problem changing spark plugs

[ExporeRanger]

if your looking at the engine..the 3 plugs on the right side were very easy..no problems at all, but i make my way oer to the left side..and i cant so much as get the boot off of the spark plugs..i tried a lotta things..my one buddy is tall and strong and had great leverage..we couldnt get the dang boot off the plug to make the change..also, i couldnt help but notice the the plug closest to the firewall will be very difficult to get to..any tips?

 

[jimbo74]

go at the plug from the innerfenderwell... youll want some sockets with swivels and extensions....

 

[shadowex]

also if you can get some spark plug boot pliers that will help with the boots. and a swivel sparkplug socket would help out too

 

[fraxinusalba]

Those passenger side plugs are a real pain. I wound up tying a strong piece of small diameter rope near the top of the boot and pulling them off that way. Get as straight a pull on them as you can. If possible, try to twist the boot a little to break it loose first. You will definitely have to remove the splash guard to get to the rear one and I found it was easier accessing the middle one from there too. I also took a Q-tip and put a little grease inside the boot near the bottom and gave them a little back and forth twist when I put them back on. Next time I had to take plug wires off, they just popped right off.

However, I helped friend with plug change and we never could get the middle plug wire off. Wound up taking a knife and slicing the boot, cut the wire above the top of the plug, and peeled the boot off so we could get the plug socket on remove the plug. Of course, that meant a new set of plug wires too but was worth it at that point.

 

[nascar_intimid]

I snapped a plug on the drivers side (front plug) and I mean the part the socket goes on broke away and left me with the plug core and a hole right into the combustion chamber....the threaded part of the plug was still lodged in the head and corroded...ugh!!!! So what I did was buy a 1/2 or 7/16 inch easyout and heated up the plug remnants, got in the engine myself for leverage and the old plug finally cracked loose and proceeded to ratchet the old plug out...maaan I was freaking!!!! though I was in the **** but good...anyway that's my story of plug changing btw...I did blow out the combustion chamber before installing the new plug, that was 20K ago

 

[v1rotv2]

Had the same problem

I ended up going in from behind the right front tire up through the finder. Crank the wheel to the right. Make sure you have an extension and a universal. Should do the trick for ya.

 

[quicklook2]

use dielectric grease on the wires on both ends.

use anti sieze on the plug threads.

 

[AdvanceExpo]

use dielectric grease on the wires on both ends.

use anti sieze on the plug threads.

This guy knows what he is talking about because if you don't put anti sieze on the threads you will be buying a new head or getting head work done. When the guys at the local auto parts store try to sell you the stuff to go with the parts you are buying, get them. They will save you money and make things a lot easier down the road. I know from experience since I work at Autozone and see what happens to guys when they don't buy all of the stuff they need.

 

[quicklook2]

taking the tire off is not really needed.

my tire was straight and i had no problem getting to the back plug.

 

[ExporeRanger]

yeha i had all the elbow joints and stuff..it was the boot that was gettin me..but if you take the tupperware off? ill be able to get to all the pass. side plugs a lot better?

 

[quicklook2]

i had no trouble doing the first three from above and i just reached in for the last one, did not remove anything.

 

[mikeinri]

A few points, I just did this a few weeks ago, following lots of tips I found here.

I took off the passenger tire. I didn't need to remove any plastic splash guards.

I couldn't get the plug wire tool in on the passenger side, so I used brute force... Just a leather glove, lots of twisting and pulling and they popped off.

Use a spark plug socket with the built-in universal joint, especially for the back two on the passenger side. A normal spark plug socket is handy for the rest. Have a variety of extension lengths available.

I did the passenger side first figuring I might run into issues. Might have been easier to start on the driver side so I had some practice.

To me, it seemed like the front plug on the passenger side was the most difficult, since I was completely blind, and had to do it by feel. At least I could see the others once the tire was off.

I can't stress this enough, ALWAYS replace the wires when you change plugs. Electric grease and antisieze as mentioned are also critical.

There are posts here stating that removing the air cleaner box may give you good access from above without removing the tire. To me, removing the tire seemed easier (less stuff to mess with under the hood that might break or otherwise not want to go back together well after 270,000 plus miles, especially with all the plastic they used under there).

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[mawrazen]

Rotate the boots left an right! Then pull. This should break them loose, or just break them.

I had 3 of my stock wires break the electrode connector right off the inside of the wire when I changed the plugs myself the first time. There it was, still attached to the plug. Since I was stuck in the mountains I cut the boots and reattached the electrodes to each wire my self. Then wrapped it in duct tape to keep it sealed.

This worked for about 3000 miles till I finally got 8mm wires.

If rotating doent work, Buy a new set of wires and cut or slice the boot open to get to the stuck electode w/ a pair of plyers. Then you still need to get the stuck connector off the Sparkplug to get your SP socket to fit.

Unless you are real creative and can walk on water and rebuild your old wires and boots, you will need new wires and some electronic lube on them when installed.

I hope this helps.

 

[Explorer93RDB]

Oh My You would remind me of the passenger side Horror Show... There really didn't seem to be a way to get the Socket at the right angle.. What a Female Dog it was.. I did it on my 94 Now I have to do it all over on my 93... But Does a 3" Body lift make a difference . ?? I sure Hope So..

 

[TedJ]

I just jacked it up and took the pass side tire off. I think someone previously had taken a knife and made the hole over the shock tower somewhat larger. Taking the tire off makes it so much easier, get something comfy to sit on and put a towel over the end of the axle so you can lean on it and not get grease and stuff all over yourself. I did not use any swivels or anything, just a 3/8 ratchet and plug socket, along with a very short extension sometimes. Twist the hell out of the boot before trying to pull it off, otherwise it wont come off. Use some extra tune-up grease on everything and some anti-seize on the threads so it hopefully wont get stuck next time. Wear some mechanic's gloves so you won't mess up your hands on all that sharp stuff down there.

-Ted

 

[Explorer93RDB]

Please tell me it helps to have a 3" Body Lift..??

Oh wait if I go do this I will know .. Wow... don't have the plugs right now...

 

[msmith65]

I have gotten stuck boots off by carefully -- carefully! -- clamping Vise-Grips onto them with just enough squeeze to bite the rubber, then rotating left-right until the boot breaks loose from the plug.

I changed my '93's plugs and wires this weekend. I did not find it necessary to remove the air cleaner box. Just the pax-side front wheel, and only then to remove the old plug. I was able to put the new one in from above. To my advantage, I used stubby- and long-handled ratchets.

Be cautious using swivels on spark plugs. If the torque is at too much of an angle, it can break the plug even with a rubber insert in the socket.

 

[Maniak]

I don't run inner fenderwells on our '92 explorer so I can get to them by reaching over the tire.

I had all 6 plugs out in under 10 minutes.. I used an air wrench (3/8") with an extension and an impact style u-joint (more like a CV joint than a u-joint)..

I always use anti-sieze on my new plugs and lots of dialectric grease on the boots. The boot always come off clean (just twist then pull and they are off) and the plugs always come right out (I change them once a year).

~Mark