88lx5oh Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 so on the way home from belmont ohio, im towing a 4 wheeler for a friend who just bought it. just a an 05 honda 400ex on a 4x8 trialer. in my 02 explorer v8. get to about easton on 270... and my explorer starts making a hideous noise. i pull off immediately. pop the hood. and what do i find out??? 3rd plug back on the driver side is laying on the valve cover, and the coil on plug pack is hanging there... call my wife to bring out som etools. and get a new plug. it wont thread in. stirpped the head out. how the fuck do i fix this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88lx5oh Posted November 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 yeah. i had to drive it, i had a trailer on the back wiht a 4 wheeler, so i couldnt get a tow, and i couldnt leave it sit. so i unplugged the one injector, and jsut dronve on 7 cylinders. now its currently in my garage with the hood up. ive been lookin gat the thread repair kits, but since its in the top of the cylinder head and you have about 6 inches of space to travel till you hit the plug hole, and its only big enough for a spark plug socket to fit into, i cant find a repair kit that will work withought yanking the head off. i need some advice and fast. and i dont have a grand or so to throw at it right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rice Eater Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 If you are saying that the rethread kit isn't long enough..I borrowed one from a shop one time and he had welded a 6" ratchet extension to the end of it so it could be used on like toyota's etc. Should be easy to fab if you have a welder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mensan Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 That is a common problem on the 5.4 SOHC heads. It happens ALL THE TIME. The only way to fix it is to remove the head and helicoil it. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jelloman4571647545499 Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 helicoil is the best and fastest way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verse Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 The only way to fix it is to remove the head and helicoil it. What he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excell Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 That is a common problem on the 5.4 SOHC heads. It happens ALL THE TIME. The only way to fix it is to remove the head and helicoil it. Sorry. Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinner Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 helicoil its the only option. same thing happened on my ol grand prix (3.1 multiport) but we didnt remove the head once we retapped everything and got the coil in used a small cloth with a heavy grease and wiped out all the shaving. May have not been the best way but I never ran into any issues on the car till i sold it over a year later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1647545494 Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 pull the head and do it I've seen the extension welded to the tap dealio before and it never seems to rethread the hole straight.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88lx5oh Posted November 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 id really rather not pull the head, but i probably will. and i i did some research online, and most have said after a shop had helicoiled the plug hole, 3 months later the same plug blew out again. i will never buy another ford besides a mustang ever again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 you dont need too pull the head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maro Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 That sucks, dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRN96WS6 Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 I thought this was a problem on the 5.4L not the 4.6L like he has is his explorer? I'd think pulling hte head is the only way otherwise where will the shavings go if you don't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berto Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Whenever doing any threading operations on a head I would recommend you take it off. Cutting short on a few hours of work could cost you big $ in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rl Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 The correct repair is to use a time-sert, you generally dont heli-coil those. The repair is done with the head ON the engine. http://cgi.ebay.com/TIME-SERT-FORD-TRITON-M14x1-25-SPARK-PLUG-REPAIR_W0QQitemZ220043984277QQihZ012QQcategoryZ303QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 I don't see any way of accomplishing this that can guarantee 100% that you don't leave a shaving or two in the combustion chamber unless you remove the head. Why risk it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rl Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 Very true, but regardless a time-sert leaves the correct seat for the plug and is stronger. That said, thousands and thousands of vehicles are on the road with time-serts that where done with heads installed without issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88lx5oh Posted November 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 did the thread insert tonight.. not a heli coil. a steel thread insert. will be trading my explorer in on an 07 civic 2 door coupe will not own another ford product besides a mustang ever again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1647545494 Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 do you know how many cars launch plugs out of aluminum heads...... I don't see it everyday but I see it often enough to know that if you've got aluminum heads theres a chance its going to pop one out.... buy something with iron cylinder heads if your that worried about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88lx5oh Posted November 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 yeha im not worried about hondas reliability at all. and the warranty will cover pretty much anything. its not just the plug.. its the rear end crap, its the faulty trannies i hear aobut, its the 4 x 4 that gets fucked up. theres too much shit i hear about these explorers not that i ahve one. and i want to get out of it before it al lcomes down, leaving me with a hunk of shit i still have to pay on. ill buy a new honda and have piece of mind that ill be able to make it to work and back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bam Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 yeha im not worried about hondas reliability at all. and the warranty will cover pretty much anything. its not just the plug.. its the rear end crap, its the faulty trannies i hear aobut, its the 4 x 4 that gets fucked up. theres too much shit i hear about these explorers not that i ahve one. and i want to get out of it before it al lcomes down, leaving me with a hunk of shit i still have to pay on. ill buy a new honda and have piece of mind that ill be able to make it to work and back Agreed, that's why I bought a new car for my daily, it's been great. good luck man, honda's are good cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Total Sign Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 That is a common problem on the 5.4 SOHC heads. It happens ALL THE TIME. The only way to fix it is to remove the head and helicoil it. Sorry. When does it start to happen? Mileage/age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88lx5oh Posted November 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 i would assume around 100k area. ive read a ton of horror stories now after this incident happened to me. mostly they are the 5.4s and there is somoen trying to get a class action lawsuit against ford. also i hear alot of bad things about the coil on plug packs going bad. had one go out on me previous of this incident. and at $70 a pop it isnt cheap. also the rear ends will eat up bearings, or if you have an irs vehicle the axel seals will be shit in a short period of time. also the explorer transmissions are junk. im one of the only people i know that has an 02 + explorer that hasnt had the tranny replaced. ford SUVs and trucks are junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 do you know how many cars launch plugs out of aluminum heads...... I don't see it everyday but I see it often enough to know that if you've got aluminum heads theres a chance its going to pop one out.... buy something with iron cylinder heads if your that worried about it... Dave, its not THAT common. This is an isolated ford thing...and a VW thing of old I think every car I have owned has had aluminum heads, and I have changed the spark plugs on them and not once (in the tons of abuse I have dished out) have this ever happened. This is typical ford BS... Hob..congrats on the new civic man, its one thing to have a finicky weekend project. But your daily must be reliable. Nothign worse thatn wrenching on your daily when its 20 degrees outside just so you can get to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88lx5oh Posted November 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 well its not that cold in my garage lol.. but yes i hate doing anything but routine maitenance on daily drivers. and i upkeep both of our dailys very well. oil change every 3k, fuel filters when called for, plug changes wehen needed, air filters, wires, tranny filters and flush.. brake pads etc... i try to get to the problems before they start. im not saying a car isnt going to break down.. but shit like this is ridiculous. this isnt a minor issue. dont get me wrong.. i love the explorer and if it didnt have certain issues, and be known for serious problems i wouldnt get rid of it. but ill be glad to see it gone and have a known reliable car in the garage. and it makes me even happier because i build these cars. i probably wont be buying one that i actually help build, but its nice to know what goes into the car from the ground up and how the company handles problems on line as they are built. nothing is just let go. if there is ANY minor defect it doesnt leave. i have a new respect for hondas and the company since i have worked there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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