Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting how hard to replace own plugs and wires?

if anyone mentioned it i didn't notice so i'll say it....u may or may not have to remove the coil pack near the firewall to get to the rear plugs....others didn't have to remove it but i did and i dont consider that i have excessively large hands

when replacing the plugs be sure to use anti seize on the plugs to aid future removal and BECAREFUL NOT TO OVER TIGHTEN THE PLUGS in the cylinders...aluminum heads easily damaged if u thread the plugs wrong

save the money you're going to spend on the dealer doing the work and do it yourself if u can

the instructions provided on this site by the members is good enough for the most part that u can do anything u need to the car far as light to intermediate maintainance

easy...just don't do this http://www.contour.org/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=007742

the gap wasn't set on my app764's......if you search "spark plugs" you may find after reading that you will want to take those plugs you bought back and get double plats- from what i understand you are left with alot of wasted spark on regualr plugs- that is the only way i know how to explain that- spark gap setter thingies are free at most places- no more that $1 at others. What type of wires are you going to be replacing the old ones with?

someone said to stick with the single ones.. theres a reason for not getting the double or +4

but i dont know why

My autolite APP5344s were pre-gapped. Always check though, wouldn't want to have wrong gap. Too many settlers would try to get through in the winter.

I have goliath hands and I can get the plug wires off the rear cylinders. Its not easy but is possible. I imagine having a spark plug wire pliers would make things easier.

for the instalation having at least a 12" long extension is nice. And for the removal and instalation having a spark plug socket with the rubber instert that hold the plug makes things easier too. BTW, if you put a little silicone on the spark plug boot when putting it back on it makes it so much easier to press them back on.

Your partly correct... You need a "Double Platnium" plug. This means that there is a coating of platnium on both sides of the plug. This does not mean that there are four of the hook things like on the Bosch +4's. The double platnium is needed because on out ignition system, the spark plug fires in two directions, the standard way, and then the reverse way, basically through the 'ground' part of the plug. On normal plugs, when this second fire occurs, there will be an unusual ammount of wear on the plug where there is no platnium. You really should get those Autolite double platniums. I had the +4's and those *******s were $6 a piece, and were trashed before 20,000 miles (Chris Hightower's were much worse than mine when we all changed them...) Also, definately check the gaps with one of those .99 cent tools. If the gap is too small,. just keep wedging the tool until you get the gap you want (.54) Gap too large, take the tool and tap on the plug until its down to where you want it. And definately do all the work yourself, and save some big money!!!! -Nick

EDIT: I just read your post about stripping the spark plug. When you tighten them down, just tighten until it stops itself, then just give it a little kick to make it hand tight. DOnt go too tight and you wont have to worry about stripping it.

First off, from www.contour.org, click FAQ -> HOWTO articles -> Maintenance -> How to change the spark plugs on the Duratec V6 The forums aren't the only part of this site - lots of good info resides off the main page.

Taking the coil pack off takes minimal time and makes access to the rear plugs much easier. I guess you don't HAVE to, but it helps. The coil pack is the only part you HAVE to remove (if you choose to) - the intakes stay on.

You want exactly 8" of extension for the rears. Just so happens I have 3" and 5" extension in my socket set. Any more and I think the rear cowl would start to get in the way. Any less and the wrench won't clear the UIM on the back set.

This is the most important part IMHO: Get an inch-pound torque wrench! Don't guess on how hard to tighten the plugs down or you could strip them. Mine cost $40. Sure, it costs a little $$$ at first, but if you want to do any real work on this engine (like removing the intake manifolds, for example) you'll need one. And once you have one, you won't need to pay anyone to do the plugs for you again. Saves money in the long run.

At first, I thought anti-sieze was a bad idea, until I tried to remove a set that I installed without it. After 2 months, they were quite stuck in there. I use it now. You'll get varying opinions on this.

Dielectric grease is your friend. Use it any time you disturb a plug wire from the coil pack or a plug. Cheap tube can be had at Pep Boys.

First time I did it, it took 90 minutes (and it was COLD outside so I kept stopping to warm the hands inside). I'd say 45 minutes to R&R a set, taking my time now.

Is the spark plug torque listed calibrated for the plug as-delivered or with anti-seize? If calibrated for as-delivered, there *might* be a risk of damaging the internal threads in the head(s).

T.

damnit

ford said the bosch platinum would work

the PN matches up... but I don thinks its double its just the plain "Bosh platinum" i got

so these thing aint gona last?

ARRR stupid wires. I have to buy a new set b/c one messed up. Stupid previous owners put cheap wires on. They used the same plugs I'm using though.