NHTSA Complaint #10235626 — 2002 FORD F-250 SD

2002 FORD F250 CREW CAB 4X4 SHORT BOX, 5.4L V-8 GASOLINE ENGINE JUST UNDER 92000 MILES. ON 7/21/2008 MERGING ON THE EXPRESSWAY UNDER HEAVY ACCELERATION, A LOUD BANG WITH SPRING POPPING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE ENGINE FOLLOWED BY THE DISTINCT ODOR OF EXHAUST AND UNBURNED GASOLINE. VERIFIED THROTTLE CONTROL AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE WITH LOUD NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. DROVE 4 MILES TO WORK TO SAFELY INSPECT THE PROBLEM. NOTED THAT THE EXHAUST Y-PIPE WAS SEPARATED FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. ASSUMING THAT IT WAS JUST A FAILED MANIFOLD BOLT, DROVE ~20 MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. RECEIVED THE CALL THAT THE NUMBER 6 SPARK PLUG WAS EJECTED FROM THE HEAD. UPON THE DEALERSHIPS INSPECTION, FOUND THAT THE THREADS WERE STRIPPED OUT OF THE HEAD. THE SPARK PLUG THEN ARRESTED IN THE IGNITION COIL WHICH WAS SEPARATED FROM THE HEAD DUE TO FAILURE OF ITS MOUNTING FLANGE. THE IGNITION WIRE HELD THE COIL AND PLUG ON THE ENGINE. THERE WAS ZERO GAP NOTED ON THE SPARK PLUG ELECTRODE WITH ANTI-SEIZE COMPOUND ON ONLY ABOUT .5" OF THE SPARK PLUG THREAD. THUS SUGGESTED THAT ONLY .5" OF THREAD ENGAGEMENT WAS PRESENT FROM THE FACTORY ORIGINAL PLUGS (I.E. THE SPARK PLUGS WERE NOT REPLACED SINCE THE RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT INTERVAL IS 10 YEARS 100000 MILES). ADVISED THAT AT A MINIMUM A HEAD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT THAT AN ENGINE MAY BE A BETTER ECONOMICAL CHOICE SO THAT BOTH HEADS ARE REPLACED AND THIS DESIGN ISSUE COULD BE OVERCOME (THE NEWLY REMANUFACTURED ENGINE IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE LARGER THREAD ENGAGEMENT AT APPROXIMATELY .75"). ENGINE REPLACED TO INSURE THAT THIS FAILURE WOULD NOT OCCUR ON ONE OF THE OTHER CYLINDERS IN THE HEAD THAT WOULD NOT BE REPLACED. *TR