Am I screwed?!? - 2003-04 Mach 1 Registry Owners Club

jledesma · 09-21-2010, 10:38 PM

Pulled two codes after motor was hesitating, PO303 PO316.

So I proceed to check the #3 cylinder CoP. The CoP was disentigrated and dark oily residue was all under the coil cover. Pull the plug and it was loose. Found out the threads in the plug hole is all worn out!! Only about 2-3 threads of the plug was stripped, closet to the electrode. other than hesitation/miss fire symptons, car ran and seem fairly okay given the condition.

Can it be helicoiled to fix or do I need to buy new head(s). I have not pulled all the plugs to check yet on their condition.

I changed the plugs (NGK iridium) about 3 years ago, put anti-seize, and pretty darn sure I did not cross thread the #3. The reason i say this is the plug had little wear on the threads as mentioned above. i think the plug bore was damaged from the plug banging around in the hole while running the car. not too much oil under the cover but enough to cover the area of the #2, #3 cylinder CoPs.

So can it helicoil, or "AM I SCREWED" and got to buy heads? if anyone knows, estimate $$$ for either option.

My mods are listed in my sig or whatever you call it, LOL!

Thanks in advance!!

G · 09-21-2010, 11:02 PM

It could be fixed with a Time-Sert. The Ford dealership should be able to do it but I would look for a automotive machine shop or race shop that has experience with the repair. This is not an unusual repair but I don't remember the cost involved. The Time-Sert kit is designed to do the job without head removal.

G · 09-21-2010, 11:13 PM

Kind of like this

Sorry the embed didn't work try here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTmDTT3a6U0

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jledesma · 09-21-2010, 11:14 PM

Thanks G! I'll look into that.

Red_Stang · 09-22-2010, 12:41 PM

had the same problem with mine got it fixed for 250 mine actually shot the spark plug right out lol heard a big pop and almost sh*t my pants i thought i had blew my engine AGAIN

jledesma · 09-22-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red_Stang

had the same problem with mine got it fixed for 250 mine actually shot the spark plug right out lol heard a big pop and almost sh*t my pants i thought i had blew my engine AGAIN

Did you re thread it or changed the heads? I'm hoping I can get a
Thread-sert kit here so I can get my car running asap since it doubles as my patrol car.

jledesma · 09-23-2010, 10:03 PM

Alright, got it re-threaded without removing the head and car is running fine....for now, LOL!

Thanks!

Fenixfire · 09-24-2010, 12:02 PM

Known issue with the 03 heads that have 4 thread spark plugs. Not enough threads to hold the plug in place and sometimes they get spit out. Thats why when my motor was being rebuilt I bought a set of 04 heads that have 9 threads. Much better for boost.

jledesma · 09-24-2010, 04:51 PM

I was wondering about the thread count. I got an '04 but when did they change the thread issue on the heads. Can an '04 have the old 3 threaded heads??

Fenixfire · 09-24-2010, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jledesma

I was wondering about the thread count. I got an '04 but when did they change the thread issue on the heads. Can an '04 have the old 3 threaded heads??

Yes, some of the first 04s still had the 4 threaded heads.

09-21-2010, 10:38 PM	#1
jledesma Book'em Danno! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ewa Beach, HI Posts: 454	Am I screwed?!? Pulled two codes after motor was hesitating, PO303 PO316. So I proceed to check the #3 cylinder CoP. The CoP was disentigrated and dark oily residue was all under the coil cover. Pull the plug and it was loose. Found out the threads in the plug hole is all worn out!! Only about 2-3 threads of the plug was stripped, closet to the electrode. other than hesitation/miss fire symptons, car ran and seem fairly okay given the condition. Can it be helicoiled to fix or do I need to buy new head(s). I have not pulled all the plugs to check yet on their condition. I changed the plugs (NGK iridium) about 3 years ago, put anti-seize, and pretty darn sure I did not cross thread the #3. The reason i say this is the plug had little wear on the threads as mentioned above. i think the plug bore was damaged from the plug banging around in the hole while running the car. not too much oil under the cover but enough to cover the area of the #2, #3 cylinder CoPs. So can it helicoil, or "AM I SCREWED" and got to buy heads? if anyone knows, estimate $$$ for either option. My mods are listed in my sig or whatever you call it, LOL! Thanks in advance!! __________________ MAC ss catback Pypes O/R X Roy's 3/8" spacer C&L intake system 4.10's MM springs Bilstein HD's MM cc plates SCT X3 Slotted/Drilled rotors Hawk HPS pads. AFS '03 Cobra replicas 18x9 & 18x10.5 Nitto Invo 275/35/18 & 295/35/18 Cobra folding mirrors & other Cobra exterior parts AM smoked headlight & fogs. HID 8k headlight and fogs Future Mods: LT headers, MM flsfc, panhard, Torque converter, and more Cobra body parts .

09-21-2010, 11:14 PM	#4
jledesma Book'em Danno! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ewa Beach, HI Posts: 454	Re: Am I screwed?!? Thanks G! I'll look into that. __________________ MAC ss catback Pypes O/R X Roy's 3/8" spacer C&L intake system 4.10's MM springs Bilstein HD's MM cc plates SCT X3 Slotted/Drilled rotors Hawk HPS pads. AFS '03 Cobra replicas 18x9 & 18x10.5 Nitto Invo 275/35/18 & 295/35/18 Cobra folding mirrors & other Cobra exterior parts AM smoked headlight & fogs. HID 8k headlight and fogs Future Mods: LT headers, MM flsfc, panhard, Torque converter, and more Cobra body parts .

09-22-2010, 12:41 PM	#5
Red_Stang Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 35	Re: Am I screwed?!? had the same problem with mine got it fixed for 250 mine actually shot the spark plug right out lol heard a big pop and almost sh*t my pants i thought i had blew my engine AGAIN

09-23-2010, 10:03 PM	#7
jledesma Book'em Danno! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ewa Beach, HI Posts: 454	Re: Am I screwed?!? Alright, got it re-threaded without removing the head and car is running fine....for now, LOL! Thanks! __________________ MAC ss catback Pypes O/R X Roy's 3/8" spacer C&L intake system 4.10's MM springs Bilstein HD's MM cc plates SCT X3 Slotted/Drilled rotors Hawk HPS pads. AFS '03 Cobra replicas 18x9 & 18x10.5 Nitto Invo 275/35/18 & 295/35/18 Cobra folding mirrors & other Cobra exterior parts AM smoked headlight & fogs. HID 8k headlight and fogs Future Mods: LT headers, MM flsfc, panhard, Torque converter, and more Cobra body parts .

09-24-2010, 12:02 PM	#8
Fenixfire Its stock....No really! Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 4,433	Re: Am I screwed?!? Known issue with the 03 heads that have 4 thread spark plugs. Not enough threads to hold the plug in place and sometimes they get spit out. Thats why when my motor was being rebuilt I bought a set of 04 heads that have 9 threads. Much better for boost. __________________ 2003 Azure Blue Mach 1 5spd w/ IUP Mods: Lots of new stuff coming.....stay tuned

09-21-2010, 11:02 PM	#2
G Undocumented Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Enterprise, AL Posts: 15,828	Re: Am I screwed?!? It could be fixed with a Time-Sert. The Ford dealership should be able to do it but I would look for a automotive machine shop or race shop that has experience with the repair. This is not an unusual repair but I don't remember the cost involved. The Time-Sert kit is designed to do the job without head removal. __________________ _____________________________________________ 2003 Mach1 AB 5spd 2004 Mach1 TR 5spd (sold) 1933 Ford 3W Coupe (4.6 dohc Stack Injection) 2003 Cobra TR (sold) 2014 Mustang GT (Track Pack) in Black

09-21-2010, 11:13 PM	#3
G Undocumented Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Enterprise, AL Posts: 15,828	Re: Am I screwed?!? Kind of like this Sorry the embed didn't work try here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTmDTT3a6U0 <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GTmDTT3a6U0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GTmDTT3a6U0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> __________________ _____________________________________________ 2003 Mach1 AB 5spd 2004 Mach1 TR 5spd (sold) 1933 Ford 3W Coupe (4.6 dohc Stack Injection) 2003 Cobra TR (sold) 2014 Mustang GT (Track Pack) in Black

09-24-2010, 04:51 PM	#9
jledesma Book'em Danno! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ewa Beach, HI Posts: 454	Re: Am I screwed?!? I was wondering about the thread count. I got an '04 but when did they change the thread issue on the heads. Can an '04 have the old 3 threaded heads?? __________________ MAC ss catback Pypes O/R X Roy's 3/8" spacer C&L intake system 4.10's MM springs Bilstein HD's MM cc plates SCT X3 Slotted/Drilled rotors Hawk HPS pads. AFS '03 Cobra replicas 18x9 & 18x10.5 Nitto Invo 275/35/18 & 295/35/18 Cobra folding mirrors & other Cobra exterior parts AM smoked headlight & fogs. HID 8k headlight and fogs Future Mods: LT headers, MM flsfc, panhard, Torque converter, and more Cobra body parts .

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