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Ford TaurusAlong the way, Ford has made some 500 changes to the Taurus, changes that were already scheduled for the mid-cycle freshening of the Five Hundred. The general body shape of the new Taurus is the same as that of the previous Five Hundred, a large, front-wheel-drive family sedan, but almost everything else has changed for the better.
I noticed that 3 of spark plugs locate deep behind engine. I read the following Spark Plug Change For A Duratech - Taurus Car Club of America
I took out passenger side cowling to take a peek. But still I did not see how it is impossible to safely do plug replacement without intake manifold removed? Any idea?
Is there a big risk of stripping thread when taking plug out due to it has been there for too long(100k miles)?
If UIM has to be removed, should holes be covered by something while working on plugs in case something falling into engine?
Also, where is PCV? I could not find it anywhere and book?
I plan to do the easest 3 in front first to gain some feeling before get to hard rear 3. But If for some reason I can not finish the rear 3 up and decide to try it again later, then should I put original front 3 back to make sparks balanced?
Is a new UIM gasket must? I heard that it is reusable.
Here is a post from the same site with instructions on how to do it without removing the upper intake manifold. Changing the Spark Plugs on the Duratec - Taurus Car Club Maintenance and Modification Wiki
This is the WIKI which gives a lot of detailed info on maintenance items. There are other procedural details in the "pinned" area above the maintenance section that are very usefull too.
I noticed that 3 of spark plugs locate deep behind engine. I read the following Spark Plug Change For A Duratech - Taurus Car Club of America
I took out passenger side cowling to take a peek. But still I did not see how it is impossible to safely do plug replacement without intake manifold removed? Any idea?
Is there a big risk of stripping thread when taking plug out due to it has been there for too long(100k miles)?
If UIM has to be removed, should holes be covered by something while working on plugs in case something falling into engine?
Also, where is PCV? I could not find it anywhere and book?
I plan to do the easest 3 in front first to gain some feeling before get to hard rear 3. But If for some reason I can not finish the rear 3 up and decide to try it again later, then should I put original front 3 back to make sparks balanced?
Is a new UIM gasket must? I heard that it is reusable.
To address your other questions:
1. the duratec has aluminum heads which are not as forgiving as cast iron so remove the plugs only when the engine is cold. If the plugs are tight, take your time and alternately unscrew a little and screw them back in a little. The purpose being to loosen any corrosion in small steps. Patience is key and you can put small amount of penetrating oil into the hole to lubricate the threads. When you put the new plugs in use antiseize on the threads and dielectric silicone on plug electrical connector and the porcelin and in the plug boot. This special silicone will prevent corrosion. Be carefull to twist the boot on the old plug to remove and only hold the boot, never the plug lead, that will just pull out of boot.
2. I doubt that a combination of new and old plugs would make much difference, but it is a good question. You may want to practice on the front plugs: removal, checking the gap, cleaning, putting on the dielectric silicone and antiseize and re-installing. This will give you some easy practice for doing the back 3. Then you can replace the front 3 afterward. Just a thought.
3. Yes you should cover any opening when working on anything on the engine. There is always a risk of dropping something down into the engine.
4. The PCV on the Duratec is located in an oil separator tube attached to the lower part of the intake manifold.
5. Opinion appears divided on the need for a new upper intake manifold gasket. Everyone suggests getting the new gasket ahead of time, then suggesting that it can be re-used. I would definitely replace it with a new one because of all the expensive problems that a leak in the intake can cause. It is not worth the risk, do it right the first time.
I did read it(Changing the Spark Plugs on the Duratec - Taurus Car Club Maintenance and Modification Wiki ) last night. But it appears for different engine from what I can tell from the photo. I guess different engine has different space in there. Also I did practice by removing cowling and did not see enough space. I did not think about taking out coil pack though. Need to take another look.
To address your other questions:
1. the duratec has aluminum heads which are not as forgiving as cast iron so remove the plugs only when the engine is cold. If the plugs are tight, take your time and alternately unscrew a little and screw them back in a little. The purpose being to loosen any corrosion in small steps. Patience is key and you can put small amount of penetrating oil into the hole to lubricate the threads. When you put the new plugs in use antiseize on the threads and dielectric silicone on plug electrical connector and the porcelin and in the plug boot. This special silicone will prevent corrosion. Be carefull to twist the boot on the old plug to remove and only hold the boot, never the plug lead, that will just pull out of boot.
2. I doubt that a combination of new and old plugs would make much difference, but it is a good question. You may want to practice on the front plugs: removal, checking the gap, cleaning, putting on the dielectric silicone and antiseize and re-installing. This will give you some easy practice for doing the back 3. Then you can replace the front 3 afterward. Just a thought.
3. Yes you should cover any opening when working on anything on the engine. There is always a risk of dropping something down into the engine.
4. The PCV on the Duratec is located in an oil separator tube attached to the lower part of the intake manifold.
5. Opinion appears divided on the need for a new upper intake manifold gasket. Everyone suggests getting the new gasket ahead of time, then suggesting that it can be re-used. I would definitely replace it with a new one because of all the expensive problems that a leak in the intake can cause. It is not worth the risk, do it right the first time.
Hope this helps.
Appreciate your reminding on taking out old plugs. Still do not feel very confident enough . I guess the reason is not knowing alot of stuff around it.
Anyway, what should I do beside plug replacement if I take out UIM? Here is a list I came up after reading TCCA:
1. UIM gasket replacement
2. EGR gasket replacement
3. Checking& Cleaning all related pipes
4. PCV replacement. I bought a new one. But how do I know the new part definitly is good before I put in? It looks like I can not test my current valve due to not reachable
5. Anything else I can check/clean/replace?
Also, if i want to replace of of hoses that I do not know the names, what is the best way to communicate with part stores?
Thanks.
Appreciate your reminding on taking out old plugs. Still do not feel very confident enough . I guess the reason is not knowing alot of stuff around it.
Anyway, what should I do beside plug replacement if I take out UIM? Here is a list I came up after reading TCCA:
1. UIM gasket replacement
2. EGR gasket replacement
3. Checking& Cleaning all related pipes
4. PCV replacement. I bought a new one. But how do I know the new part definitly is good before I put in? It looks like I can not test my current valve due to not reachable
5. Anything else I can check/clean/replace?
Also, if i want to replace of of hoses that I do not know the names, what is the best way to communicate with part stores?
Thanks.
You can change the spark plugs, and do a good job, give it a try. When you check and replace the front 3, it will give you confidence for the back 3.
1. Yes I would replace the UIM gasket after removing the UIM;
2. The EGR gasket does not need to be replaced unless you remove the EGR;
3. You are checking for brittle, craked, damaged, blocked and de-laminating hoses and pipes, replace if at all suspect (10 years is old for a rubber hose);
4. PCV valves have a rattle when you shake them since the "valve" is free to move. When old and "gunked up" they don't move (rattle).
5. Don't replace parts unless their schedule is up or damaged.
6. Talk to your Ford parts guy and get him to print out the intake manifold parts sheet diagram. This will show all the parts including sensors and hoses with their respective reference number. A second page will list all those reference numbers and give a short description and the Ford part number and quantity required. Take some pictures of your engine with you. The parts guy will give you advice on which hoses are problematic. Several of the TCCA posts report brittle plastic and cracked rubber hoses. Sometimes the Ford dealer will sell you parts in advance and refund those you don't need and return - check their policy.
Regarding cleaning up UIM.
1. Should I clean it like the same way as cleaning up tranny pan?
2. How should I clean up intake port on engine head? I guess it is kinda risky to do anything on it. Something could leak in.
Also, what is the consequences there is leak in UIM gasket?
The intake manifold does not normally need cleaning. While it can be darkened in colour, there is rarely a deposit that needs to be cleaned off. If necessary use a throttle body cleaner since it will not damage any downstream parts like O2 sensors and cats.
I did not clean the intake manifold on my '93 3.8 when I did the heads, no need to. The EGR had not put any deposits on my intake.
From personal experience, an intake manifold leak is highly problematic with a computer controlled engine. The leak causes a lean mixture which the computer senses through the O2 sensor in the exhaust. The computer richens the mixture and over not very much time takes out the O2 sensors and the cats. In my son's case, his intake manifold leak went from a $450 job to a $1700 job in less than a month. The check engine light did not stay on untill the last week when he took the car to the shop.
Change the upper intake manifold gasket, it is not worth the risk of failure. Diagnosing the leak may not be a straightforward task since there are a lot of related systems.
I changed my spark plugs about a year ago, the three in the back are very difficult to get to. What i ended up having to do was to losen up the intake manifold and hold it up with a winch/cherry picker thing. It was still hard to get to but just loosening and pulling the manifold up made it alot easier to slip my hands in there. and then when i finished, i just lowered and tightened the intake manifold so it was just like before
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Spark plug location on 98 Taurus DOHC 24V engine 
. I guess the reason is not knowing alot of stuff around it.
Linear Mode
