[chucklin]

Has anybody else heard of this problem?

Our #2 sparkplug blew out last week (170,000 km).... still in shock over the repair cost. I know this was a problem with the Triton engine, but haven't heard of it with the Duratecs. Has anybody else heard of or experienced this? Thanks.

[mod]Moved to Problems and Solutions.[/mod]

 

[Squishy]

I think I can recall hearing of just one other case. Not really a common problem.

Were these spark plugs installed with a torque wrench?

 

[chucklin]

I presume they were installed with a torque wrench. A mechanic replaced them all about six months ago when an ignition coil failed.

 

[Jeff M]

Only time I've come into an experience with spark plug blowout is when the person who installed the last set, cross-threaded one.

BTW boxer 4-cylinders sound awesome when running on 3 cylinders and a big hole where the number 4 spark plug should be.

 

[stone]

Only time I've come into an experience with spark plug blowout is when the person who installed the last set, cross-threaded one.

BTW boxer 4-cylinders sound awesome when running on 3 cylinders and a big hole where the number 4 spark plug should be.

:yes:

 

[CrashNburn]

happened to me, and i torqued mine. it backed out, and didnt even screw a thread. i put the spark plug back in, and its been running fine for over 30,000km

 

[jonas1022]

A drop of lock tite does wonders. You probably could have done the repair yourself with a helicoil from AutoZone for two bucks... :doh:

The absolutely best way to repair the thing is to remove the head and install the helicoil from the inside (combustion chamber) side, then reinstall the head. :yes:

 

[stone]

A drop of lock tite does wonders. You probably could have done the repair yourself with a helicoil from AutoZone for two bucks... :doh:

The absolutely best way to repair the thing is to remove the head and install the helicoil from the inside (combustion chamber) side, then reinstall the head. :yes:

**
Plus, not to strip the thread.

 

[CrashNburn]

i would advice against lock tite, because you already have steel vs aluminum. and its very difficult to take out the rear plugs when the engine is hot on these things because you need to take off so many parts that its cooled down.

 

[Squishy]

You don't want to take them out hot. The aluminium head is too soft at that temperature.

 

[chucklin]

Definitely it is impossible to do this job with the engine hot. Since it is a back plug I had to remove the entire intake manifold just to get at the plug. After seeing the shop's repair estimate I've started the job of removing the cylinder head myself, much slower but much cheaper. I talked to a local automotive machine shop about putting the helicoil in, since I have no experience with this and understand the helicoil can blow out if it is not put in right. It seems the threads in the head are definitely damaged as it is impossible to get a new plug to thread back in. Any words of wisdom from anyone who has removed the back cylinder head would be most appreciated.

BTW, the Escape running with 5/6 cylinders with the spark plug and ignition coil sitting in the intake manifold sounds like a Harley!

 

[Surfscape]

Cover your alternator as the coolant likes to run down into it when the head is off. Also cover your exhaust manifold if not removed or you can contaminate your cats with oil and coolant.

MARK your ignition coils to location. They can be swapped around and it will ruin your Cats if run off sequence.

When you have the intake off, change the PCV valve...

You know you will be removing the right engine mount, oil pan, front cover, rear exhaust manifold etc? MARK your timing chain to all gears! Set the engine TDC and don't move it during the repair. Getting this part together is a real treat.

It might be worth the try to fix it insitu. If it pops again your not to far off from where you were.

 

[jonas1022]

Good luck with the repair. It's not fun, at times infuriating. Once finished however you will feel so good about yourself, well, I just can not describe the feeling. I never did the helicoil replacement on an Escape, but I did one on the 2.0L Zetec of my son's GF. Needless to say, neither of those two kids had any money or mechanical ability... :roll:

 

[CrashNburn]

ive done a hand full. but then again, i have access to a full automotive shop. but one we did in the parking lot at work, we yanked the head off my buddies grand am, took it into the shop, repaired it, then reinstalled it and he drove home that night.

 

[jonas1022]

ive done a hand full. but then again, i have access to a full automotive shop. but one we did in the parking lot at work, we yanked the head off my buddies grand am, took it into the shop, repaired it, then reinstalled it and he drove home that night.

Essentially what I did for that kids ZX2. Only in the garage in the middle of winter... :frozen:

 

[CrashNburn]

i hear ya about the being cold lol.

i pulled the transmission out of my 89 ranger in the middle of january. i piled snow up around the three sides of the truck leaving the side facing the house open. it was up on ramps and jack stands. and of course up here its -30 to -40deg C. my trouble light helped keep me warm, and i worked with one hand in my pocket, and then switch as the other one got too cold. once i got the tranny out, i had to pull the bell housing off and replace the seals in the bell case and the pump seal. then i put it all back together. by the time i went to take the truck off the stands, they were frozen to the ground, and i have to hit them with a sledge hammer to get them out LoL.

 

[iambeeman]

My wife and I just purchased a '03 Escape ltd that was a insurance write off, and we get it home to discover that the middle cyl on the front head had blown out, and no threads left.

I was wondering if the Triton fix would work in the Escape? Does any one have experience with a similar problem??

For those who are unfamiliar with the Triton fix it isn't a standard heli-coil but rather a small pipe with a larger thread surface than the standard heli-coil on the outside with a proper seat and thread for the spark plug on the inside. The repair kit also comes with the special tools to be sure that everything is installed 100% correct.

 

[amdgamer]

A drop of lock tite does wonders. You probably could have done the repair yourself with a helicoil from AutoZone for two bucks... :doh:

The absolutely best way to repair the thing is to remove the head and install the helicoil from the inside (combustion chamber) side, then reinstall the head. :yes:

To be honest, i'm not convinced those helicoil kits from Autozone are very good. A buddy of mine tried it after some shop destroyed the threads on his 88 or 89 Honda Accord. The Helicoil didn't even last 10k miles. However I suppose that this is a cheap solution even if not permanent, since the alternatives are downright obscenely expensive.

 

[iambeeman]

A drop of lock tite does wonders. You probably could have done the repair yourself with a helicoil from AutoZone for two bucks... :doh:

The absolutely best way to repair the thing is to remove the head and install the helicoil from the inside (combustion chamber) side, then reinstall the head. :yes:

To be honest, i'm not convinced those helicoil kits from Autozone are very good. A buddy of mine tried it after some shop destroyed the threads on his 88 or 89 Honda Accord. The Helicoil didn't even last 10k miles. However I suppose that this is a cheap solution even if not permanent, since the alternatives are downright obscenely expensive.

The standard heli-coil doesn't establish the right angle for the angle seat on the spark plug either. Time-sert makes a kit they list as working on a 3L Escape - http://www.timesert.com/html/triton_repair2.html I'm thinking I may invest in this, a car is pretty useless with only 5 plugs.

 

[iambeeman]

I bought the kit and installed the insert. It's pretty easy, a little time consuming. Now I just have to start driving it to see if it holds up to long term use.