Spark Plug question for Navigator.

[tennisdoc40]

Not an oil question. 100,000 mile service for the Navigator has first Spark Plug change. Truck is running great. Is there any downside to waiting longer, say 10,000k? Just very busy, and then vacation. Thanks

 

[StevieC]

Nope... BTW: This should be in the Mechanical Maintenance section.

 

[bepperb]

Are you going on a 10,000 or other long drive as part of this vacation? Because not having "time" to get the preventative maintenance stuff done before a long trip is pretty bad karma.

 

[JDD]

I went over 110K on my Ford SUV and plugs came out lickety split and did not look overly worn out. If you have the 4.6, there have been plug issues, but they were more for shooting plugs out of the head. Just be sure to torque appropriately.

 

[smithph]

 Originally Posted By: StevieC

Nope...

+1 But I hope your last name is not Griswold and about to start out on a 'Vacation' in the Family Truckster

 

[Kruse]

 Originally Posted By: tennisdoc40

Not an oil question. 100,000 mile service for the Navigator has first Spark Plug change. Truck is running great. Is there any downside to waiting longer, say 10,000k? Just very busy, and then vacation. Thanks

I'm going to slightly disagree with a few other posters here and say, that if it was my vehicle, I'd replace them. I just get a little leery of the plug seizing to the head. Also, the gaps can get a little larger and they start to wear exponentially. If it's gone this long, however, another 10K won't hurt.

 

[mechtech2]

It will be fun getting those plugs out, either way. If you are not misfiring, and the rest of the ignition is OK, then go for it.

 

[Captain_Klink]

If the truck has been mainly driven on highway at normal speeds, then the wear on the plugs will be very slight. You could try pulling just one, that is easy to get at, and check it, but I wouldn't even bother. They have installed a long life plug in there, and if truck fires up instantly when starting, if the idle is perfectly smooth, and if you have been driving moderately then it should easily be o.k. for another 10k. Other signs of healthy plugs are that your gas mileage is what it should be, and the engine runs powerfully under all conditions.

 

[FZ1]

Really,running is not the problem. Seizing is the problem. You will notice a slight running improvement with new plugs. Just make sure you replace them with the long life oem plugs so you can minimize the number of times you have to change them. Don't check them,just get some new plugs at AZ,some anti seize compound and torque the new plugs carefully.

 

[tennisdoc40]

Thanks all. New to this and really enjoy the forums. I can handle some simple medical questions if needed. Had a cancellation today and left the truck at the Ford Dealer today to have the work done. Read about spark plugs shooting out due to poor threading, including the 5.4. At least if Ford has trouble with them, they will have to stand behind them. Another 5k change with their 5-20 blend. 100k and going strong.

 

[StevieC]