Nasty fuel filter, plug change and Magnaflow cat back

[William Youells]

I just changed the filter on my 2008 XLT 4.6L 4X4. Bought truck used with 53,000 miles on it and I have 55,000 now. Thanks to the write up on this, it was a snap. This is where things get crazy.



The fuel flowing through the filter was clear. When I turned it upside down to see what kind of dirt was in the filter, black flowed out of it. It actually looked like ink. I noticed that others had some rust and dirt but no mention of this. It was a Motorcraft filter and that is what I put on as a replacement.



On a side not I changed the plugs and was happy to find out that I did not have those plugs that break off. I always check the gap of plugs coming out and were they a mess. Some as tight as .040 out to about .055. I gapped new plugs at .045 and truck seems to run smoother.



Also put on a Magnaflow cat back and does this truck sound great. Quiet enough cruising and roars when I get on it. Very happy that I went this way rather than Gibson. Only complaint was it took me two days to get system adjusted just perfectly.



Love this site.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Sounds GREAT!!!

 

[Jackson Ellis]

Bill - when I changed my filter a few weeks ago, there was only slightly red/orange tinted fuel that came out. However, it might have been changed right before I bought it, and yours might have had 53k miles on it. I've seen black on filters before, but as long as it's clear on the exit side then all is good. You might want to pull it again after a few tankfuls and if it's still a problem, check your tank. You might also need to get your gas from another station. I recommend www.toptiergas.com to select fuel vendors.

 

[A1cntrler]

I didn't think that the design of plugs was gappable. How did you check the gap in the enclosed loop?



I have the Magnaflow system on my 4.6. It sounded really good for a while, but has become more mellow over time. I liked the sound of it right after I put it on more then I do now, but it is still a great sound over the stock system!



Did you take out these plugs or were they a different design? [Broken External Image]:

 

[Gavin Allan]

My filter was full of fine powder rust. Looked very red and very small particles. Motorcraft came out, and a motorcraft went back in!

 

[swshawaii]

Two 3V gap tools available.‎

 

[swshawaii]

 

[Vic Sorlie]

Plugs are not the style used on the 5.4L 3V engine. These are the ones I took out of my 08. The spark plug wrench (Amazon, $15) is a great thing to add to your kit.[Broken External Image]:

 

[William Youells]

The plugs in my Trac are like standard plugs but the threaded part is pretty long. I had the plugs like Vic. I odd not anti-seize them as the old ones came out easy. Just had the motor warmed up. I got rid of a 2005 F150 5.4l 4X4 because it had those messed up plugs and I did not want to deal.

 

[Johnny O]

That was just the dirt being backflushed out the filter. Odds are it was the original filter. Most people don't think to change it. I generally use WIX fuel filters, made in USA.