Ash deposits on sparkplugs Ford 5.4

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
I don't think the 2v head ever got revised. The 4v head did. My 03 Mach engine has 9 threads. I've got a pair of 03 Romeo heads on my shelf which are still 3 thread heads. I doubt that ford would revise them for just the 04 model year,it is possible though.


The 2V head/engine in 4.6L trim remained a low-tier option on the F-150 for quite a while actually, certainly past 2004. And IIRC, the 2V head was indeed updated sometime in 2003.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Clevy
I don't think the 2v head ever got revised. The 4v head did. My 03 Mach engine has 9 threads. I've got a pair of 03 Romeo heads on my shelf which are still 3 thread heads. I doubt that ford would revise them for just the 04 model year,it is possible though.


The 2V head/engine in 4.6L trim remained a low-tier option on the F-150 for quite a while actually, certainly past 2004. And IIRC, the 2V head was indeed updated sometime in 2003.

So maybe mid-year then.
With that 2v,before I went 4v,I had likely 12 pairs of heads go through my hands,both Romeo and windsors,and I never saw a 9 thread 2v head.
I did find a pair online with 9 threads that modular head shop had for sale but I never saw them in person.
I also thought that the mustang in 05 was the first ford to get the 3v heads but a member here corrected me. Apparently ford put a 3v head on some trucks in 04.
Which now brings up a whole new series of questions such as when did ford trucks go all 3v,how many 2v 9 thread heads actually hit the market since they would be the most desirable in the new edge mustangs,since they are still spitting out plugs.
This was way simpler when the 302/351 was still the standard.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Clevy
I don't think the 2v head ever got revised. The 4v head did. My 03 Mach engine has 9 threads. I've got a pair of 03 Romeo heads on my shelf which are still 3 thread heads. I doubt that ford would revise them for just the 04 model year,it is possible though.


The 2V head/engine in 4.6L trim remained a low-tier option on the F-150 for quite a while actually, certainly past 2004. And IIRC, the 2V head was indeed updated sometime in 2003.

So maybe mid-year then.
With that 2v,before I went 4v,I had likely 12 pairs of heads go through my hands,both Romeo and windsors,and I never saw a 9 thread 2v head.
I did find a pair online with 9 threads that modular head shop had for sale but I never saw them in person.
I also thought that the mustang in 05 was the first ford to get the 3v heads but a member here corrected me. Apparently ford put a 3v head on some trucks in 04.
Which now brings up a whole new series of questions such as when did ford trucks go all 3v,how many 2v 9 thread heads actually hit the market since they would be the most desirable in the new edge mustangs,since they are still spitting out plugs.
This was way simpler when the 302/351 was still the standard.


Looks like the 2V 4.6L AND 5.4L are STILL an option!

http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/eseries-cargo-van/features/#page=Feature12

http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/eseries-cargo-van/specifications/engine/

 

[Clevy]

Wow. Thanks overkill. I didn't know that. The 2vs are bulletproof. Glad ford hasn't completely canned them. Yet anyways.

 

[Clevy]

The vans don't even get a 5.0 4v option. Nor the twin turbo sixxers. The v10 sure is something. Over 400ft/lbs of tq at 2500 rpm. Put that in a mustang. Yeehaa. Might have to extend the front end a bit though.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
The vans don't even get a 5.0 4v option. Nor the twin turbo sixxers. The v10 sure is something. Over 400ft/lbs of tq at 2500 rpm. Put that in a mustang. Yeehaa. Might have to extend the front end a bit though.


It has been done actually, in an SN95. IIRC, it took a bit of work to get it in there, though I don't recall any extension having to be done.

 

[Clevy]

That's what I've got. The 4v was enough trouble,the ecu and harnesses were a nightmare. I couldn't imagine trying to shoehorn a v10 in there.
I've seen a coyote 4v in a 2000 mustang. It was glorious,and insanely out of my price range. I'd have to sell my Harley to do that,and that isn't going to happen.

 

[OVERKILL]

 

[hemitom]

Those deposits are from worn, out of gap plugs not firing quite hot enough to clean themselves off. So they slowly build up with deposits

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: electrolover
Thats not from burning oil. They would be black. Not sure what that is.


At 1200mi qt it's defiantly oil, burned oil(as in no longer exists)... Won't be black unless there is a misfire or consumption is greater than 500-600mi qt(in that case usually oil isn't completely burned)...

 

[toeout]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


It isn't the PCV VALVE that's the issue, it is the hose assembly that leads to consumption.



I had the hose assembly off with the PCV valve during spark plug replacement. Didn't see anything wrong with it except the heat insulation was getting brittle around the hose.

Is there an improved hose or do they just need to be swapped out after a while?

 

[mechtech2]

Originally Posted By: hemitom
Those deposits are from worn, out of gap plugs not firing quite hot enough to clean themselves off. So they slowly build up with deposits


Nonsense.
The heat range is perfect. Ground electrodes are not in the heat range/hot firing equations at all.
And plugs firing 'hotter',whatever that means, would not stop the oil use.

 

[hemitom]

Nonsense maybe, i have seen plugs come out of engines burning more oil then this with less deposits And for your information plugs with increased gap do not clean or burn of as well.

 

[demarpaint]

165K, I'd say you got your moneys worth out of them, and then some. Get a new set, gap'em, apply some anti-seize to the threads, torque them to the proper spec. Check and service the PCV system, and air filter if needed, and call it a day.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: toeout
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


It isn't the PCV VALVE that's the issue, it is the hose assembly that leads to consumption.



I had the hose assembly off with the PCV valve during spark plug replacement. Didn't see anything wrong with it except the heat insulation was getting brittle around the hose.

Is there an improved hose or do they just need to be swapped out after a while?



There's a completely redesigned hose assembly

It isn't that it wears out, it was something in the design that led to potential consumption issues.

 

[mechtech2]

Originally Posted By: hemitom
Nonsense maybe, i have seen plugs come out of engines burning more oil then this with less deposits And for your information plugs with increased gap do not clean or burn of as well.


Actually, you are wrong again. Larger gaps have a hotter/larger spark [until failure, of course]. Many people often increase stock gaps for this effect and better 'light off'.
But this is not what keeps a spark plug clean anyway. The heat range of the plug keeps the insulator clean so it won't foul. The electrode is in the combustion and is heated/cleaned by that, until it is overwhelmed by too many deposits.
Do some homework before anyone reads what you say and are misled..

 

[hemitom]

In high performance apps yes a wider gap is better, in stock form like this where is the benefit of a wider gap ??.These plugs have rounded off elecetrodes and are wore out .With new plugs he won,t see these deposits for many more miles. I'm sure these plugs are not producing optimal spark for miss free iginition

In my prior post i should have stated for the( perfectionsts) that a gap that is to large (until failure or repeated misfire occurs) will not clean or fire as well. I must have had a moment of weakness , i'm sorry for all the misleading information that i have given.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Originally Posted By: hemitom
Nonsense maybe, i have seen plugs come out of engines burning more oil then this with less deposits And for your information plugs with increased gap do not clean or burn of as well.


Actually, you are wrong again. Larger gaps have a hotter/larger spark [until failure, of course]. Many people often increase stock gaps for this effect and better 'light off'.
But this is not what keeps a spark plug clean anyway. The heat range of the plug keeps the insulator clean so it won't foul. The electrode is in the combustion and is heated/cleaned by that, until it is overwhelmed by too many deposits.
Do some homework before anyone reads what you say and are misled..


Exactly. Modern ignition systems can practically spark off a pine log!

Gap has nothing to do with cleanliness, except when too SMALL of a gap fouls on you one day...