Truck Problems

I had planned to go to The Lot this past weekend after work on Friday; had the ATV on the trailer and the trailer hitched to the truck but the truck refused to run on all 8 cylinders. The “Check Engine” light was blinking indicating ignition problems.

A quick check under the hood did not reveal a simple solution so I returned home. I looked up the engine error code and found a spark plug failure was indicated.  Now, on this engine, a 5.4L Triton,  this could be a problem; trying to remove the plugs often results in them breaking off. A special tool is then needed to remove the broken plug(s.) I was not eager to take on a replacement job but after checking with various shops and getting a few price quotes I decided to tackle the job myself.

Aided by a neighbor’s loan of a couple tools I do not own, I was able to remove the first spark plug. It appeared to be a factory-original plug, rated to go 100,000 miles but the truck has over 168,000 miles on it. If that is the case then the spark plugs had lasted well beyond their design parameters.

Ford F-150 old spark plug

Pam encouraged me to change all 8 plugs so I bought a new set from the local NAPA auto parts store (almost $20.00 per plug) and went to work. Service shops have a rack that they use when they need to work over the engine; I had to kneel on the front bumper.

Replacing the 8 plugs took me over 6 hours. First you have to blow the area clean with an air hose, then you need to remove the coil on the plug. Then you have to remove the plug, a process that can take time depending on how stuck the plug is. I worked slowly and carefully so as not to break a plug! Then you install the new plug, replace the coil (each plug has its own coil) then re-connect the wires you had to remove to get the coil off the plug.

As I worked toward the back of the engine the task became more difficult as room to maneuver tools gets tighter and tighter. Eventually I did get all 8 plugs replaced, cleared the error codes using my code reader, then took the truck for a drive. The F-150 ran well and no error messages were returned. I consider the work a success!  Heck of a way to spend my birthday, though.

Otherwise it was mostly a routine week with only minor news to report. Our friend Kathy came and picked up a load of wood, we have had rain several days this week, I’ve begun a major network upgrade at work, Pam is particularly busy at her job as it is the start of the fall semester and the Registrar’s Office is really hopping.  All pretty typical stuff!

We hope to get up to The Lot this next weekend and spend time clearing brush and bad wood. Fall is not that far away; we usually shut down operations around the first week of October. That gives us about 7 weekends and we probably will not get up every weekend at that. We’ll have  to get a lot of work done when we do get to The Lot if we want to hit our cleaning goals for the year. These were not extensive, mostly Homestead Acre and the surrounding area, but I would like to get a couple more loads of wood for Kathy to use in heating her rescue building over the winter months.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

The kittens are scheduled for their spay/neuter operations next week.  They will recuperate with me a few days, then (hopefully) the shelter will have room for these three-month-old babies.  Their mom, Rambler, was successfully spayed and released last week.  I’ve seen her at my outdoor feeder a few times; Rambler is thrilled to be free.

The cancer fight for my friend Mary in Florida is not going well. She is in month 16 since the diagnosis, and the cancer is starting to spread.  Chemo is no longer effective.  My sadness is ongoing; I think I’ve been grieving for my friend-since-childhood the entire 16 months so far.

Happy Trails.