I've had a new set of Iridium sparkplugs sitting in my glove box for 5 months now because I'm really nervous about installing them. I don't have a torque wrench, and I don't have the slightest idea how much to tighten them. Do I have to change my wire and distributor too? I've got about 60,000km on these plugs, and I know they need to be changed, but I'm terrified I'm going to snap one off.How do I change my sparkplugs?
Change them one at a time, so you don't get the wires mixed up. You can change the wires if you want, but they should be fine.
1) Pull the wire off at the rubber boot on the plug
2) Blow or wipe away any dirt you see around the old plug
3) Remove the old plug
4) Insert the new plug and hand tighten
5) Tighten with wrench until snug, you don't have to go hard on it
6) Reattach the plug wire
7) Move on to the next plugHow do I change my sparkplugs?
Well for one I'm not a fan of the iridium stuff. I've had weird problems with them, and for whatever strange reason my MR2 (3SGTE) and my Camry (5SFE) won't run right with them. My wife's Jeep (inline 6) ended up using them. Don't be suprised if you're putting the old ones back in. Also check the gap first. They're all sold as %26quot;pre gapped%26quot; but I've never found a plug gap that matches the car's specifications, iridium or not.
That being said, it's not hard, but there are a few tricks starting with always grab the shroud. That's the %26quot;thick%26quot; part the wire goes into. Pulling on the wire is a big no-no. They're usually thoroughly baked on after thousands of miles so rotate it while pulling.
Next trick: Use a spark plug socket and give it a spray of WD40 before putting the plug in it. If you skip this step, you'll put the plug into the engine and then find the socket is stuck on the plug, forcing you to remove the plug to get the socket back. If you do lose the socket, just plug the wrench back onto it and unscrew the whole thing. Pop out the plug, lube it up and try again. Keep the lube off each tip, just lube where the socket touches the plug.
Finally - it's not about screwing them in tight. Screw them in finger tight and then wrist tight with the wrench. It's entirely possible to strip the threads on the head and it's a real pain when you do. It only has to seal, and the threads are plenty deep to do that.How do I change my sparkplugs?
if you are terrified as you say what,s the point hook it into a local garage as you risk thread damage , ask them to change the cap%26amp;lead.s at the same timeHow do I change my sparkplugs?
You need to check the gap on the plugs to make sure they are right.They usually come pre gaped,but sometimes it isn't right.You take off the boot on the plug and replace the spark plug,tighten tight, put the boot back on.Now some plugs can be hard to get to on one side.And yes,its good to replace your cap and rotor.If you replace your wires,you have to make sure you do not cross them,they have to be in the wiring order.The auto parts can tell you what it is.You just need a sparkplug socket and ratchet.You do not use a torque wrench.
