I Changed My Spark Plugs Over The Weekend!

"KMarino" (KMarino) 08/23/2013 at 14:23 • Filed to: DIY, Mustang, Spark Plugs, Parking Lot Mechanic

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After posting !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! some of you suggested I change out the spark plugs.

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My 06 mustang GT has 125,000 miles on it so it was past due for them to be changed.

After reading online horror stories about broken plugs, I called around and found out that for each plug that broke, it would cost me $90 bucks to have someone else remove them. I didn't feel like risking this turning into a $600+ job, so I took the plunge and this weekend I took on the project of changing my mustang's spark plugs.

Before I started I ordered the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! from amazon. I also used a 30% coupon on advance auto's site to get new motor-craft plugs and some sea foam to help break down the carbon buildup. I bought a 9/16" spark plug socket from O'Reilly's which I do not recommend.

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I asked my mother-in-law to come over and help, since she's changed plugs on other cars before and for moral support. She probably helped reduce the cursing that would have happened if she wasn't there as well.

Friday evening, I picked up some of the wood-working tools and put that project up to make room in the garage for working on the Stang.

Saturday morning my mother-in-law came over and we began working on the car. I used a shop vac to blow a lot of the dirt out from around the coil boots and then began removing the electronic plug from each boot and took the first boot off. Next I blew out more dirt from the plug well and then using the wrench, got the plug to turn about 1/4 turn. I put a rag over the open well to stop dirt from entering and did the same process 3 more times. The plugs required a lot more force than I expected get them to start turning. I then put a cap full of sea foam into each well, covered and moved to the other side. After completing all 8, we took a break to let the sea foam do its job.

Front plug drivers side - started turning and making lots of noise. A little concerning, but all the videos online had the plugs making noise. After a good bit of turning the plug comes out. except part of the porcelain and the bottom part of the plug is still in the head. Already time to use the Lisle tool I didn't want to have to use. I read the instructions following each step to the letter. A few nervous minutes later, after using a tool that seemed like it would break something expensive, I pulled the tip of the plug out. Woot! Next I realized the plug tip was stuck onto the extraction tool. After trying for a while to remove it, I gave up and decided I would try to remove it if I broke another plug.

Next, I finished removing the other 3 plugs on the driver’s side. They all made a good bit of noise, but none of them broke. We then checked again that each well was free of dirt. Applied anti-seize to both the tips and the threads and re-installed. We put the coil boots back on and were satisfied to be 50% done.

We started on the passenger side and began to remove the front plug. This one didn’t make as much noise, which was worrying. No noise means the tips not turning, which means the tip is broken. I get it as far unscrewed as I can then try to remove it with the spark plug socket. No luck. After a few mores tries, I examine the tool and the rubber grip inside is loose. I tried to put an old plug in the tool and it wasn’t even a strong enough grip to hold it up. Time to return this junk.

Of to the O'Reilly's. Returned the junk socket and went to Advance Auto. The guy there questioned if I needed a 9/16 or 5/8. I need a 9/16 and they don’t have them. Next stop, NAPA. Same question. Yes I am positive I need a 9/16 not a 5/8. None. Car Quest, None. AutoZone sales person finds the 9/16 super quick.

After that 30-45 minute break, time to get back to work. The new spark plug socket still doesn’t grip well, but with the new socket and a magnet tool I have I was able to remove the plug. Unfortunately, the tip did break off so now I have to figure out how to remove the other tip from the Lisle tool. Eventually after using a Dremel and some brute force, we got the tip off. Before using the tool again we put some grease on the threads to hopefully prevent it from getting stuck. It worked. While we still had to use more force than I think we should have needed to, the tip came off.

The next two plugs were removed without any problems, but the last plug was quieter when removing. This one broke, but the porcelain didn’t break. This required me to use needle nose pliers to remove the porcelain and then to Lisle tool.

Once they were all removed, putting the new ones in, again with anti-seize, was very easy.

We checked all the connections, and made sure no tools were in the engine bay. My wife came out to see if it worked and remind me not to back into her car again. I started to car up and it sounded good. Then my wife and mother in law yelled at me to cut the engine. There was white smoke coming back into the garage. Damn! What did we do wrong? Then I thought, oh yea we put a good bit of sea foam in there, I bet is it just burning off and should clear up.

We pushed the Stang out of the garage, to prevent it from filling with exhaust, and took care not to hit the wife’s car. I started it up again and after a few seconds the white smoke disappeared and the car was running fine. I let it idle for a bit, while we picked up the rest of the tools.

We went out for dinner later and it ran fine. Sunday I took it on the highway and tried to go from 40ish to 60 in 4 th and again in 5 th and no stutter! Looks like the plugs were the problem. I drove it all this week in varying levels of traffic, and it works great.

It feels good to be able to fix something on my car and not have to pay someone to do it. If all of the same plugs would of broken at the mechanics, it would have cost me almost $600. This way it only costs about $150 including the tools.

Next project may be replacing !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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TL;DR: I replaced my spark plugs in my Mustang GT. Some plugs broke and it was a pain, but the car runs great now.

Any other projects I should consider doing myself?

davedave1111 > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 14:30

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A little late for you, but a tip if anyone else is trying to free something like this - especially spark plugs, but any stuck bolt/nut: undo it a quarter of a turn, then back up a quarter, repeat, spraying plenty of penetrating oil if possible between each repetition.

(Er, the way I described that would literally mean to screw and unscrew the plug over the same quarter turn. Obviously I meant you unscrew an extra quarter turn each time.)

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 14:36

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Question why did you go with Motor-craft plugs?

KMarino > davedave1111 08/23/2013 at 14:38

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One problem I was trying to avoid was putting to my penetrating oil in the wells and running into the chance I would hyro-lock the engine. One of the TSBs mentioned that being a possibility. I think the seafoam helped to prevent the other 5 plugs from breaking. I think the last plug broken when I did the first 1/4 turn.

KMarino > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/23/2013 at 14:41

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There aren't very many options for my engine. The autolite's were only a dollar cheaper so it would of only saved 8 bucks and the design of the plugs are almost identical. The original plugs lasted over 100,000 miles, so I didn't seem a reason to switch.

I tend to stick with OEM, if it isn't too expensive.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 14:44

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Gotcha.

conrader > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 14:45

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Well done, I said, 'Screw that.' and let the shop do mine at 100k. I think I'll replace at the 50's now.

Frank Grimes > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 14:48

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You removed spark plugs notorious for becoming stuck and breaking off with help from your mother in law.

davedave1111 > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 15:14

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Penetrating oil, hell, I'll just write WD40 because it's quicker, but other brands also work. Er, WD40 is a light enough fraction of petroleum that it'll evaporate fairly fast. If you leave the plug holes open while you do the others, I'd expect even a small pool to have evaporated by the time you get back round to putting the new plug in. I suspect that even if you did run the engine, the oil would just burn off rather than hydrolocking, but I don't really know.

KMarino > Frank Grimes 08/23/2013 at 15:20

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Yes. She said this was the most difficult set of spark plugs she's ever dealt with.

ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 15:24

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Woohoo Good job. Thanks for sharing. Now trade me for my 2003 Mazda 6i.

GRawesome > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 16:28

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Was there a reason you didn't put the new plug in as soon as you got the old one out? Instead of removing them all and then replacing them all? Less chance of debris getting in the chamber that way.

KMarino > GRawesome 08/23/2013 at 16:44

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No reason, except maybe only having to focus on the same task to get into more of a rhythm. If I didn't have the rags to put over them, I probably would have done one at time, but I felt as if they kept any more debris from getting in.

BGM_Rabbit > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/23/2013 at 16:46

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I changed my '06 GT's plugs at ~36k miles with Champion 7989 plugs so I wouldn't have the OPs problem of the plugs breaking later. They are a 1-piece design instead of the Motorcraft crappy 2-piece that snaps in half.

GRawesome > KMarino 08/23/2013 at 19:26

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I hear you, I did it the same way early on. And then one time when blowing out the debris from the area around the next plug, blew the rag away and some rust into the cylinder (D'oh!)

You didn't have to deal with this, but on older cars it is good to do it one at a time because you don't have remember which distributor wire goes where.