Lazy Daze Owners' Group

Spark Plugs

October 01, 2014, 04:34:05 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 148772

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Hi..
I am wanting to get my spark plugs changed but I cannot locate the files on who is recommended for this service.  Help would be appreciated.  I am in Arizona, not far from Quartzsite, but we can travel to California which would not be a problem.

Sandy

Spark Plugs

Reply #2 – October 03, 2014, 09:49:06 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 148819

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Fred, I too have a 2003 LD and recently had the plugs changed on my V-10. I would like to recommend someone to you who does an excellent job. His name is Ric Mahlmeister who co owns Blownoutsparkplug.com. Ric, who lives in El Cajon, Ca. and his brother(forgot the name), who lives in the Santa Ynez area are professionals at replacing Ford spark plugs. Many LD owners have used them. Your year as was mine is a particular touchy job to replace them as that year and years before had fewer threads for the plugs to seat in the engine block. If they are not taken out correctly and installed at the right torque you can have problems down the road. Ric has done over 800 sets of plugs as a Ford mechanic at El Cajon Ford. (34 years exp) I drove to his home last Feb after making an appt. and he and his  co-worker did the job in 2 hours. My rig never ran better and I have 107,000 on it now. Ric's phone number is 619-306-4700. I did mine at 95,000 only because it was convenient. Ric is a great guy and he actually travels to peoples homes if they can't get to him. Of course you have to pay for his travel but he does quite a lot of it for people who have actually had a blown out plug. Hope this helps and good luck. I believe the plug Bob is mentioning is the replacement. The number did change as I recall. Take care, john

Re: Spark Plugs

Reply #4 – October 04, 2014, 10:58:25 am

Yahoo Message Number: 148822

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Sounds like a long drive. I have not done that many miles in 3 days. Our rigs and previous years didn't have the blown out problem unless the plugs were not torqued right from the factory. There were only 5-6 threads in the plug hole. I think it was 2004 they changed the threads to stop the problem. When Ric did mine all the plugs were ok and none were loose. It is interesting how they extract them with a small impact wrench. The idea is you need to take them out at one continuous full turn without stopping. There have been many stories of how best to take them out. ie. soaking the threads etc. They have found in their experience you should take them out at a slow continuous speed. It is better for the threads. What happens if one is loose while you are driving is that carbon builds  up on the threads when the engine is firing and it slowly backs out the plug, blowing it out. Then you have to have new threads tapped in. They have had to do this many times. Ric said it is very important to change any engines plugs on time and the new ones need the right torque. Ford says 22-25 lbs but Ric does it at 32 and has never had a problem as they won't loosen up on our year vehicles. Believe me he knows what he is doing. His partner at El Cajon Ford has 22 years experience and helps him when you go there. Give him plenty of notice and a sat. or sun are his best days if he doesn't have to travel on a weekend. Good luck and say to Ric for me. I had the 03 grey LD last Feb. Glad to see Larry is helping you. Take care, john

Re: Spark Plugs

Reply #6 – October 04, 2014, 11:45:43 am

Yahoo Message Number: 148824

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On my 2003 (and I think on other years, too) the Ford chassis build date and the Lazy Daze delivery date are on a sticker on the driver's side door jamb. It's true that the *chassis manufacturing year* and the nominal Lazy Daze *model year* can vary, but the easy way to tell (besides looking up the VIN) if there's a discrepancy between the model year and the chassis manufacturing year is to look at the sticker dates.

The chassis date on my 2003 is May, 2003; according to the Ford service center, my rig does not have the "shallow thread" problem.

As ever, YMMV.

Joan

Re: Spark Plugs

Reply #8 – October 04, 2014, 12:07:18 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 148826

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Never meet Ric but I have meet and watch his brother, up in San Ynez, change a set of plugs on a friends V-10, learning a few hints about the proper tools and methods along the way.  Their business is called Blown Out Spark Plugs. Their specially is repairing heads that have stripped spark plug threads, as well as changing spark plugs. I did not see him using an impact wrench to remove the plugs, instead, he used a small digital torque wrench to record the removal torque. He also used a scope to look at each spark plug's threads, to determine if any were damaged and in need of repair.
http://www.blownoutsparkplug

The problem heads, which have fewer spark plug threads than the revised newer heads, were used up until sometime in 2003. I believe there was a mid-season change to the new heads, with increased threads.

Our 2003 23.5', delivered in Dec 2002,  has the older style heads. In June, 2014, at 80,000 miles, I changed our LD's plugs, finding two plugs that were finger tight, candidates for being 'blown out'. I was very glad I didn't wait until the rig hit the 100,000 mile mark..
The installation is a long but not too difficult job, just of lot repetition, with ten spark plug and coil assemblies to R&R, in a somewhat confined area. One bit of information. Ford specs the older style plugs at 11-ft/lbs of torque, a very low number originally determined to protect the fragile spark plug threads in the aluminum heads. In Blown Spark Plugs website, it is stated that the new, preferred torque is 28-ft/lbs. I used this torque value and did not feel they were overly tight.
Thread on changing the plugs starts here.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/lifewithalazydazerv/conversations/messages/146989 Photos here https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/sets/72157644831463520/show

For most of us, having the plugs changed should not be a bid deal, just an expensive one. there is a lot of labor involved, good thing they only need it every 80-100,000 miles. Any decent mechanic should be able to change the plugs, not just the 'experts', it isn't rocket science. Most engines today use the same coil on plug (COP) arrangement.

Larry