Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Changing sparkplugs

Hello there. I am new to the forum. I have a 95 Contour LX V6 and was wondering if it is very hard to change the sparkplugs myself. I ask because I looked under the hood and couldn't find where they were. They weren't very obvious to spot. The auto shop says it costs $70 to do this?!?!?!? How difficult is it and are there "simple" directions.

Thank you

Not sure if this will help, but I know how to get to them on my Zetec model. I'm guessing they should be pretty similar.

On my car, there's a plastic plate that says Zetec. There's also about 8-10 bolts holding it on. When I take that off, there's 4 plug caps. These are a LITTLE hard to get off; I'd suggest doing it when your engine is cool, because you have to twist them a bit to get them off and you don't want to burn the fingers. :p Don't be afraid to pull, and make sure you have a spark plug socket. If your plugs are still in good condition, they should be a tan color. If they've got white or black deposits, that could mean you're running too rich or may have other issues.

Hope this helps!

It is not that difficult on the Duratec. You will have to remove the plastic cam cover on the front bank and remove/loosen (trying to remember here) the IAC valve and coil pack in the rear. I did it about 2 years ago (my memory is a bit fuzzy), takes a couple of hours.
A few suggestions:
- make sure the engine is cool, not only for your hands, but also to minimizing galling of the spark plug threads.
- clean cam covers with degreaser or blow off w/compressed air to minimize the possibility of dirt falling into spark plug holes and threads.
- A good assortment of ratchets and extensions will help especially locking ones. A short flex ratchet worked well for me for the rear bank.
- Search the posts here for brand recommendations of plugs. I like the Bosch Platinum +4s.
- put a light coating of silicone grease inside the plug boots when done......Good luck!

There is a pretty good how-to somewhere in the FAQs. It should help you out a bit.