Ford guys: Had the dreaded spark plug blowout

[GilpinGuy]

5.4L Triton in a 2001 F150

I had a spark plug blow out of the #7 cylinder yesterday, stripping the threads in the head. Common problem, lots of different fix options. I'm not interested the the Doorman or Helicoil quick fix stuff. They seem hokey and temporary.

I'm leaning toward a Time-Sert Kit at $435. But there is also the similar knock-off CalVan kit for $240. Both look like they work ok, but the Time-Sert does look like a higher quality kit from the YouTube videos I've seen. But $200 higher quality?

Anyone have experience with these or a preference?

[ray1970]

I deal with stripped bolt holes frequently in my occupation. My preferred repair is a Keensert. Not sure if it will work in your application or if they offer them in the size you need but I would venture to guess you won't spend $400+ dollars to repair one hole.

Here's a link that kind of explains them. You might do some more googling and see if you can find more info.

http://www.repairengineering.com/keensert.html

[ray1970]

Oh, and helicoils are garbage in my opinion. I definitely wouldn't use them for a spark plug hole repair.

[Erni]

Have you called a machine shop to see if they can do this for you? At $400 I would think a shop would be happy to help.

[TFOGGER]

I'm a Timesert guy when it comes to repairing spark plug threads. I've not done a Triton, but I've used them many times on bikes over the last 20 years, and many times they can be done without even removing the head.

[BPTactical]

So glad I got rid of my 5.4.
Why Ford felt it necessary to reinvent the spark plug escapes me.

[Irving]

So glad I got rid of my 5.4.
Why Ford felt it necessary to reinvent the spark plug escapes me.

Sounds like it also allows the spark plugs to escape.

[Great-Kazoo]

So glad I got rid of my 5.4.
Why Ford felt it necessary to reinvent the spark plug escapes me.

Didn't they Have a Better Idea

[fportmen45]

I'm a Timesert guy when it comes to repairing spark plug threads.

This. Back in the day, dealerships used to Helicoil the hell out of the 5.4 with terrible results.

[zteknik]

This. Back in the day, dealerships used to Helicoil the hell out of the 5.4 with terrible results.

Exactly, we did the helicoil thing until it started costing us even more than it was worth. Then we switched over to the timeserts.
But the only real fix is replacing the head.