Manager Forum

Since a new post has brought this to my attention I've added a little hand out that describes the issue with these plugs. It also suggests a quick brows on the internet to help enlighten the customer about the issues with the plugs. With this, as in any time I suggest a customer look on the internet knowing they will also look into any quick repairs I ask them to disregard any "home fixes" especially those with beer cans in the background, people wearing worn flannel shirts with barn animals in the background, people wearing bandages with missing teeth and scars, etc.. I charge the flat rate time for a tune up and with any plug that breaks I add an accessibility charge plus a minimum of ! hour per plug.

Had a customer with F150 5.4L. A relative did him a favor and change spark plugs. Broke 3 and in process of "repairing" it got debris in engine and scored cylinder walls. We installed reman engine. Normally we don't have a real issue if careful. Have repaired several that blew the plugs out of the holes while driving. I think about twice we had to replace cylinder heads.

A tip for the old guys.
Warm engine to temp. Remove coils and spray in PB Blaster and a drop of brake fluid. Wait over night , Most of the time they come free. This an actual fix from Ford!
When they do break we Get .5 for each one and always call to let the owner know how many! also Only the three valves have this problem! And the new Motorcraft plugs are designed to alleviate this problem! (yah sure). By the way were on our second tool kit for this!

Never have heard of using brake fluid. Maybe next time we have to let one sit overnight I'll give it a shot. So far since I started using the impact gun I haven't had one that broke or gave me a bit of an issue. I charge accordingly for this or any other procedure that is outside the labor guide.

We Don't Use Any Oil When Doing this Plugs. First There Is No Way Oil Can Get Anywhere Near Carbon Build Up; The Other Reason Is One Of The Kits Uses A Glue For Porcelain Removal. If Covered With Oil Glue Won't Stick.

I don't like the glue removal set up

Basically, what we find that works for us is basically correct. Some tech's balk at what others do to resolve an issue. Newer tech's haven't gotten frustrated enough to be willing to step out of the box and try different approaches. Being around for a while in this industry and have had worked my way up from a gas jockey to a shop owner I worked with or for some real old time tech's and some old school theory's of how to repair when the "normal" procedures aren't working. I'm not talking about the flat rate corner cutter kings but the actual tech's that could teach me something and how to think outside the box. A prime example is a short in a wiring system. Some techs would chase a wire all day long I was taught to go to a wiring diagram, inspect the effected circuit and if it were a single feed cut it at "A" and where it ended, check for an internal short to ground at it and if good match wire gauge and run a new one. Looking back on this post it appears it's going to suck I.Q. points from a reader so please be careful.