Changing spark plugs, bare with me guys....

mark0101

mark0101

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I haven't been having such a great time fixing my cars,(usually mess them up:( ) so help me out on this one guys. My 97 Mark VIII has 109K which is way past its time for spark plugs change. Before you answer any of my Questions, should I just have it done for $100 or try to do it?

1. I am gonna go with autolite 764 copper since thats what I heard is good. Whats the life on these spark plugs? and is it called "autolite 764 copper" or something else?

2. I heard that you have to change the "boot" too. so Will this come with the spark plug or would you have to buy this separately? If anyone has pics of how this looks like and where it goes please let me know.

3. What gap should I keep? 0.054 is for stock, should I keep it the same. remember I have an SCT Tune. some mentioned 0.050

4. How tight do they have to be so I don't mess up the treads?

5. also Warm engine or cold?

6. What lubricant do I have to applyon the spark plugs, if any?

I am a visual learner so i will be posting alot of Pics if I have any questions, I just hope I get this project right.

Thanks in advance

Its 3 AM, so I will see where the plugs are tomorrow.(hidden behind the cover that say V8 right?....lol) I hope so
 
mark0101 said:
I haven't been having such a great time fixing my cars,(usually mess them up:( ) so help me out on this one guys. My 97 Mark VIII has 109K which is way past its time for spark plugs change. Before you answer any of my Questions, should I just have it done for $100 or try to do it? Stupid easy job - just use a torque wrench with inch/lbs not foot lbs and anti-seize and dielectric grease.

1. I am gonna go with autolite 764 copper since thats what I heard is good. Whats the life on these spark plugs? and is it called "autolite 764 copper" or something else? I used the Plats but just a personal choice. It is a trade for longevity vs performance.

2. I heard that you have to change the "boot" too. so Will this come with the spark plug or would you have to buy this separately? If anyone has pics of how this looks like and where it goes please let me know. Separate. I got a set of 8 from Ford for under $30 - Autobone carries them too. Mine were perfect so I didn't replace them, but it is a good idea to have a set. They are black with a long spring inside that connects the coil to the plug. RockAuto and AdvanceAuto have pics on their sites.
.
3. What gap should I keep? 0.054 is for stock, should I keep it the same. remember I have an SCT Tune. some mentioned 0.050 I am a stock kinda guy so will let others comment since you have a tune...I think Gino runs .048

4. How tight do they have to be so I don't mess up the treads? 10-20 Nm/84-180 In/lbs

5. also Warm engine or cold? I have always done mine warm, but will let others comment.

6. What lubricant do I have to applyon the spark plugs, if any? Anti-Seize Compound - silver looking paste - cheap - worth it!
I am a visual learner so I will be posting alot of Pics if I have any questions, I just hope I get this project right.

Thanks in advance

Its 3 AM, so I will see where the plugs are tomorrow.(hidden behind the cover that say V8 right?....lol) I hope so
Click to expand...

Dont use a socket to start the new plugs ...I use a piece of rubber hose to put my plugs back in. that way it is much harder to cross thread them. Clean off any oil in the spark plug tubes - if they are really bad then the valve cover gaskets are shot.
 
Good answers, the only part I dont agree with is the "warm engine".. from my own personal experience.

I used to change the plugs on my car when the engine was just ran/ hot/warm.

one day it blew the spark plug threads out, and I was told by a very smart guy to never pull the plugs out of aluminum heads while they are still warm or hot.

reason being is.. when you pull the plugs out, the threads in the head becomes "heat sinks" and they will distort and change shape as they heat and cool down.

After having a plug thread issue I now ONLY pull the plugs before the car has been started for that day.

hope this helps.
 
You can pick up a socket extension and do it yourself with little to no trouble. I don't have a beauty cover on my engine, but they're underneath the plastic covers on your valve cover, I believe the cover is like 3x16 or something. I picked up a 14" swivel extension w/ a magnet to do the plugs for like 13 bucks at any tool store.

I'm not sure about gapping w/ a tune, mine were set to .054 before I got my lms chip so I didn't change anything.
 
The Rev said:
You can pick up a socket extension and do it yourself with little to no trouble. I don't have a beauty cover on my engine, but they're underneath the plastic covers on your valve cover, I believe the cover is like 3x16 or something. I picked up a 14" swivel extension w/ a magnet to do the plugs for like 13 bucks at any tool store.

I'm not sure about gapping w/ a tune, mine were set to .054 before I got my lms chip so I didn't change anything.
Click to expand...

I prefer a locking 12" ext because I have had problem with the plug socket falling off in the head. then trying to fish it out sucked. Its worth the few buck for it.
 
Went shopping today.
-8 spark plugs
-anti-seize
-gapping tool
-boot protector(the guy at auto zone told me to put it on)
-2 boots
-15'' magnetic spark plug remover

I only got 2 boots for right now because the were two for $20. How do you know if you have to replace the boots?because 20 for 2 is alot....lol

100_2658.jpg
 
just get a spark plug socket with a magnet :D ...... do them with the engine COLD, just let it sit overnight, do it first thing in the morning, torque them down to about 18lbs/ft.........NOT inch pounds.......i gap mine to .048........for the boots just look at them see if theyre cracked, theyre rubber.......and put dieelectric grease inside of them (on the spring...) then throw them back on....

oh and if you got oil on the spark plugs, the valve cover gaskets need replacing.......
 
I know you already went shpping, but ditch that anti seeze...

I use one drop of oil on each plug as not to gall the aluminum threads, but not to over lubricate them. I'm very anal about modular spark plug changes because blowing plugs out of your heads is not fun.

I would also personally go with plats, they last much much longer, and you will not notice a difference.
 
Romeo engine tec's state that plugs on a 4.6 should be changed while warm. That way the proper torque is applied at operating temp. But I've seen it done both ways. Can't burn yourself on a cold engine. Always done mine hot. Like the oil + filter.
 
just take your time. have someone around to help just in case. just be carefull. i might be around this weekend to give you a hand if you need help.
 
I'll throw another vote in for "change when cold" as you can and will strip threads if it's warm. I have seen this happen on other modular motors as well as other aluminum-head engines.

Boots: $80 for a set isn't bad. A set of wires for a GenI is easily over $120. Just replace all eight right now while you've got everything torn down, otherwise you'll be doing them one by one as they start to fail. Also remember the price of those things will only go up, and I promise you will be replacing them eventually. Bite the bullet, you will thank us later.
 
The Rev said:
$103.35 shipped for my gen1 wires from Max. (ford racing 9mm)
Click to expand...

Thats what i got last week. Work good. Only slight trouble i had was getting them to fit into the rubber grommets under the valve beauty covers. (just made those holes slightly bigger)

Also replaced my plugs. AutoLite 764's gapped at 0.054'' (my car is stock N/A) Torqued them to 12 Nm on cold engine. Did a 3600 mile trip no problem.
 
hey martin's back!!!! HOLY EXTENTION BATMAN, did you really think you needed a 40 footer to get to the plugs lol, my 12 inch extention gets the plugs out and then some, you can beat someone with that baby you bought lol!
 
ok this is really going to be a dumb question but how do you set the torque setting? There is a dial on the bottom that turns and has numbers 0 2 4 6 8
It has a setting from 120-960 in lbs
If I wanna set it to 120 in/lb, I would just turn the dial to "1" for 100 in/lb, right?

100_2659.jpg
 
From your picture, you are not up to 120 in lbs. Turn the dial until it lines up EXACTLY with the 120 mark, at which point the dial will show 0. Lock the dial.

If your wrench has instructions, read them. Test torque the wrench on something thats not critical a few times before you start.

Thats quite a big wrench you have. That a 1/2'' drive? Personally, id prefer to use something smaller. (i have 2 wrenches for different torque ranges)
 
Just to clarify: When i say line up with 120 mark - i mean the mark that goes to the central line NOT the 120 number!!! (basically you need to turn the dial around until next 0 appears and the rim of the dial is in line with the mark)
 
Well that was the problem, it didn't come with the instructions. Thanks I got it up to the 120 point and it is on zero. I am gonna go try my luck now.
 
Cool. Just test torque it and make sure its 'clicking' before touching the plugs.
 
shiryu0 said:
oh and if you got oil on the spark plugs, the valve cover gaskets need replacing.......
Click to expand...

Looks like I got oil then cause the first few that i pulled out had oil on them. Should I proceed? The farthest away from the engine oil cap didn't have any oil on it, maybe the oil sipped through. Oh Yea I already got one crack boot.

also the spark plugs don't look that bad what do you think.

100_2669.jpg


100_2668.jpg


100_2670.jpg
 
Wow, thats some rough boots and such. How many miles? Those are factory plugs, the other side should be with yellow rings.
 
109k should I go a had and replace all my boots or just the cracked one. I don't know if you guys can see it in my pic

Nvm I think I should just replace all the boots while I am doing this, I am gonna go grab some.
 
100k and oil soaked, I would replace them all. Just the boots, not the coils. I'm more concerned about the oil. Oil should not get in there unless the tower seals are shot. Oil will keep getting in if they are. The first three plugs look oil soaked. That can cause some problems with it grounding out resulting i a rough idle and poor economy.

Depending on how much oil was in the tower tube, you may want to consider doing that project as soon as possible. But removing the valve covers is no fun at all.
 
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