Blown Out Sparkplug June 03, 2025, 06:17:03 pm Hi Larry, or anyone else; I was looking for a kit to carry with me in case I ended up with unscheduled! maintenance. Would this have the long inserts? (S, N, L, L for the long one): Amazon.com: CalVan Tools 38900 Two Valve Ford Triton Tool Kit - Foolproof... I wouldn't be doing the repair, but I might end up somewhere where someone else would benefit from having the kit with parts. Should I have a spare coil-over kit also? Which sparkplugs should I stock with this kit? Larry I think you recommended just having a plug to seal it off. (remember to disable the injector for the affected plug.) RonB As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Blown Out Sparkplug Reply #1 – June 03, 2025, 07:01:55 pm That is the same repair kit I own and have used. It requires a strong compressed air supply and a professional-grade 3/8" air ratchet. I fixed one blown plug in the desert, using a 10-lb CO2 tank for pressured air. The air ratchet is used to drill out the damaged spark plug threads and to drive the tap that threads the newly drilled hole.A threaded repair insert is them screwed in, using a Red thread locker to lock it in place.The blown spark plug brothers sell an emergency plug for sealing a damaged spark plug hole until a proper repair can be made. Emergency Plug KitBlownoutsparkplug.com Ford Spark Plug Thread RepairLarry
Re: Blown Out Sparkplug Reply #2 – June 03, 2025, 07:14:24 pm Larry, I'm curious: when you're doing all that drilling and tapping, doesn't that create metal shavings that fall inside the cylinder? That sounds as if it would be a really bad thing. How do you avoid that? 2 Likes
Re: Blown Out Sparkplug Reply #3 – June 03, 2025, 08:13:39 pm Quote from: Andy Baird - June 03, 2025, 07:14:24 pmLarry, I'm curious: when you're doing all that drilling and tapping, doesn't that create metal shavings that fall inside the cylinder? That sounds as if it would be a really bad thing. How do you avoid that?Using the same source of compressed air, the cylinder gets cleaned with several long air blasts, using a nozzle with a long nose that goes down into the cylinder. You want to wear safety glasses while doing this, as the chips come blasting out at high speed.This is the method I learned from watching this repair done by one of the blownsoparkplug brothers in Santa Ynez. He said they had never had issues after cleaning. The aluminum chips produced are very soft compared to steel and much less likely to damage the cylinder; the few remaining bits are exhausted in the first few seconds the engine is started.If a vacuum cleaner is available, it too can be used with an adaptor that allows getting down into the cylinder.The deep hole in the head where the spark plug resides is always filled with sand and dust, I assume some of it is sucked into the engine when the plug blows, along with vany other nearby debris .This happened to our original engine when the plug blew; the cylinder wall and the rings were damaged, causing a nearly total loss of compression. Yup, new engine time. This is why installing a full set of inserts in the 2003 (four-thread heads) and older V10s isn't a bad idea for completely avoiding this problem.When changing the spark plugs, make sure to blow the deep recesses clean before pulling the plugs; they are always filled with sand and dirt..If repairing a blown plug, a new ignition coil will be needed, the escaping plug will break the coil.Trying the insert repair is a lot cheaper than removing the engine, the only way to take the head off for repair. If you go that far, a remanufactured engine is suggested.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Blown Out Sparkplug Reply #4 – June 04, 2025, 03:03:36 am Thanks Larry, I wasn't planning to do this myself. I just wanted to have a better kit of parts readily available to a mechanic, perhaps in a more remote location. Mostly to speed things up. One of the homes of Blown out sparkplugs.com is just a short distance away in El Cajon. San Diego area. I may get a quote from them. No Kit, no stopgap repair plug, no unexpected interruptions (at least in that one item). I'm looking at a rotating seat mount for the passenger side. ($450!) Then would be a good time to have the seat out of the way. RonB
Re: Blown Out Sparkplug Reply #5 – June 04, 2025, 12:32:19 pm Quote from: RonB - June 04, 2025, 03:03:36 am One of the homes of Blown out sparkplugs.com is just a short distance away in El Cajon. San Diego area. I may get a quote from them. I'm looking at a rotating seat mount for the passenger side. ($450!) Then would be a good time to have the seat out of the way. I have met both of the brothers; the one down at El Cajon Ford installed our Ford Certified engine (it failed at 32,000 miles). The term "Certified" means little; it was a poorly done rebuilt engine, and they used heads from two different engines, so each side of the engine had a different compression ratio. Nice.When the valve guides were replaced, one was loose and eventually came out and bent an intake valve before breaking apart. Part of the guide was found at the bottom of the intake manifold. It made all sorts of interesting noises as it came apart.As Ford used to advertise, "The quality goes in before the name goes on."Blownsparkpug.com is a part-time job for both of them, each having their own careers.I know several LD owners who have preemptively had inserts installed on all ten cylinders. It's not cheap, but a lot less than a new engine. It beats installing an insert in Baker.Larry 4 Likes
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Topic: Blown Out Sparkplug (Read 302 times)
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