Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Has anyone ever changed the plugs themselves

If I were charging $500, I too would make it sound like it can't be done by yourself. Autolites are the same thing as motorcraft,,, though bosch 4+ plugs are crap (atleast for our cars), I'm sure their normal plugs are OK, though you must have double platinum for our cars.

how do you get to the rear plugs without taking off the intake?

It's really not that bad if you have the right tools. I just did it again for the second time and I just used a standard socket with a nice long extension. One thing that really helped the second time was a 10 in flex handle bar. The first time I did it, it took forever to loosen the plugs with just a rachet. With the bar, the extra leverage helped and they just popped loose after a few seconds. Getting the right plugs is probably the key. I think I ended up doing it the second time because I didn't get around to changing the wires the first time and that might have had something to do with the plugs getting fouled up.

The rear plugs aren't all THAT hard to change. I've changed mine on my 98 V6 Mystique many times. I know some people say you don't need to remove the coil pack but there are only four 7mm bolts holding it on and it's easy to do. I've never removed the intake manifold to change the plugs.

After I have the coil pack out of the way I twist the plug wires back and forth rather than pulling straight up on them so I don't damage them. After I have the wires off the plugs I use a 3/8 ratchet with a couple of extensions and a universal swivel along with a spark plug socket. The little beggers are really not that hard to remove and I certainly wouldn't pay anyone $500 to change them for me. Man, for that much I could really buy a nice set of tools to do just about everything on my car.

Pay close attention to what wire goes where when you're removing them, be sure and reattach the two ground wires to the coil pack when you put it back on and use anti-seize on the spark plug threads.

There is a How-to on the CEG website that tells step-by-step how to change the plugs, including gap setting and torque specs. Click here for a shortcut to it: Duratec V6 Spark Plug Changing

DUDE:

I changed mine with ONLY the following tools

• a socket wrench
  
• a 5/8 spark plug socket
  
• ¿8mm? socket (for front cover's 3 small bolts)
  
• LONG extension
  
• gap tool
  
• hands
  

For the back bank, have someone else lift the hood higher than your prop rod holds it(almost vertically, and you can slide that extension (even without a swivel joint) straight in to the plugs...
I didn't remove ANYTHING..


Nothing to it at ALLLL



Ray

I didn't remove ANYTHING

I guess I get claustrophobia so that's why I always remove the coil pack. And you did remove something - the front cover. I don't remove that since I don't have it installed. I spent $130 recently on a new IMRC box. I read that the front cover can cause the box to go bad by trapping heat so it will remain off until I sell the car some year.

If I may make a suggestion for someone is doing the plugs for the first time. Do one at a time. Unplug the wire, remove and replace plug, plug wire back in. Just remember which ones you did and didn't do. Easier to do this way than trying to figure out mixed up wires. Plus less chance of dropping anything in with only one hole open.

Some other suggestions (as may have been said)

1. Use anti-seaze on them
2. Do not overtighten!!!
3. After removing the wire boot, blow out around the plug with an air compressor before removing the plug.

Another helpful suggestion:

Duct Tape the Spark Plug Socket to your wrench. That way the socket doesn't come off your wrench while you're trying to remove the plug!

another hint: don't do it with a warm engine.. hot threads warp/strip easily... not a good thing..



I fixed the "heat trapper" with a few aesthetic mods to the cover...


Ray