I have a 2001 escape XLT 6cyl engine. It sometimes idles rough and the check engine light comes on. It shows misfires on two cylinders.I add a bottle of Lucas injector cleaner and everything is alright again. But since I have 110000 miles on the car I thought I should probably do a tuneup, replace the coils while I'm at it and possibly have the injectors cleaned at the same time. My shop will charges 650.- for the whole thing. Not cheap but i know it's a lot of work.
But my mechanic warned me that on the Escape it is possible that the steel Spark plugs might bond to the aluminum head and extracting them might break the threads.If that should happen I would have to replace the cylinder head, which would be horrible.
Now I'm afraid to do the tuneup. Is this really something I need to worry about. How common is this.
If I have it done, is it better to install new injectors or just clean the old ones?
Are there plugs that will not bond to aluminum?

 

Yes it is true they can bond, have them soak then with some Deep Crrep and let it soak in, I did this on each one and let it soak in for half an hour snd they come out no problem.,hope this helps.

 

If the plugs are the originals, they should come out fine. Anti-seize compound should have been used when installed. The mechanic is trying to point out the risk and avoid any additional liability.
New coils seems like a splurge. Even the injectors is a splurge, but more understandable. If you are ready to replace them and willing in time and expense I don't have a great argument against it.
If you DIY, make sure you use the anti-seize compound when installing the new plugs....

 

Thanks for the message. The reason why I'm considering the tuneup is:
When the weather gets cold and wet the Escape starts misfiring and it takes a while before the idle is normal, and even then the engine cuts out on occasion. The check engine light goes on and the codes show that cyl 1 and 6 have misfired. What makes the car run like it should is Lucas injector cleaner. But when the weather is bad I have to add a bottle every two tanks. Still cheaper than a tuneup.
But I want to keep this Escape for a long time and I want to avoid future problems.I don't know that much about cars so I thought since everything has to be disassembled for the tuneup anyway, I might as well do the injectors and coils as well. I guess injectors can just be cleaned and the coils are not super expensive. But I'm a little baffled by this, because right now it's not so cold where I live and the car runs absolutely perfect. This coughing seems to only happen in the winter.Maybe it's a different electrical problem. But then why does the Lucas Injector Cleaner make the problem go away?

 

Under normal maintenance the plugs and/or injectors can lead to your describes symptoms. At 110k miles you are past the expected life of the plugs, especially if you have a lot of low speed or idle time in driving.
The injectors may be partially clogged. The Lucas cleaner will at least change the spray pattern. (Think reducing surface tension.) In cold weather the fuel will not atomize as well and with poor spark performance becomes difficult to fire. When you have a mis-fire you end with extra fuel in the system. Both in the combustion chamber and down-stream in the exhaust.
Another problem for cold (really cold) engines is that the intake plenum or head can remain cold enough for the fuel to condense on before entering the combustion chamber.
In the combustion chamber, that can lead to additional deposits on plug.
Downstream can damage the O2 sensor and Catalytic converter.
With each coil (coil on plug) costing from $45-80 (Napa US$) some will balk at doing the complete set. Coils are highly reliable components though.
Fuel injectors are more prone to fail but still pretty reliable components too. But because they do have moving parts in them and are subject to the quality of fuel passing thru them you are more likely in need of replacing them. Napa shows them at about $40 ea.
Unless you know of any specific fuel quality issues, I would actually only have the plugs replaced.

 

Thank you so much for answering my question is such great detail. I will do exactly as you suggested and only change the plugs.
There are many different types of plugs availabe, are there any newer types that might be superior over the traditional ones ore is that just marketing hype?
Thanks again, I really appreciate your help.

 

NGK are popular on the forums. Platinum. Don't bother with the hyped Iridium or split plugs for your application. Bosche and MotorCraft are also good choices.
(I've only made it to one plug change with these 100k tune-up intervals and used Bosche in my '01 Focus which has since been totaled because someone could avoid hitting my parked car.)
While it doesn't sound like your planning on do this your self, if you were, it is very important to use the anti-seize compound and a torque wrench. Over tighten a plug and risk stripping the threads, under tighten and plug could back out... till it is blown out taking threads with it. Iron heads are more forgiving in this, but always use good practices.

 

Find this tidbit on Counterman.com :"Spark plugs that have a nickel coating on the plug shell are less apt to stick when the time comes to remove them. Spark plugs with plain steel shells or that have a black oxide coating are more prone to corrode and stick. "