Spark plug replacement

[Town]

The Continental describes the cylinder bank close to the firewall bulkhead as the Right Hand bank (RH). The cylinder bank close to the front grille is the Left Hand bank (LH). This is because the view is taken from the flywheel looking toward the serpentine belt and timing gear end. The cylinder numbering is 123 (starting from the serpentine belt/timing chain end) on the RH bank (firewall side) and 456 (starting from the serpentine belt/timing chain end) on the LH bank (grille side).

Before starting work on the spark plugs you need to depressurise the fuel system. The service manual describes this in the attached file. There is also a common procedure for dealing with the quick release couplings that are all "tool-less" processes. The battery needs to be disconnected at the neg terminal, see attached procedure since open fuel lines will be a hazard.

The procedure for each engine is different since the components to be removed are engine specific. These procedures will be in separate posts. to this thread.

 

[m1nkyb0y]

I wonder what the plug changing interval is? The intake ports/valve tops will probably need cleaning at around 30k by all I've read and seen.

 

[Town]

The Continental maintenance schedule identifies 3 levels of use: Normal, Severe and Extreme.
Normal is defined as:

"Normal commuting with highway driving
No, or moderate, load or towing
Flat to moderately hilly roads
No extended idling"

Severe is defined as:

"Moderate to heavy load or towing
Mountainous or off-road conditions
Extended idling
Extended hot or cold operation"

Extreme is defined as:

"Maximum load or towing
Extreme hot or cold operation"

The spark plug replacement is required at: 100,000 miles (160,000 kms) under normal driving;
The spark plug replacement is required at: 60,000 miles (96,000 Kms) for severe use;
I don't know the mileage for extreme use. It sounds more like a truck requirement than a car requirement to me.

If you have the 3.0 twin turbo, there is a required oil change when changing the spark plugs due to removal of the engine oil cooler.

I use the severe service schedule which my dealer gave me after discussion of my needs.

In my readings, the problem of deposits on valves were mainly the intake valves and due to the crankcase ventilation system allowing excess oil to be drawn into the cylinder head through some of the intake valves. Those were on the earlier engines 4 cyl turbo and the 3.5 twin turbo. My son has a 2012 F150 (3.5 twin turbo) with over 200,000 kms and no intake valve problems or any other problems. Ford have done a great deal of work on their engines which shows up in their sensors and crankcase ventilation, increased use of valve timing strategy to increase swirl in the cylinder head, and little to no oil usage. I am confident that the valves will stay clean, but I do use premium fuel without ethanol and extra cleaners to help.

Hope this helps.

 

[Town]

The 2.7 turbo spark plug replacement procedures are attached. The first file shows location of components and cylinder banks naming convention and the second file shows cylinder numbering convention.

The spark plug procedure is in two parts: the COP removal procedure gets to the spark plugs and the spark plugs procedure removes and replaces the spark plug. The air cleaner outlet pipe RH procedure is required to get to the COPs. Don't forget the common procedures in post #1 that are required as necessary. In the past, the fuel system would lose all its pressure if left over night, but the Continental has dual pumps, low pressure from tank to engine compartment and high pressure into the fuel rails.

Rockauto has 2 spark plugs for the 2.7, a SP542 and SP578. The SP542 is iridium and the Owner manual suggested plug (same as 3.0 owner manual spec plug). I check with my dealer for the suggested replacement plug since Ford may have updated the spec. The gap is 0.028" - 0.031".

Both plugs need a 5/8" socket wrench with an attached extension because you need a tight hold on the plug (rubber insert or magnetic insert) to extract from the deep well. A regular slip fit extension with the socket will separate in the plug well. I drilled my socket and extension and put a roll pin in to make a permanent combination. You can probably buy a single unit plug socket and extension.

Once the engine beauty cover is released it is recommended that the top of the engine be blown with compressed air to generally remove all dust from components and other areas. Once the COPs are visible more compressed air to remove any dust is recommended. After removing the COP the plug well must be blown out with air too. It is surprising how much dust can accumulate and that must not get into the cylinders.

Hope this helps.

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[Town]

The 3.0 liter twin turbo has more engine features than the 2.7 so there are more steps, such as changing the engine oil for access to the engine oil cooler and its removal. The engine oil cooler coolant lines need to be crimped before removal of the connectors for coolant lines. The PCM must be removed for access but then just replace it there is no need to save the program in the IDS scanner since that is only required for replacement of the PCM.

Rockauto has 2 spark plugs for the 3.0, a SP542 and SP578. The SP542 is iridium and the Owner manual suggested plug. I check with my dealer for the suggested replacement plug since Ford may have updated the spec. The gap is 0.028" - 0.031". Deep well plug socket with an extension is required as for the 2.7 engine.

Attached are the required procedures.

Otherwise the same remarks for the 2.7 apply to the 3.0 so good luck.

 

[m1nkyb0y]

I hope I get the same results as your son.
My use is much less than normal, so I shouldn't have to worry about changing plugs...ever.
Especially since this is an interim car. I'll hopefully trade it for a used e-?? in a few years.

 

[Town]

The 3.7 Duratec spark plug change procedures are attached. Note the post #1 contains the general procedures that may be required for this engine. The owner manual specifies an SP520 spark plug with a gap of 0.049" - 0.053" same as RockAuto.

The remarks on spark plug socket and extension apply to the 3.7 as well as 2.7 and 3.0.

 

[Todor]

Hi,
I recently changed the plugs on mine at 37k km/23k mi. I did it just because of the NGK Ruthenium HX plugs available for the 3.0 and couldn't wait to test them.
Already clocked 2-3k miles on the new plugs. Maybe better, maybe better idle. Can't decide. There is some difference, but can't swear on it. Anyway, peace of mind and joy of exploiting newest technology.
I follow the principle to read all family cars manuals and use the shortest interval of any car on all cars. Jetta 1.4tsi states 4 years or 40k km on plugs, fuel process and plugs technology being similar...
Also, a plug can be responsible for many interweaved failures, such as: COP internal discharge, catalists, cylinder bore wash, oil dilution and etc. At 7.50$ per plug and an hour job...

Did it with no special tools, no oil cooler or ECU removal. Just removed the cover, all air and vacuum hoses by hand and rear turbo intake just moved front or back a little after freeing it up from its bolt.
Special tools (lol): 16mm magnetic plug tool and extension allowing +/- 25-30° when partially inserted (didn't need it really) - helper pliers for hose clamps.
Everything is easily accessible. Spark wells were clinically clean.
Used torque wrench at ~35 NM or so (same as Mustang 4.6-3V) and that's it. On my responsibility I torqued additionally by feel just a tad (had a loose plug on the stang that sounded like a punctured exhaust, no consequences). NGK recommends tightening by hand by the extension only until it stops + 1/16 turn for washerless plugs, that's like 22.5°. But double check by degree tool (or eye-meter) and torque wrench to be sure that it reached at least 30-35 NM.
That's it.
It was so unremarkable and easy that I didn't document it.

Here are some photos for reference and plug diagnostics. All plugs are 100% equal, differences due to shades and lights.

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[Town]

@Todor thanks for your practical information on changing the spark plugs on your 3.0 twin turbo. How did you deal with the fuel pressure rails? Did the high pressure rails leak down to 0 psi overnight like the old low pressure lines?

 

[Todor]

@Todor thanks for your practical information on changing the spark plugs on your 3.0 twin turbo. How did you deal with the fuel pressure rails? Did the high pressure rails leak down to 0 psi overnight like the old low pressure lines?

Hi, sorry for the delayed reply. I didn't do anything to fuel lines, whatsoever. It was a breese of a job. Just remove the engine cover, several air hoses with fast clamps, the bolts of the coils and the bolt of the rear turbo intake. I navigated the plug bit and extension gently and easy through underhood inhabitants.
Oh, forgot about something, several installation branches had to be freed from their supports (the bits that hold wires to sticking out bolts), just gently free them with some feel not to snap anything plastic.
I saw some fuel lines on the right of the engine and avoided going anywhere near them. Maybe I'll make a short video with explanations next time I service something. Oil change approaching.

BTW, I cleaned the throttle body. The engine had a little vibration or uneven operation from time to time at hot idle in gear. Plugs replacement had some positive influence, maybe 20-30% (maybe none), but it persisted. I remember I had the same issue on the 4.6-3V Mustang at 25-30k miles, 30 minutes later and 1/4 can of carb cleaner made the difference. Throttle valve clinically clean on the outside. Thought to myself, well, that can't be true. Pushed it with finger and found a thin black soft layer of oil deposits right behind the throttle valve. Some cloth and the cleaner did the job for as far as I could reach on the whole perimeter and on the back of the valve.

-> Pointing out that, because that hot idle irregularity additionally made my mind into changing the plugs.
-> Also, low mileage owners should consider some kind of non invasive intake cleanup procedure before the black gunk oxidises to the state that it is not easily soluble. Once a year I spray two cans of cleaner in the intake of my 4.2td 1hd-fte Land Cruiser at steady 2.000 rpm. (though I hadn't made up my mind on the method of cleaning the 3.0Ecoboost as it's quite different from rudimentary truck diesel, will wait for a youtuber to do it first)
-> Motorcraft oil is pretty suspicious for being a group III hydrocracked "synthetic", so mileage beyond 5-6k miles is highly improbable without evaporation and getting dirty. I foung German brand oil with 258 degrees C flash point, 100% group IV and V base and modern really high tec additive pack that's still transparent at 4.350 miles, like completely transparent on the dip stick and through the oil cap.
+ I like to drive my cars as much and as long as possible, that's my driver's satisfaction, so a torn driver's seat is the first major failure I like to see, thus my preference for 5-6k oci with the best oil I can get... BTW, a 100-150$ oil change and quality air filter buys itself about half way through the OCI through better mileage. I've seen 1 to 3 liters/100 km difference between cheap/dirty air filter and used up or weak engine oil persistently for 20 years on tens of cars.
-> Oil is important for spark plug life as well, also for combustion chamber cleanliness and intake free of gunk. I got the car at 20k miles with at least 5-6 oil changes with Motorcraft and it still gunked the throttle body.

Note: don't tighten the charge hose too much or you will cut with the hose clamp through it. The hose receiver has apretty big rib, so that hose is not going anywhere.

 

[L8knight1980]

Hi, sorry for the delayed reply. I didn't do anything to fuel lines, whatsoever. It was a breese of a job. Just remove the engine cover, several air hoses with fast clamps, the bolts of the coils and the bolt of the rear turbo intake. I navigated the plug bit and extension gently and easy through underhood inhabitants.
Oh, forgot about something, several installation branches had to be freed from their supports (the bits that hold wires to sticking out bolts), just gently free them with some feel not to snap anything plastic.
I saw some fuel lines on the right of the engine and avoided going anywhere near them. Maybe I'll make a short video with explanations next time I service something. Oil change approaching.

BTW, I cleaned the throttle body. The engine had a little vibration or uneven operation from time to time at hot idle in gear. Plugs replacement had some positive influence, maybe 20-30% (maybe none), but it persisted. I remember I had the same issue on the 4.6-3V Mustang at 25-30k miles, 30 minutes later and 1/4 can of carb cleaner made the difference. Throttle valve clinically clean on the outside. Thought to myself, well, that can't be true. Pushed it with finger and found a thin black soft layer of oil deposits right behind the throttle valve. Some cloth and the cleaner did the job for as far as I could reach on the whole perimeter and on the back of the valve.

-> Pointing out that, because that hot idle irregularity additionally made my mind into changing the plugs.
-> Also, low mileage owners should consider some kind of non invasive intake cleanup procedure before the black gunk oxidises to the state that it is not easily soluble. Once a year I spray two cans of cleaner in the intake of my 4.2td 1hd-fte Land Cruiser at steady 2.000 rpm. (though I hadn't made up my mind on the method of cleaning the 3.0Ecoboost as it's quite different from rudimentary truck diesel, will wait for a youtuber to do it first)
-> Motorcraft oil is pretty suspicious for being a group III hydrocracked "synthetic", so mileage beyond 5-6k miles is highly improbable without evaporation and getting dirty. I foung German brand oil with 258 degrees C flash point, 100% group IV and V base and modern really high tec additive pack that's still transparent at 4.350 miles, like completely transparent on the dip stick and through the oil cap.
+ I like to drive my cars as much and as long as possible, that's my driver's satisfaction, so a torn driver's seat is the first major failure I like to see, thus my preference for 5-6k oci with the best oil I can get... BTW, a 100-150$ oil change and quality air filter buys itself about half way through the OCI through better mileage. I've seen 1 to 3 liters/100 km difference between cheap/dirty air filter and used up or weak engine oil persistently for 20 years on tens of cars.
-> Oil is important for spark plug life as well, also for combustion chamber cleanliness and intake free of gunk. I got the car at 20k miles with at least 5-6 oil changes with Motorcraft and it still gunked the throttle body.

Note: don't tighten the charge hose too much or you will cut with the hose clamp through it. The hose receiver has apretty big rib, so that hose is not going anywhere.

Thank you for the post! I was going to attempt a plug change, researched and saw a nightmare of a task, but this might seem actually plausible. I've changed my plugs in every car I owned, and will try to continue this. Still a bit nerve-racking considering the posted steps, but worth a shot! Thank you!

 

[L8knight1980]

Hi,
I recently changed the plugs on mine at 37k km/23k mi. I did it just because of the NGK Ruthenium HX plugs available for the 3.0 and couldn't wait to test them.
Already clocked 2-3k miles on the new plugs. Maybe better, maybe better idle. Can't decide. There is some difference, but can't swear on it. Anyway, peace of mind and joy of exploiting newest technology.
I follow the principle to read all family cars manuals and use the shortest interval of any car on all cars. Jetta 1.4tsi states 4 years or 40k km on plugs, fuel process and plugs technology being similar...
Also, a plug can be responsible for many interweaved failures, such as: COP internal discharge, catalists, cylinder bore wash, oil dilution and etc. At 7.50$ per plug and an hour job...

Did it with no special tools, no oil cooler or ECU removal. Just removed the cover, all air and vacuum hoses by hand and rear turbo intake just moved front or back a little after freeing it up from its bolt.
Special tools (lol): 16mm magnetic plug tool and extension allowing +/- 25-30° when partially inserted (didn't need it really) - helper pliers for hose clamps.
Everything is easily accessible. Spark wells were clinically clean.
Used torque wrench at ~35 NM or so (same as Mustang 4.6-3V) and that's it. On my responsibility I torqued additionally by feel just a tad (had a loose plug on the stang that sounded like a punctured exhaust, no consequences). NGK recommends tightening by hand by the extension only until it stops + 1/16 turn for washerless plugs, that's like 22.5°. But double check by degree tool (or eye-meter) and torque wrench to be sure that it reached at least 30-35 NM.
That's it.
It was so unremarkable and easy that I didn't document it.

Here are some photos for reference and plug diagnostics. All plugs are 100% equal, differences due to shades and lights.
View attachment 8174View attachment 8175View attachment 8176View attachment 8177View attachment 8178View attachment 8179View attachment 8180View attachment 8181View attachment 8182View attachment 8183

Thank you so much for this information! At first I was overwhelmed with the idea of fuel rails, ECU, oil cooler, blah blah blah, but I took on the task tonight after reading your post, and I will 100% agree and back you up on the ease of this! Why Lincoln feels it necessary to remove the intake and all unnecessary components is beyond confusing (unless they just want the labor). In all cars I've ever changed plugs in, this was rather straight forward and easy to do with your instructions given. Take a picture of what the tubes look like prior to removal is the only thing I can add. Took just over an hour, no broken knuckles, and pretty simple access. I'd say on a 1-10 scale, 10 being nearly impossible to do, this is a 3-4. I found that it's actually easier than my 13 mks Ecoboost. Thank you!

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[Todor]

Thank you for the post! I was going to attempt a plug change, researched and saw a nightmare of a task, but this might seem actually plausible. I've changed my plugs in every car I owned, and will try to continue this. Still a bit nerve-racking considering the posted steps, but worth a shot! Thank you!

Hi, a week ago I replaced the NGK Ruthenium HX with a new set of the same. It was very easy this time. Just take your time with the fast hose clamps.
You'll need two extensions for the rear plugs, long and medium. It's preferable at least one to be a little flexible. Magnetic 16mm plug socket is obligatory.
rear COP's go out and in a little wiggling way and that's it.

As for NGK Ruthenium. they seem to be a little on the cold side and developed a slight missfire under hot idle in D and A/C on. Were very smoky and black, especially the front row ones. Electrodes seemed fine. Every plug had at least some white part of the central electrode and the rest was smoked in soot.
The idle miss was finally cured with 50 miles of twisty road at 50-90 mph in gears 3 to 5...

I'm curious to see how sooted comes out the updated part No SP578 (CYFS12YPT) that replaces the OE SP542.
BTW, just checked, Ruthenium's are equally sooted with the SP542. Only difference being that the 542's have round white ring around the center electrode and the NGK's had random soot patterns.

Quote: "New serial for SP542 (our OE plugs) is M-12405-35T. They’re now “Ford performance Cold spark Plug set" from here: SP578 plugs?
Also from the same source they state that NGK ILTR7N8 is direct replacement for the SP548. I think it might be the same plug as the OE are marked "Japan" anyway.

 

[L8knight1980]

Hi, I ended up replacing them with the OE iridium SP578 plugs. Figured the last time I used a different brand, didn't go so well (misfires), so stuck with OE. Was an easy task, little over an hour. 71K miles, the old ones were a little worn (out of GAP a little, with exception of one that was .34). Noticed my rough idle smoothed out. Today I am going to take your advice on cleaning the intake. Did that make a difference in your case for the rougher idle?

 

[Todor]

Hi, I ended up replacing them with the OE iridium SP578 plugs. Figured the last time I used a different brand, didn't go so well (misfires), so stuck with OE. Was an easy task, little over an hour. 71K miles, the old ones were a little worn (out of GAP a little, with exception of one that was .34). Noticed my rough idle smoothed out. Today I am going to take your advice on cleaning the intake. Did that make a difference in your case for the rougher idle?

No, didn't feel anything from the cleaning. This time I also checked the throttle body and it was gun powder dry. First time I see such clean TB. Oil is Ravenol DXG 5W-30 meeting all requirements. I think 3-4 oil changes after last cleanup.

The most improvement in hot idle came from the said 50 mile spirited trip where I shifted manually 3-4-5 and kept the engine roughly 2.000-4.500 RPM. I suspect that this drive would have cleaned the old plugs as they were only 10-12k miles or so. It seems those engines make allot of soot in city and winter driving. Also I have a suspicion that the fuel from one particular gas station was not OK - that's when my rough idle started.
Now the Idle is better than ever.

How are the 578's? The boost meter is the best indicator apart from idle quality.

 

[L8knight1980]

No, didn't feel anything from the cleaning. This time I also checked the throttle body and it was gun powder dry. First time I see such clean TB. Oil is Ravenol DXG 5W-30 meeting all requirements. I think 3-4 oil changes after last cleanup.

The most improvement in hot idle came from the said 50 mile spirited trip where I shifted manually 3-4-5 and kept the engine roughly 2.000-4.500 RPM. I suspect that this drive would have cleaned the old plugs as they were only 10-12k miles or so. It seems those engines make allot of soot in city and winter driving. Also I have a suspicion that the fuel from one particular gas station was not OK - that's when my rough idle started.
Now the Idle is better than ever.

How are the 578's? The boost meter is the best indicator apart from idle quality.

It's only been 3-5 miles since the plug change, so I haven't really tested them for the long haul. Ironically, my rough idle came from after getting gas at a station I never use, so perhaps this might be it. I still plan on cleaning the intake. Also, I just ordered a motorcraft fuel filter and will have the dealer swap if on my next oil change in 3 weeks. This might have something to do with light idle issues. I was shocked to see one even existed, and requires changing every 30k miles! I know my black label had one previous owner prior to me, but judging on the transmission fluid (extremely dirty), I suspect it may have been used for "extreme conditions" such as extended idling, or long distance traveling, so I changed the transmission fluid, PTU fluid, and the fuel filter is next along with the rear differential fluid. I just want to get it at a point where she's good for years to come without much needed.

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[L8knight1980]

Thank you so much for this information! At first I was overwhelmed with the idea of fuel rails, ECU, oil cooler, blah blah blah, but I took on the task tonight after reading your post, and I will 100% agree and back you up on the ease of this! Why Lincoln feels it necessary to remove the intake and all unnecessary components is beyond confusing (unless they just want the labor). In all cars I've ever changed plugs in, this was rather straight forward and easy to do with your instructions given. Take a picture of what the tubes look like prior to removal is the only thing I can add. Took just over an hour, no broken knuckles, and pretty simple access. I'd say on a 1-10 scale, 10 being nearly impossible to do, this is a 3-4. I found that it's actually easier than my 13 mks Ecoboost. Thank you!

Just one more follow up, and to quickly start at the beginning... I started to develop a intermit rough idle that drove me nuts. The dealer didn't seem to understand what my concern was, as they couldn't really duplicate the issue. I started to drive around my 3.0 Continental with my scanner attached to OBD2 port, and view live data (yeah, a bit extreme lol). I found that at a stop, or idle, my rpm's would jump nearly 100-150 rpms, which I could distinctively feel and hear. I tried spirited runs, and long drives to help cure this, but to no avail. That's when I jumped on this side, and saw the spark plug entry. I figured that this might be a good time to swap them as I bought this pre-owned (w/ warranty), and I found out that the previous owner was "FORD MOTOR COMPANY" which means it probably idling longer than most, and utilized as more of a commercial use, so I figured 70K would be a good time for this. Fast forward, the spark plug change was much easier than anticipated, and took about an hour. This seem to be a big help, and noticed my RPMs on the live data scanner only jumped from 60-80rpms (HUGE difference). Being as anal as I am, I could still feel it on my steering wheel and foot, so I wanted to go deeper. I removed the electronic throttle body off of the car to clean (which is MUCH easier than cleaning while on), and the hardest part was removing the air intake tube, but the actual throttle body was 4 bolts and out it when extremely easily. Indeed it was dirty, so I cleaned it with throttle body cleaner and an old toothbrush (hope my wife doesn't go and look for her brush by the way). Reassembled, and easily went back on without a hitch. Next I figured I am here, might as well clean all sensors I can remove (with my Mass Airflow Sensor cleaner). I removed the sensor from the intake (after the throttle body) which is one bolt. I believe Ford calls this the MAP sensor? I don't really recall, but it's the only sensor on that tube. I also removed the sensor from the airbox (Ok, I actually broke it when I was doing the spark plugs trying to clean it, so I ordered another off of Rock Auto for $12). I replaced this sensor as well. Put everything back, and got in the car. Here I am thinking, when I start, it will either not, or it will be so messed up it will start, idle erratically, then die. ( I say that, because we all know NOTHING ever is easy or goes as planned, and I figured my 45 minutes of messing around will turn into a 8 hour nightmare searching every video on youtube to undo whatever it is I F*ed up). So I counted down...3......2........1......and (eyes closed....) push start. All systems on, car gave me a little "ugh" on the RPM's as I expected when trying to get the ECU time to catch up to the new life of air breathing through her, and then she calmed down, and was impressively idling the way it should. I put my scanner on it again, and watched the live data, which now showed the RPMs jumping from 10-20 on average (which I assume is normal, as it's impossible to be exact), and I could feel nothing in my foot nor steering wheel. So there you have it. 2 hours of spark plugs, throttle body, and two sensors, I have given life to my baby, and at the cost of about $75, which at a dealer I would imagine this would have been well over $500. Now I feel like the king of the mountain, reaching my wrench high to the sky like Thor, saying nothing mechanical can stop me!! (Well, that is until I when to start my lawnmower, and it's saying NOPE, not today...sigh, that is how life goes for us all).

 

[MarkX]

I found out that the previous owner was "FORD MOTOR COMPANY" which means it probably idling longer than most, and utilized as more of a commercial use,

Excellent report overall, but I wouldn’t make any assumptions about how the car was used when in FMC ownership. I used to work for Ford and one of the benefits was cheap car leases. We would have the car of our choice at very cheap rates (so why not a Conti?) for less than a year. Then, the car would be made available to dealers or auctioned off. I would always give my cars to my wife as I preferred a foreign sports car at the time and she was very gentle on the cars. Also, FMC serviced all these cars meticulously. My present car is one of these former “X-Plan” cars and was “as new” except for the odometer when I bought it. Very sweet. It’s impossible to tell how FMC used your car but it sounds like it is in good hands now.

 

[L8knight1980]

Excellent report overall, but I wouldn’t make any assumptions about how the car was used when in FMC ownership. I used to work for Ford and one of the benefits was cheap car leases. We would have the car of our choice at very cheap rates (so why not a Conti?) for less than a year. Then, the car would be made available to dealers or auctioned off. I would always give my cars to my wife as I preferred a foreign sports car at the time and she was very gentle on the cars. Also, FMC serviced all these cars meticulously. My present car is one of these former “X-Plan” cars and was “as new” except for the odometer when I bought it. Very sweet. It’s impossible to tell how FMC used your car but it sounds like it is in good hands now.

Markx,

Thank you so much! You are correct in that FMC could have been absolutely meticulous about this car, and I wouldn't knock on what I don't know, so I will absolutely not be negative. . In my case, when I bought it, the transmission fluid was slow, dark and no sign of pinkish, so this equated to "extreme service" in the manual under my assumption. Thus I had the transmission flushed, PTU flushed, replaced air filter, the current work I shared earlier, and it will go to Lincoln in two weeks for the rear differential fluid change as well as the fuel filter that I bought but can't seem to find easy access to it. So yes, you're correct that she's in good hands now

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Todor]

Just one more follow up, and to quickly start at the beginning... I started to develop a intermit rough idle that drove me nuts. The dealer didn't seem to understand what my concern was, as they couldn't really duplicate the issue. I started to drive around my 3.0 Continental with my scanner attached to OBD2 port, and view live data (yeah, a bit extreme lol). I found that at a stop, or idle, my rpm's would jump nearly 100-150 rpms, which I could distinctively feel and hear. I tried spirited runs, and long drives to help cure this, but to no avail. That's when I jumped on this side, and saw the spark plug entry. I figured that this might be a good time to swap them as I bought this pre-owned (w/ warranty), and I found out that the previous owner was "FORD MOTOR COMPANY" which means it probably idling longer than most, and utilized as more of a commercial use, so I figured 70K would be a good time for this. Fast forward, the spark plug change was much easier than anticipated, and took about an hour. This seem to be a big help, and noticed my RPMs on the live data scanner only jumped from 60-80rpms (HUGE difference). Being as anal as I am, I could still feel it on my steering wheel and foot, so I wanted to go deeper. I removed the electronic throttle body off of the car to clean (which is MUCH easier than cleaning while on), and the hardest part was removing the air intake tube, but the actual throttle body was 4 bolts and out it when extremely easily. Indeed it was dirty, so I cleaned it with throttle body cleaner and an old toothbrush (hope my wife doesn't go and look for her brush by the way). Reassembled, and easily went back on without a hitch. Next I figured I am here, might as well clean all sensors I can remove (with my Mass Airflow Sensor cleaner). I removed the sensor from the intake (after the throttle body) which is one bolt. I believe Ford calls this the MAP sensor? I don't really recall, but it's the only sensor on that tube. I also removed the sensor from the airbox (Ok, I actually broke it when I was doing the spark plugs trying to clean it, so I ordered another off of Rock Auto for $12). I replaced this sensor as well. Put everything back, and got in the car. Here I am thinking, when I start, it will either not, or it will be so messed up it will start, idle erratically, then die. ( I say that, because we all know NOTHING ever is easy or goes as planned, and I figured my 45 minutes of messing around will turn into a 8 hour nightmare searching every video on youtube to undo whatever it is I F*ed up). So I counted down...3......2........1......and (eyes closed....) push start. All systems on, car gave me a little "ugh" on the RPM's as I expected when trying to get the ECU time to catch up to the new life of air breathing through her, and then she calmed down, and was impressively idling the way it should. I put my scanner on it again, and watched the live data, which now showed the RPMs jumping from 10-20 on average (which I assume is normal, as it's impossible to be exact), and I could feel nothing in my foot nor steering wheel. So there you have it. 2 hours of spark plugs, throttle body, and two sensors, I have given life to my baby, and at the cost of about $75, which at a dealer I would imagine this would have been well over $500. Now I feel like the king of the mountain, reaching my wrench high to the sky like Thor, saying nothing mechanical can stop me!! (Well, that is until I when to start my lawnmower, and it's saying NOPE, not today...sigh, that is how life goes for us all).

Thank you so much for that writeup! It's like reading my own thoughts!
How do you clean the MAP sensor?
The one in the air box is intake air temperature sensor. No MAF on the 3.0, although it is mistakenly referred to as MAF here and there.

Same situation with mine, although mine will keep steady 594-610 RPM in "D" I can feel some irregularities now and then which irritates me a bit. It's 33k miles. I also haven't replaced the fuel filter and it rides in the trunk for a long time.

My moto cultivator starts right up from dead cold (Bosch Ir Fusion surface air gap plug), but the lawnmower is much harder to start as it has a squirter instead of a proper choke.