ranger spark plugs help

[Snarley Bill]

i bought new autolite platinum plugs for my ranger today. the old plugs have 97,000 mi. on them. it is a 3 litre v-6. the plugs are easy to get to from above , but i hear all kinds of horror stories about breaking plugs off removing the old ones. is this a major issue to worry about? the heads are cast iron. i haven't changed plugs in a vehical in many years.

[MasterGuns]

Getting out the original plugs after all those miles and time "without" breaking them is a major concern. I started to chang the plugs on my 01 Ford F-150 with cast heads and the first one I attempted to remove broke. So, I took it to a Ford dealer and was quoted 50.00 for each one they broke off in their attempt to remove the other 7 plus 50.00 for the one I broke. Anyway, TMALSS, they broke another 3 for a total of 4 broken plugs they had to remove. Total cost for changing the plugs - $323 and some change. The p/u has only 74K on it now and this was about a month back. Good luck. The old plugs looked almost as good as the new plugs so I probably wasted my bucks.

[Guest scarylarry]

i bought new autolite platinum plugs for my ranger today. the old plugs have 97,000 mi. on them. it is a 3 litre v-6. the plugs are easy to get to from above , but i hear all kinds of horror stories about breaking plugs off removing the old ones. is this a major issue to worry about? the heads are cast iron. i haven't changed plugs in a vehical in many years.

 

 

Spray WD-40 and let them soak

[Yammer Dan]

Spray WD-40 and let them soak

 

 

Sounds like a good idea. I would wait for a few more to see if others have ran into this.

[MasterGuns]

Spray WD-40 and let them soak

 

This didn't work for me. Maybe because it is a Ford.

[rod]

I used liquid wrench on mine (99 Ranger) and had no problem. Make sure to keep the wrench square and tight on the plug. Good luck Rod

[Mel]

Make sure you use a deep six-point spark plug socket. That will give you a much better fit than a twelve-point socket.

[DavidGrant]

Try PB Blaster. Apply for a few days straight and try. . . .

[skydoc_17]

Here is how I remove plugs on the V6 and V8 Fords, (which seem to be the hardest to get out) PB Blaster, leave on at least over night. 6 point Spark plug socket is a must. Using a medium 3/8" drive extension and a 3/8" drive IMPACT DRIVER, give each spark plug a FIRM smack! Do all 6 (or 8) one time, then go back and smack them again. Usually on the 3rd smack they break loose and you can use a regular 3/8" drive ratchet to remove each plug. When you install the new plugs, just a "dab" of anti-seize will make that removal job a lot easier next time. The problem is with the mating of dis-similar metals expanding and contracting at two different rates tends to cause the metals to fuse together.

The downward, rotational shock, (force) generated by the impact driver cleanly separates the plug from the cylinder head. I find I get the best results with this combination of chemicals and tools.

Earl