Disaster struck yesterday....

when i did the plugs, bosch single platinum, i torqued them to 32lbs i think (whatever you guys said on here) and it was a freshly calibrated wrench from autozone, and then a week later i retorqued them. the stock plugs had ~45k on them, and these have ~5k on them. i talked to a mechanic shop today in corona, CA, called Bob's Auto, and he said he can put in a new "sleve" with a reemer kit that taps right into the stock head, without removing the head, for a TOTAL of $300.00, and i will never have to worry about the plug again. he was telling me that this is a kit the dealer doesnt want anyone to kno about, and he has done it on many ford trucks and mustangs. should i try this and if it doesnt work then go aftermarket??? thanks for all the help so far...stangnet FTW!!
 
when i did the plugs, bosch single platinum, i torqued them to 32lbs i think (whatever you guys said on here) and it was a freshly calibrated wrench from autozone, and then a week later i retorqued them. the stock plugs had ~45k on them, and these have ~5k on them. i talked to a mechanic shop today in corona, CA, called Bob's Auto, and he said he can put in a new "sleve" with a reemer kit that taps right into the stock head, without removing the head, for a TOTAL of $300.00, and i will never have to worry about the plug again. he was telling me that this is a kit the dealer doesnt want anyone to kno about, and he has done it on many ford trucks and mustangs. should i try this and if it doesnt work then go aftermarket??? thanks for all the help so far...stangnet FTW!!

He is probably using the Timesert kit. You are supposed to torque them to 13 ft lbs exactly. But the guy that runs http://www.blownoutsparkplug.com/ says in his FAQ that he torques them 28-32 ft lbs. I e-mailed him with this:

"I just wanted to let you know that in your FAQ it says you torque plugs to 28-32 lbs. I don't know about other motors, but the 96-04 Mustangs need torqued to EXACTLY 13 ft lbs."

He replied:


"If you feel this is ok @ 13 lbs then ok, I have fixed over 300 plugs and I found that a lose plug that wiggles in the hole causes the frailer. At 32 lbs it stays tight and does not strip and comes back out with no problem the next time. I tested the head threads and found that a good set of threads will handle over 100 lbs and not strip. I feel that 32 is the magic number and untill I find a failer I will continue with this #. So far 10 years and no call backs?????? Have a great day. If you have any more questions please call or email. Ric"
 
Sounds like the shop you are dealing with is on top of this issue for you.

I'm afraid to replace my stock plugs because of this issue. Not that I want or trust them, but I'm wondering if I take it to a stealership to replace the plugs, will they "warranty" their work against it rejecting since there isn't a problem?
 
nope

No, the stealership will not warranty the work against this type of problem. There is atleast one thread on Stangnet somewhere a guy had a Ford dealership change his plugs, one blew out later and they would not cover it.

I think the most important parts about changing your plugs on a stang are

1) Change them with a COLD engine.

2) use a small amount of anti-seize

3) use a torque wrench and torque them to spec (don't guess)

4) recheck the tightness every few thousand miles or so.
 
No, the stealership will not warranty the work against this type of problem. There is atleast one thread on Stangnet somewhere a guy had a Ford dealership change his plugs, one blew out later and they would not cover it.

I think the most important parts about changing your plugs on a stang are

1) Change them with a COLD engine.

2) use a small amount of anti-seize

3) use a torque wrench and torque them to spec (don't guess)

4) recheck the tightness every few thousand miles or so.


I agree except for #2. Skip the anti-sieze. I think that's 1/2 the problem with blowing plug out of the hole. Plugs already have an anti-corrosive finish on the threads. I just change the plugs every year with a good copper replacement NGK TR6's. A stone cold engine is an absolute must.