E450 Ford v10 spark plug change

[dthomso1]

There does not seem to be a lot of info on changing the plugs on the Ford V10 in the E450 that so many of us use for our motorhome chassis. There are plenty of YouTube videos for Ford plug changes in pickups, but I could find none for the E450. Since this forum has been so useful to me in the past, I thought I would "pay it forward" with a brief review of my experience in changing the plugs in my 2006 E450 (Lexington GTS 283). Not that it matters (I don't think) but my chassis is a 2005 build.

First off, this job is not a lot of fun, but it can be accomplished with some determination and good weather!

Before you start, make sure you have the appropriate 3/8" drive wobble extensions (short and medium) and some 1/4" drive wobble extensions are helpful too. I also went through a lot of nitrile gloves (there are a lot of sharp things under there! I also had some Motorcraft anti-sieze compound on hand and some hi temp silicone dielectric grease.

Take both seats out and remove the dog house. (I took advantage of having these things out of the way by installing some temp & sound deadening material under the carpet to try to cut down on "hot feet" syndrome).

Remove the airfilter housing up front.

Remove the 4 bolts (2 each side) that hold on what looks like the support rail for the ignition harness - this thing, even with the bolts removed, will still be a real pita for every plug.

I found the passenger side to more challenging than the driver side, so you might want to start there just for motivation to see this job through! If you really want to start with the toughest, change out plug #3 and 8 first! They are a bear, both are totally blind affairs. Remove the bolt that holds down the coil (7mm) then with your 5/8" spark plug socket and a couple of wobble extensions, send it down the hole until you grab the plug. Mine were not overly tight and I had no problem actually removing the plug once I got the socket + extensions + ratchet where I needed them. I changed plugs 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 from inside the cab and # 1, 2, 6, 7 from the front.

I took it slow, did the whole job in about 5 hours. All the plugs came out without drama and they also were easy to start threading back in by hand. I mean easy in the sense that I had no cross-threading issues. The job itself is not easy!

A couple more thoughts:
1. It would help to have tiny hands (like the Trumpster!).
2. I am pretty sure Ford engineers hate mechanics.
3. Mechanics are not paid enough.
4. This job is not all that rewarding - my engine ran exactly the same way it did post-op than it did pre-op! I wanted more of something, anything!
5. You can do it!

[PhilG]

5 hours! Sounds like more than a six-pack is required...

[fonzie]

How many miles on the engine and is this the first plug change ever?

[dthomso1]

It was first ever, only 20k miles.

[A32Deuce]

I was told by a Ford Tech to change them around 90000 miles. He said they start degrading after that and to use Ford plugs. This was from a very good friend. Anti and die elc. gre. are also good to do.

[GL1800Rider]

I guess the next 20,000 mile plug change will be easier My F250 V10 has 97,000 miles on it and is a 2000. Still runs good on the original plugs.

[HATCHET19]

I retired from Ford in 2015. I worked at the Engine Research and Development Center for a number of years. I'm pretty sure the Development, Durability and Powertrain Engineers I worked with said those plugs should easily last 100,000 miles. So unless you had some kind of premature failure, they should have lasted a lot longer than 20,000 miles.

hatchet

[dougwollan]

I had a plug foul on a f250 super duty with the same engine as the class c e450 we have. Ford quoted 600+ to change plugs. Luckily the next day, it cooled down and plug stopped fouling and has worked great since.