GEN 1 Update: Broken Plug ... Isn't Broken

[Cookie_Monster]

@Cookie_Monster Told ya… lol

10 bucks someone pressure washed the engine and a pool of water was left sitting above that coil boot.

Have you driven it yet?

Good point on the pressure washing. I'm confident this truck hasn't seen much mud - I spent a good bit of time underneath at the dealer parking lot with a flashlight before I bought it, and there's virtually no mud in any crevice anywhere - and more importantly no rust! It's very clean. I can't quite imagine how that much dirt got past the plug boot - it pretty much seals the hole.

Yes - I drove it this morning. I've only done the 8 drivers side plugs so far, but the engine seems to run a little smoother. Maybe it's placebo effect - but it certainly isn't worse. The other 8 plugs will be next weekend, which should go quicker now that I've done the first 8.

If this addresses the stalling issue it's a win-win!

To pull the lower plugs, I wound up warming the engine, breaking the plugs loose, spraying in a little PB Blaster and letting it sit for a few minutes before backing the plug the rest of the way out. This seems to work very well as there's little resistance once the penetrating oil gets in there. New plugs all got a small dab of anti-seize, and everything got a light coat of dielectric grease. Maybe overkill, but the broken plug scare got my attention.

 

[Cookie_Monster]

It occurs to me that you may have uncovered the reason why the original owner traded it away.

My thought exactly. I'm all for doing the work someone else doesn't want to deal with, plus now I know it's done right and I've learned something new. It seems the 6.2L plug replacement at the dealership is upwards of $1,500. I've got about $300 in this so far, so I consider ~$1,200 for my time well worth the effort!

 

[EricM]

It occurs to me that you may have uncovered the reason why the original owner traded it away.

I picked up a used car that had intermittantly dragging rear brakes, and it was evident new pads and rotors had been installed not too long before I bought it. If a used car has brand new rear brakes- that's usually not a good thing.

Clearly the PO had enough with the brake issues and they decided to trade it in on something else. They were probably already $500 deep into it with new pads and rotors, and were prorobaly told caliper and hose repalcement would have been $1000 more each side.

I installed new hoses, calipers, pads and rotors for $500 total and have had no further issues 5+ years down the road. It literally pays to know how to work on a car.

 

[mprice1234]

@Gryphon313 and @mprice1234 You guys were right!

The hole was full of mud and what I was seeing in the picture was the top of the plug sticking out. Today I was able to take a long pick and dig all the dirt out and it revealed the whole plug underneath! I used a long tube on the end of an air compressor nozzle to blow the debris out and I was then able to get to the plug. I'm so relieved - and feel kind of dumb that I didn't realize what was going on.

How all that mud got in there is a complete mystery. This engine is spotless and the coil boot is still completely in tact.

In the meantime, when I got to the lower plugs on that (drivers) side, three of them had the tips broken off of the porcelain, with the top of the plug and center conductor still inside the plug boot. I'd say it was time to change plugs!

One other thing - I noticed the new Motorcraft wires have a different larger end on the lower side. If the ones I took off were the original plug wires from 2014, Ford has redesigned them.

Glad to get this done today - And thanks for everyone's help. I'm new to Ford, and this group is a fantastic resource.

View attachment 390011View attachment 390012



These are the lower 4 plugs on the drivers side. L-R = F-R

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New lower plug boot is the one at the top. Both are Motorcraft.

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Very happy for you! Great job on staying with it and fixing the problem yourself. Wishing you many Raptor trouble free driving miles ahead of you!

 

[Gary E]

How many miles on the truck?

 

[Cookie_Monster]

How many miles on the truck?

@Gary E It's got 107k. It sat for about 1 year at various dealers before I bought it in December.

 

[Louisiana Barefoot]

I was under the impression that the top 8 plugs were for compression, etc , while the bottom ones were just to burn any excess gases that Al Gore and other global warming knuckleheads were afraid of. Therefore the engine would perform just fine with new ones up top. I did change all 16 at 136,000 miles with no issues when I bought my truck 2 years ago.

 

[Cookie_Monster]

I was under the impression that the top 8 plugs were for compression, etc , while the bottom ones were just to burn any excess gases that Al Gore and other global warming knuckleheads were afraid of. Therefore the engine would perform just fine with new ones up top. I did change all 16 at 136,000 miles with no issues when I bought my truck 2 years ago.

@Louisiana Barefoot I've read the same, but when looking at the head design of the 6.2L Boss engine, designed specifically for the Raptor - it appears both plugs are equal. They both sit at around 45 deg. angle to the piston. In this picture the intake (top plug) is at the top and the exhaust (lower plug) is at the bottom. The plugs appear to be positioned just about equally between the intake and exhaust valves. With such huge valves, a centered single spark plug location is not really available. If anything, the bottom plug is a little more centered than the top.

Not making excuses for Al Gore, but it's possible the ignition system had to be designed this way to produce an efficient 411hp NA motor (i.e. Power + MPG). Unburnt fuel is pretty much undesirable for everyone.

Any Ford engineers in here know the story on the dual plugs?

 

[Nex]

@FordTechOne

 

[jackjare9455]

I recently tackled this job too, I wish I would have taken some pics. I did NOT warm up the engine or use any penetrating oil... I didn't do any research on the job firsthand, I just went with the info I have been carrying around all my life: Aluminum heads = cold pull
Then again, I came from mostly GM trucks before this one, apparently Ford's like a warm engine?! I had no idea LOL.

My plugs were factory at 143k... they came out with a lot of cussing and prayers to not snap. Several of the bottom ones basically disintegrated on their way out, but they came out! That was probably the worst spark plug job I have ever had to do.
Just for someone who may be reading this and doing it for the first time, always used compressed air in your spark plug well and surrounding area BEFORE you pull the plug. Helps to not drop trash into the cylinder.