Who here has or has had a 1997 to 2003 Ford E-Series van?

[citytravelfotos]

If you do or have had one, may I ask if you ever had to deal with the blown spark plug issue?  I'm just trying to get a sense of how common this really is.

 

[LFM]

I have a 1998 E250 extended van bought it in 2000 with 60,000 miles it now has 326,000 miles. I'm still driving it. I just sold a 2000 E350 van bought it with 125,000 miles, sold it with 280,000 miles. I have worked with Ford vans for the last 15 years, both owning and fitting them with TV inspection equipment. I never heard of the spark plug issue until I seen it on this forum. I will also include that any service under the hood is done by My local Ford dealer. Every thing else oil changes, brake jobs, axle repairs, bearings etc.... i do myself. I'm not going to stop buying them. But has the years go by I'm buying newer models, the last one I bought is a 2004. 

 

[citytravelfotos]

There is a lot on this spark plug issue on the internet:<br><br>http://www.f150online.com/forums/v8-engines/103042-living-ford-spark-plug-blow-out-problem-3.html<br><br>http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=164257<br><br>http://autoforum.classifieds1000.com/Ford-F250/Spark_Plug_Blown_Out_Of_Head<br><br>http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/ford/TR7HFU0VD0N2U9KPD<br><br><br><br>It may be that this problem only affects a vast minority of buyers, but since so many Ford vehicles are sold, it seems to be a lot of people nevertheless affected.<br><br>Chevys and Dodges aren't perfect as well. &nbsp;I've read complaints about Chevy's with continual intake manifold gasket cracks (which can damage the engine) and Dodges with unreliable transmissions.

 

[psytechguy]

I've owned lots of Fords, but from a different generation. they were all 351W, 302, or the inline 4.9/300. I've never had a Ford with a Triton engine.

That said, I really like the newer Ford vans and, like you, have been looking for one, but the spark plug issue bothered me as well.

Here's what I've determined from doing a little research as well as talking to mechanics I know:

Spark plugs last a lot longer now than they used to. As a result, the recommended service cycle has increased. I think Ford recommends 70-80k or something like that. Apparently you can sometimes get away with not changing them out till well over 100k miles.

However, here's 2 things that can happen.

1. Since Tritons use aluminum heads, the mating of the disimilar metals (spark plugs aren't aluminum) can, over time, cause the plugs to seize in the head due to corrosion. That, plus the 2 piece plug design can lead to problems when you go to change plugs.

2. On these engines, the spark plug threads protrude into the combustion chamber. Carbon buildup on the threads can then make them very hard to get out. This can happen if the plugs have a lot of miles on them.

Please note that this addresses the possibility of broken plugs and stripped out threads in the heads when trying to replace plugs, NOT the issue of engines blowing plugs out of the head! As I understand it, the stuck/broken plug and stripped thread issue is much more common and what you are more likely to run into with a used van.

My approach is going to be to just not buy a van that's apt to have these issues unless the plugs have already been serviced. If someone has a van with 100k on it that still has the original plugs, I'll probably pass. So ask for service records and see if the plugs have ever been replaced.

My Ford mechanic buddy suggests servicing the plugs at 60k and says to be sure and use liberal amounts of anti-seize compound on the threads of the new plugs.

Also, I believe Champion makes a replacement plug that's one piece and eliminates some of the problems.

I've only heard of one vehicle in my personal circle of acquaintances that had this problem. A friend's son had an Excursion with a 5.4 Triton. He had to buy and install the re-thread kit after stripping the plug threads out of the head. He described it as "Not Fun!"

Good luck with your search!

 

[DarthMuerte]

As a certified Ford technician, my suggestion is to avoid the 5.4 triton and especially the 4.2 v-6 engines. I love Fords, though I currently drive a Dodge. I plan to replace it with a 3.0 straight 6 and C-6 transmission full sized van. That motor is bullet proof with just minor maintenance and the C-6 transmission can be rebuilt with a screwdriver in a sandstorm and it will still work(ok, slight hyperbole but not far from the truth). The other great thing about a straight 6 engine is that there is plenty of room under the hood making maintenance "easy".

 

[MrNoodly]

This is why I'm going to look at a low mileage pre-Triton E250 today.