how difficult is it to change the plugs and wires on my 2.5? looks like maybe more than i feel comfortable messin wit also how long does it take?

 

If it is anything like a 4.0 with air conditioning, it is very easy as long as your are willing to break your lower arm in a few places :)

 

ive never done a 2.5 but my 3.0 took me 30 mins to do once i got the right wires

 

The left side of the engine where the exhaust manifold is, it's pretty straight forward. The intake side, you'll need to either remove the manifold or use 2 swivel sockets to gain access to the last 2 plugs. I took my manifold off and set it aside. If you go this route, just be sure to reinstall new intake gaskets. -Mike-

 

Okay, so I need to do mine to and the first time I did mine, i did it with swivels and man it was still a royal pain in the ***. If i took the manifold off, how simple is it to A) take the manifold off and B) install new intake gaskets?

 

Its easy to take the manifold off, you just take a few nuts off that hold it on. There are 2 or 3 hoses on the under side of the manifold that you'll have to take off...one or two of them are coolant hoses that you'll need to plug up when you take them loose (if its the same as the 2000 2.5l). Take the bolts out that hold the EGR valve to the manifold, and take the air filter hose thing loose from the throttle body and disconnect any wires from what you are taking off. To install the new gasket, you just clean the surface to get rid of any left over old gasket and set the new one in place. However, I waited till I got the intake back in place with the hoses reconnected to the underside, and then slid the new gasket in place, and bolted it down. I think it took close to 3 hours to remove it, install plugs and put intake back on, but I wasn't in any hurry.

 

-Mike-

 

bumping an old thread ... what plugs you guys reccomend .... i was thinking the bosch plat +2's that dont require any gapping.

 

I have never had problems with my Bosch Platinum 4s but everyone here hates them. Just get some Autolights or Motorcraft.

 

for the dual plug head, run the autolite double platinum plugs and you should be able to get 100K miles out of them with no fade in performance or poor running.

 

thank you so much, will head to car quest on my next day off and hopefully install those bad boys on one of my nights "on call" (i get access to an entire shop to work on my own projects, just have to be available if something else breaks)

Ive heard bad things about bosch on hondas and toyotas ... thats why i wasnt sure if ford guys liked em or not

 

My best advice for you will be ...

(1) Use swivel socket for the intake side, i's easlier than remove the manifold out.

(2) Regular Bosch spark plug (HR8DCX) will do the job and save you money ...

 

well i dont even know if what i got needs replacement, but i bought the truck 2 months ago, and it has 95k and lord knows if they ever got changed. Just hoping for mpg increase if they are gummed up

 

If you don't know, we can't help ...

 

well im saying should i go with the bosch or the autolite double platinum

 

Regular Bosch spark plug (HR8DCX) will do the job.

 

Just doing the job isn't the issue here. He's looking for an improvement.
I recommend the Motorcraft double platinums or NGK Iridiums for the longest life. But in reality, if different kind of spark plug makes much difference in performance or millage, your ignition system or coils are not up to speed. The only real difference you should see with platinum or iridium plugs is a longer life without reduced performance from fouling or wear.

 

Instead of paying 3X the cost, regular Bosch spark plug (HR8DCX) should last pretty long. I remember the first time I changed the plugs, my truck had 100K miles. The old plugs did not look worn out at all (actually looked like I could run another 30K miles). Since I had bought the new plugs, so I went ahead and changed them.