakrguy]

Glad to hear everything worked out for you! Hopefully i never have to use this info, but at least I know the timesert is a good fix. At least it worked for you and shelbyguy.