Mustang 4.6 (2001) Spark plugs -to change or not?!

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needsducktape

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Hello BITOG people,

Since I purchased my 01 Bullitt Mustang (12,500 miles) I have been reading -Like an obsessive compulsive - about all the quirks and issues. Not to mention the general issues that might arise from having a 10 year old car.

I'm concerned with the spark plugs. As apparently they tend to blow out?! Would it be best to change them now or should I wait and follow the maintenance guide? Is this a difficult task?

Should the radiator fluid be done?

Is there anything else that I should have done?

Some background:
Since I bought it last month I changed the fuel filter, oil (duh!) and the air filter (tossed the k&N for the OEM)

Car was kept in a heated garage, on a lift for the winter and a battery tender - Still has the original battery.

Tires are original - no signs of dry rot
 
you do some of these every 2 years. Such low mileage doesn't require it unless not running smoothly (broken)
 
The plugs on my 99 stang were pretty much rusted in after 10 years. Change em' now to avoid problems. The rear end fluid at 50000 and 10 years was completely gross. Change that too. Then wait another 100000 to repeat. Dont forget the coolant.
 
Originally Posted By: MrCritical
Ditto on coolant and the plugs. I think the 5.4 is the plug shooter, not the 4.6


4.6 shoots too, both SOHC and DOHC.
 
Originally Posted By: MrCritical
Ditto on coolant and the plugs. I think the 5.4 is the plug shooter, not the 4.6


They heads are almost identical. The 4.6L head IIRC, just has a smaller chamber.
 
The heads are actually identical for a given model year and plant, even the cams are the same. The Windsor 4.6 in my '99 Mustang had "54PI" cast all over the heads.
 
Just treat them like the F150s and I seriously doubt you'll ever have a problem. Don't wait until 100K to remove OEM plugs, remove and reinstall plugs on a stone cold engine, torque to ~10.5 lb-ft with nickel anti-seize or ~13 lb-ft without, call it good.
 
Change the plugs to the upgraded one piece version now on the market. The long factory plug was made in two pieces and when left in for a long time,ie 100k, they tend to freeze and when you try to remove them, they break in two and you get one part stuck in the cylinder head. This requires a removal of the cyl head and a trip to the machine shop.
So when you remove the old spark plugs, use all precautions. Blow the s/p holes out with compressed air. Squirt PB BLaster on each s/p thread and let them soak 24 hours. Gently remove the plugs. Don't use the breaker bar and all your strength. I would use anti-seize on the new one piece plugs and torque properly. Never run them for 100 k interval.
 
Originally Posted By: Jim Spahr
Change the plugs to the upgraded one piece version now on the market. The long factory plug was made in two pieces and when left in for a long time,ie 100k, they tend to freeze and when you try to remove them, they break in two and you get one part stuck in the cylinder head. This requires a removal of the cyl head and a trip to the machine shop.
So when you remove the old spark plugs, use all precautions. Blow the s/p holes out with compressed air. Squirt PB BLaster on each s/p thread and let them soak 24 hours. Gently remove the plugs. Don't use the breaker bar and all your strength. I would use anti-seize on the new one piece plugs and torque properly. Never run them for 100 k interval.


You are thinking of the 3V, this is a 2V. It has "normal" plugs.
 
How could Ford make these two huge plug mistakes, after all these years?
How could they go backwards at the speed of light?

You are luckier if you have the 'normal' one piece plug.
Take then out carefully and baby new ones back in.
It the plug is sticky, use loose juice, and go back and forth tight/loose a bit to get it out.
 
Removal of a broken 3V plug doesn't require removing the cylinder head either. Ford makes a special tool that pulls them out with little drama. On the 3V the best bet is to pull the plugs from a hot engine and work them back and forth on the way out. Most of the time they won't break if you use a little finesse pulling them.

I've put a few hundred thousand miles on 4-thread 2Vs and have never had a spark plug eject (knock on wood), I just follow the procedure I listed earlier and have never left a set of spark plugs in over 70,000 miles. I still think the biggest problem is leaving the OEM plugs in too long and galling the threads on removal, which leads to ejected plugs down the road.

So in response to the OP, change them now.
 
Removing seems to be the dangerous part. Makes me nervous.

Although I'm almost more nervous taking it to the dealer-

Would anti seize be a good idea?
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Removing seems to be the dangerous part. Makes me nervous.

Although I'm almost more nervous taking it to the dealer-

Would anti seize be a good idea?


The power-train engineers from Ford that I have talked to that specialize in the mod motors say no to anti-seize on spark plugs unless a TSB specifically say otherwise. There are none that say so that I know of.
 
Is this a fairly simple job? My Protege5 took me 15 minutes as the coils and plus sit right on top. I don't expect it to be that easy but my bros 2001 ford Taurus was a major pain in the butt.
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Is this a fairly simple job? My Protege5 took me 15 minutes as the coils and plus sit right on top. I don't expect it to be that easy but my bros 2001 ford Taurus was a major pain in the butt.


Its pretty straight forward, just pull the coils out to get to the plugs. Regardless of what anyone says, there is no need to remove the fuel rails at all. The only hiccup will be the intake on yours runs over the passenger side plugs, I think you can do them with just taking the zip tube off.
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Removing seems to be the dangerous part. Makes me nervous.

Although I'm almost more nervous taking it to the dealer-

Would anti seize be a good idea?


I would do it since you only have about 4 threads on these heads for the plug to screw in to. No more than 11 Ft Lbs torque
 
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