Gosh Darnned TRITON ENGINES!!

[Carl]

So here I sit in a hotel room in Walterboro, SC....contemplating how I am going to pay for this guy to fix my truck in the morning. I am four hours from home and I hear a POP, then pop, pop, pop, pop...so on and so forth...

Great...the plug worked its way out of the head again..:mad: So I limp it to the super Walmart and buy some tools, should be an easy fix. NOT THIS TIME FUCKER!! Stripped the threads right out of the head. So the new plug I got is not gonna do any good. :rolleyes:

A little backround for ya, the early years did not have enough threads in the head to hold the plug (3 or 4) instead Ford went cheap and fucked everybody that has this problem.

But on the bright side, I could not have broken down in a nicer place! Some guys stopped and were helping me out. Then went down, payed for our hotel room and are going to meet us in the morning to make sure that we make it to the garage, who is going to hook us up and try to get us on the road as soon as he can. Whoever said 'Southern Hospitality' was dead...is full of shit.

[ibstrokin]

I dont trust the modular engines either. Some people may have good luck with them. But my truck is a pushrod GMC for a reason. Sorry to hear about your luck.

[Carl]

It is a mod motor. Same heads as the 4.6 as well. These are non-PI heads, looks like I will be doing a swap in the near future, then getting rid of this beast and getting a diesel like I should have done in the first place.

[mustang8998]

Carl, I'm in Columbia,SC, until tuesday morning. I don't have any plans for tommorow, so if there is anything I can do to help, Give me a shout. I'll PM ya my number.

[Pops Fun]

Sorry to hear about that....

[dedpedal]

Good luck getting home guy. I hope the rest of the weekend was better for you.

[TTA1543]

You may already know this, but at least one company makes a tool to rethread the stripped sparkplug hole in the vehicle. In their literature they claim it to be a "20 minute job". Lisle #65900. Of course the tools are $300+, but don't let someone tell you that the head's got to come off!:coo1:

[DeckerEnt]

We have had this problem with our Ford vans. The spark plug just blows straight out of the head. The problem in fixing it is that the plug is more than a few inches through the valve cover so cutting new threads in the head, you are doing it blind.
Oh and the expensive part is that when the plug comes out it takes the coil pack with it.
Keith

[Ranger50]

Geeez Carl, that sucks.

Now just unplug the coil pack and injector and drive home.

[bobtsgt]

damn that sucks big time. I noticed yesterday when putting the plugs back in that there were only 4 threads worth of anti seize missing.

[stroked4eyes]

What year is your truck?

[IWRBB]

Every 4.6 and 5.4 made until 2003 has the 4 threads. The 5.4L 2V heads were upgraded in 2003. The 4.6L 4V heads were upgraded in 2005.

Dunno when or if the 4.6 2V head got upgraded. I assume the 3V heads have the 9~10 thread count?

I use a torque wrench on these 4 thread motors. You don't want it too tight or too loose. Both are bad with only 4 threads. This is definately the only engine I've ever used a torque wrench for the plugs.

[stroked4eyes]

So does my 05 5.4 have this problem or am I safe?

[IWRBB]

Dunno, that's a 3V engine. Go pull and plug and see!

[Carl]

The 4.6 and 5.4 heads are the same. Mine is a 99. Now I am home, $229 and 4 more hours later. Now it is time to clean it up, put the stock tires back on it and trade the bitch in. I am tired of having a gas tow rig, time to man up and get a diesel!!

[Timido]

Diesel for the power. Diesel = more money for oil changes $6000-$8000 markup on the new truck purchace Gas is cheaper right now and the miles per gallon doesnt seem to be that much better. I looked under the hood of a chevy truck the other day. You can see the whole engine.

[mustangboy]

the miles per gallon doesnt seem to be that much better

What you been smoking? I average approx 20mpg and I know you're not getting no where near that. Yeah oil changes are a little more but the warranty on a diesel is better, there a ton more mods that can make stupid power, the life expectancy is alot longer and resale value is double a gas truck. I say go for it, you won't regret it.

[Carl]

I have been looking around and I think I found a couple Super Duty's for under 20k. I want to get a 4d short bed this time though... Just too much truck with the long bed.

[Timido]

What you been smoking

Not enough You know I want a diesel too but I have to talk myself out of it all the time

20 miles per gallon
12miles per gallon

Both Excursions

Yes resale is better but if you buy a used one the gas truck is way cheaper because of the resale

[Carl]

But the towing is the big difference. I like to know that if I am towing the car I have enough power to get through the mountains of WV and VA, my little 5.4 just doesn't have the ass to do it. I don't mind the gas mileage, I am an unmarried SSgt and can afford it.