NHTSA Complaint #10082970 — 2000 FORD F-250 SD

ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK I HEARD AN UNUSUAL NOISE EMINATING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF MY 2000 FORD F-250 SUPER DUTY, 6.8 (V-10) TRUCK. I THOUGHT IT WAS AN XHAUST MANIFOLD LEAK. I PULLED ONTO A GRAVEL ROAD, LIFTED THE HOOD AND CLIMBED UP TO LOOK TO SEE WHAT I COULD FIND. IMAGINE MY SUPRISE TO SEE A LEFT BANK SPARK PLUG, #8 CYLINDER, LYING AGAINST THE FUEL RAIL AND THE COIL FIRING AGAINST THE HEAD. I LIMPED HOME, WONDERING ALL THE WHILE HOW MUCH FUEL WAS POURING INTO THE OIL PAN! I USED A STRONG FLASH LIGHT TO PEER INTO THE SPARK PLUG HOLE AND FOUND TO MY SUPRISE, VERY LITTLE IF ANY THREADS TO CONTIAN THE SPARK PLUG. I THEN USED A 90 DEG. PICK TO "FEEL" THE THREADS. NONE. I CALLED JOE MACHENS FORD IN COLUMBIA, MO. TO SEE IF THIS MIGHT BE A COMMON PROBLEM. THEY INFORMED ME THEY SEE QUITE A FEW OF THE 5.4 LITER CYLINDER HEADS IN FOR REPAIR AND HAD HAD ONE 6.8. THEY INFORMED ME THAT FORD HAD ISSUED A TSB FOR THE LIGHTNING WITH THE 5.4 ( I CAN SEE WHY, A COMPRESSOR ON TOP OF THE ENGINE CAN CREATE PROBLEMS) OTHER THAN THE AFORMENTIONED TSB, NO OTHERS EXIST AND FORD HAS YET TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. I CHECKED FOR INFO VIA THE GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE AND WASN'T ABLE TO FIND MUCH INFORMATION. I PROBABLY USED THE INCORRECT TERMINOLOGY. WHO KNOWS HOW MUCH OF THE ALUMNIUM THREADS WERE INGESTED INTO THE CYLINDER, WHICH IN TURN WILL CAUSE SCARRING AND OIL CONTROL PROBLEMS. I DO KNOW HOWEVER, DUE TO WHAT I WAS TOLD BY THE PERSON AT JOE MACHENS FORD IN COLUMBIA, MO., IT SEEMS AS THOUGH FORD HAS NOT PRACTICED DUE DILIGENCE AS TO FINDING A SUITABLE COST EFECTIVE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK