plug blow-out

[blacksnapon]

TSB
07-21-2 4.6L 2V, 5.4L 2V, OR 6.8L 2V - SPARK PLUG THREAD REPAIR PROCEDURE - NOT COVERED UNDER NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY

Publication Date: October 17, 2007

FORD: 1997 Thunderbird
1997-2004 Mustang
1997-2008 Crown Victoria
1997-1999 F-250 Light Duty
1997-2004 Expedition
1997-2008 E-Series, F-150
1998-2004 F-53 Motorhome Chassis, F-Super Duty
2001-2005 Excursion
2002-2006 Explorer
LINCOLN: 1997-2007 Town Car
1998-1999 Navigator
MERCURY: 1997 Cougar
1997-2008 Grand Marquis
2002-2006 Mountaineer


This article supersedes TSB 07-15-2 to update the vehicle model years.

ISSUE:
Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6L 2V, 5.4L 2V, or 6.8L 2V engine and aluminum cylinder heads may experience a spark plug port with stripped or missing threads.

ACTION:
Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition for non warrantable repairs.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Ford Motor Company now authorizes LOCK-N-STITCH aluminum insert and tool kit as a proper repair procedure.



NOTE: FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS DETERMINED THAT REPAIRS MADE WITH THESE ALUMINUM INSERTS AND LOCK-N-STITCH TOOLS DO NOT AFFECT THE HEAT TRANSFER FUNCTION BETWEEN THE SPARK PLUG AND THE CYLINDER HEAD.



NOTE: THIS PROCEDURE IS NOT AUTHORIZED AS A FORD WARRANTY REPAIR. FOR VEHICLES WITHIN WARRANTY, REPLACEMENT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD IS RECOMMENDED.



NOTE: THIS IS THE ONLY FORD AUTHORIZED PROCEDURE FOR SPARK PLUG THREAD REPAIRS.



NOTE: THIS PROCEDURE IS AUTHORIZED FOR ESP REPAIRS AND RETAIL REPAIRS.




WARRANTY STATUS:
Information Only - Not Warrantable

 

[Skandocious]

Yayyyy for pushrod engines!!

 

[O'Rattlecan]

had this on an aerostar... probably unrelated.

Ryan

 

[lil_dq]

oh sure now they issue one!!!!!! after the complete tear-down of my motor! ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

 

[polarbear]

What's wierd is I've never heard of it happening on a 4.6. 5.4's- whole 'nuther story. I've mentioned I'm not a fan of 2V mod motors, right?

 

[Skandocious]

Pushrods Pushrods Pushrods!!

 

[jbish28]

I am not trying to be rude here, but, as much as it is nice to share information with everyone, I am sure that Ford Motor Company would have some serious issues with anyone plagiarizing their tsb's on an unauthorized website.

 

[blacksnapon]

I am not trying to be rude here, but, as much as it is nice to share information with everyone, I am sure that Ford Motor Company would have some serious issues with anyone plagiarizing their tsb's on an unauthorized website.

Thats all right, I had thoughts about this as well, but how many times have you seen dealership personnel printing one off for a customer? Granted, yes, there are some a tab bit sensitive, but this one is regularly used in the aftermarket.

 

[jbish28]

Again I am not trying to hate, but this week I am at the Minneapolis training site and asked about this particular subject without naming names. As I am told if Ford were to find out about this, with their TSB's being copyrighted, they would have the legal rights to sue you and ensure that you never worked for another Ford dealership again. I do not really give a damn. I got on this sight, and began a career as a professional tech, because I see the little guy getting screwed over and thought I could help. All I'm saying is that when you post a Tsb, maybe you could post it without actually typing it just like we see it and just say what the concern and fix is without actually plagiarizing the document. I am here for the same reason as all the other techs, I just don't want anyone to get in trouble for circumventing the dealership.

 

[jr32560]

here here for no one getting in trouble-maybe use different wording? or just loose the ford bulletin crap-like fyi new problem to be solved-or heard it through the grape vine??if it comes from a member in good standing I think everybody will take it as gospel

 

[blacksnapon]

Again I am not trying to hate, but this week I am at the Minneapolis training site and asked about this particular subject without naming names. As I am told if Ford were to find out about this, with their TSB's being copyrighted, they would have the legal rights to sue you and ensure that you never worked for another Ford dealership again. I do not really give a damn. I got on this sight, and began a career as a professional tech, because I see the little guy getting screwed over and thought I could help. All I'm saying is that when you post a Tsb, maybe you could post it without actually typing it just like we see it and just say what the concern and fix is without actually plagiarizing the document. I am here for the same reason as all the other techs, I just don't want anyone to get in trouble for circumventing the dealership.

Yeah, I told my instructors about this site, and they were quite enthusiastic about it. They realize that the customer will at times find answers that we cant (we're all human), and an exchange of information at times will only help. I agree however that some information only gums up the works.

 

[Old_Paint]

I guess I have to pose the question, that if a TSB is TOP SECRET, what is Ford hiding?

Obviously, I do not condone sharing trade secrets. But if it's a repair method that the factory recommends, why shouldn't we know about it so we can repair our vehicles the right way? That one specifically states to repair one that's out of warranty, but REPLACE one that's IN warranty. So, lets say I have one that I take in for it's first tune-up, and they strip the threads getting the plug out. I get the car back with a REPAIRED head that was damaged through no action of mine, with the exception of taking it to a dealership. Why doesn't that require replacement of the head at the dealer's cost? They broke it, not me.

I mean, c'mon, most dealerships don't even have OBDI equipment any more, and charge a premium for diagnostics on a test that requires a paper clip on a 15+ year old vehicle. I mean, $400 for a "tuneup" on an OBDI 5.0? How fair is that to someone that has "keeper" cars/trucks, and is a dyed in the wool Ford Fanatic ('scuse the plagiarism). The only reason I would take my vehicle to a dealership in this area now is because I don't have the time to do the repair myself, or don't have the place to do the work, or equipment. Not much I can do about the first problem, but plenty I can do about the second and third now. After my experiences with dealerships, I plan on going at least 200 miles away to purchase my next Ford, and I won't let the locals touch one again unless it's warranty work. And THAT work will be backed up with 100% documentation for EVERY TSB/Advisory to the current date. Every time I have used a dealer for work, it's been a total rip-off on labor AND parts.

Again, giving out TSB's that reveal trade secret is, and should be, a NO NO. But, a TSB more than 5 years old (length of the maximum warranty offered by Ford) should be required to be posted to the general public of Ford owners. If, then, an owner decides to NOT take one to a dealership for the service so that it will be done per factory specs and have a 12 month warranty on labor, well that's the owner's problem. But, try to prove it's defective labor/parts. Too many loopholes for the dealer on that.

I too work for a large company (one of the largest on the planet), and at the time of sale, our customers are given enough information and instruction on any product we sell to be able to repair or service it. We too have proprietary information that we DO NOT permit customers to see. It is THEIR CHOICE to call us for service, and many do. However, they do have the option of repairing it themselves. This works well in heavy industry, so why not for the automotive industry?

Just my opinion, though.

 

[d-kuzmen]

Im thinking that the only reason they don't want to share there info is that if anyone had acces they would be able to fix it themself. And that would take money out of Fords pocket. I myself don't have a problem sharing info, whats the difference if I print it out and give it to you or have it memorized and tell you how to do it, does that mean all the info I have stored in my head is top secret? Mabe I should be payed more to keep quiet. lol. It all comes down to dollars. Anyway thats my thought.

 

[89frankenford]

that exact thingn happened to a crown vic at work a few months back. blew the plug and coil right out and completely apart! we put the thread insert in and it came back 2 weeks ago and it blew out again and put a hole in the side of the head the customer is trading it in at the ford dealership now....

 

[lil_dq]

Yep thats what happened to mine. Except my head was salvagable.

 

[blacksnapon]

As far as I am concerned, there isn't anything "top secret". By sensitive, I mean, if there is a tsb issued that affects 2-3 hundred, and its displayed, then 4.4 million people show up demanding a repair. This does in fact happen.

 

[blacksnapon]

Now, I'm not trying to be arrogant or smug when I say this, but, remember, a tsb is issued by Ford Motor Company to assist dealership techs to perform their work more efficiently. If the tsb makes it to the "private sector", thats a bonus. They are not required to give out any information.

 

[Old_Paint]

Agreed, work practice bulletins, or general "how-to" info for doing a job more efficiently is pretty much trade secret in my book, and should be protected as proprietary material. We have product advisories that go to customers, but we also have 'best practice' info circulated internally to help us do our job better, and more cost effectively. But, if it requires a part replacement on every like piece of equipment in a customer's plant, you can bet all the cards relevant to the problem get put on the table.

The main thing that bothered me about the particular TSB displayed was that under warranty, a replacment head is mandated. Out of warranty, well just patch it up. Meaning, if someone goes in for a tune-up at 50,001 miles (ESP), and the mechanic strips a plug out (because of an apparent defect in the head) then they get a patch job, not new heads. If only they'd gone in at 49,999, huh?

That TSB should NOT be a simple bulletin. It should be a CALL BACK. If something happens once, it's an incident. If something happens 200 times, that's a pattern which should be looked into. There seems to be enough issue with the spark plugs just blowing out on particular heads. The only thing that I can think of that would allow that to happen is a defect in material/design. If you don't have the numbers to indicate it IS an relatively isolated incident caused by neglect during maintenance, then a call back is in order to replace heads.

That's just my opinion, though. I know all too well how tangled that web can get about getting a dealer to warrant something they do if they really don't want to.

 

[Bruteforcerider]

I thought TSB's were public knowledge, any shop with all data can access them. SSM'S are not they are not screened by the lawyers yet.