kkim

Okay, got around to changing (well, trying, anyway ) the plugs today and have done the easy ones so far (bottom driver's side) and have moved to the upper driver's side when I dropped a the plug in the engine while extracting it.

Have tried for an hour now to reinsert the spark plug tool back into the hole to retrieve the loose plug, but have been unable to get the plug tool over the top of the plug to grab it. Anyone have any ideas on how to retrieve that loose plug? It seems loose as I can insert a screwdriver down there to move it around, but can't seem to get the plug socket over the top. Can it get cocked sideways in there?

Thanks for any ideas.

ColoradoMark

Do you have a magnet, or is it still threaded in?

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hiya Kelly:

Sometimes a strong magnet can drag it up but if you don't have one or its wedged in there, pull the valve cover and you'll be able to fish that plug out very easily.

Bruce SEA 993

Ack. that is what happened to me on the worst plug possible...the right top forward most plug. I got a mirror to see where it was and was able to slide the socket over it. The socket has a little foam piece in it to hold the spark plug so I was able to get it out. Fishing is the only way I know or a big magnet.

Good luck!

kkim

Mark, Steve, Bruce,

Thanks, but I got it out. It was loose from the plug hole and I had already tried a magnetic tool, but seems like the top of the plug has a copper cap on it. The body of the plug is steel, but was unable to snake the mag tool that far in. I finally used some rubber hose that was just the right inside diameter to slip over the plug insulation portion and out it came!! Thanks for your suggestions... it's on to the other 8 plugs now. ... and these are supposed to be the easy ones!!!

Mahalo guys... Happy Easter to you!

Father of 3

Good for you Kelly. And to think I was proud of myself for changing my rear hood shocks!

kkim

Fo3,

I've done the hood and frunk shocks before and they are no piece of cake, either. You should feel proud!

I just finished installing the last of the plugs. On the passenger side, after I removed the shield, like Robin says to do, to get at that forward top plug, I decided to change all the plugs from below. Worked out very well as there is a lot of room to work once that shield is out of the way. Still, that one plug is a PITA to get to. I bent the electrode removing the old plug with the spark plug socket, so on installation, I used the rubber hose trick to get that plug started in the hole. There is very little room to work on that one plug, but it is doable after some choice words.

Now, all I have to do is remember how everything goes back together, then it's on to changing the fuel filter.

Thanks, guys!

TroyN

Aloha Kelly, happy Easter too! How long did the spark plug job end up taking? I think this is one that I'm going to have the shop do, just sounds like the pain vs. fun ratio is too high.

Are you, or have you already done your distributor caps and rotors? I'm going to do these next. Good luck on the fuel filter.

Arrwin

Congrats Kelly on saving lots of $$ and tackling another DIY.

As I understood an engine drop was needed to change the plugs or is it much easier with the engine out? Do all shops not bother and go straight to dropping the engine? Just seems like an unneeded expense [dropping the engine] for just one plug(?).

It would be great if someone can come up with tool for extracting that PITA plug, if it's at all possible.

Great job Kelly.

Father of 3

No need to drop engine, though with engine out plug change would be easy. Think of it this way, a compression/leakdown test involves taking out one of two plugs for each cylinder.

Ray Calvo

Engine drop isn't necessary, altho it would sure makes things easier. Haven't gone that far yet.

I can get at that upper plug with my custom-built spark plug socket. Want details? Search the archives.

kkim

About 4-6 hours, if you don't run into problems. It's not hard, just time consuming taking stuff off to get to the plugs to do the change. I would recommend lining things up as you take them off so you know what order to put them back in.

If you have the time and work area, I'd recommend you try it yourself. I learned a lot about how the engine is put together and what goes where just by having to be under there for so many hours. LOL... I say this now, but let me tell you I was sweating bullets when I couldn't get that plug out. I had visions of having to call a mechanic over to fish the damn thing out if I failed to get it out myself. I did an oil change just before the plug work, so there is stuff scattered all over the garage.

I did the caps and rotors after I first bought the car. It's not that difficult if you read the archives first and take your time and work carefully. I changed out one wire at a time from old cap to new so I wouldn't end up crossing anything. You still need to pay attention to the routing of those wires. Certainly anyone that has changed out their suspension could do the rotor/caps w/o much difficulty.

Happy Easter to you and your family, Troy. Hope your young one had a great time Easter egg hunting today. Haven't seen you on the board much, lately. Hope your car is running great.

kkim

No engine drop needed as pointed out... just time and patience. Yes, it would be easier to do the plugs when the engine is out, but really no need to pull the engine just to do the plugs.

Actually, someone has. Take a look at the picture Ray provided in past posts. That's what I used as a model to get to the plugs. Not exactly what he has, but the idea is similar. I just kept work parts of what I had in my rachet/socket drawer to come up with something that would work. 7" is the magic # you're looking for as pointed out in past posts.

BTW, I still owe you an email about summer. Hope your plans are going well.

kkim

Yes sir... did that and used the picture you posted as my model. I just wanted to take the time to thank you for sharing your knowledge on Pcars. For rookies like me, gathering info from experienced owners saves me time and provides ideas on how to do the job easier/faster.

Thank you for your many contributions to the board, Ray.

Dudley

Nice job Kelly. I also just picked up a new fuel filter and will attempt that next.
I might suggest that anyone attempting the spark plug change, take a new plug to Sears and test out a new spark plug socket for "grip". Investing in a new socket can make the lob a lot easier.