Ford Triton V8 engine spark plug blowouts

[T-birdy]

Hello,
I've just learned about the dastardly blowouts of spark plugs in the Triton 4.6 L V8 as a result of the heads having only 4 threads of grip on the plugs. (What a dumbrass design... hard to believe Ford did this...!) I have two of these, in '95 and '97 Tbirds. I'm currently putting new plugs in the '97, and so am wondering if there's anything I can do to reduce possiblity of this failure occurring.

At this point, I'm not actually aware of this failure occuring in the mid-90's Tbirds with this engine. They are detuned compared to the newer ones, so maybe it's not a problem...? It seems mostly to be happening in trucks with this engine and a larger 5.4 L version. I'm guessing the failure would be quite common in the higher- performance Mustangs as well.

I saw one message from a Mustang owner who installed plugs at 15 ft-lb torque and using anti-seize compound on the threads. Apparently he's been checking the plugs every 10,000 miles and seen no sign of failure. (Don't how many total miles it's gone.)

I'd appreciate any comments or advice offerred regarding this problem. Thanks...!

[97Bird]

As you stated, this appears to be a problem with the 5.4L V8's and the V10's. I haven't had any problems with either of my 'Birds and there is only one other post in any of the other Ford forums about a spark plug blowing out. That was for a van and they didn't say what engine it was. I see more posts about this problem in other website Ford truck forums. The most important things to remember are to not overtighten or cross thread spark plugs when installing them.