apparently it seems really 997.2 spark plug replacement is easier than 997.1 . thank you very much dgrayling this DIY is exactly what the 997.2 owners need to get the courage tto do their plugs.

 

Interesting comments on the "no anti-seize". I was always taught to use anti-seize when you have two different metals contacting (like a steel spark plug in an aluminum head). Maybe the newer plugs are made out of aluminum?

Thanks to the OP for the write-up and excellent pics!

 

I asked the owner of and Indy shop if they use antiseize and he said "a little". I asked another shop and the owner said they use a drop of oil. I used a light amount of permatex antiseize when I did my plugs and the car runs great, never an issue.
Been using antiseize on plugs for Mazdas, Volvos, and other makes for 25 years and never an issue. I think Porsche is afraid the tech will glob on too much and impede the grounding but IMO don't think it's an issue.

 

This has been greatly contested especially amongst us old school types. At the end I decided to err on the side of what Porsche recommended this time(I don't always agree with them) as I was using their torque values for the seating depth. I've also seen calculators on the web that convert torque values depending on the different types of lubricant used... but in the end my car was still under warranty plus CPO so I did it per Porsche.

 

You can certainly make electrically conductive anti-seize compound but then just need to use the torque values that would apply to using that product.

As was mentioned, using the dry torque values when you use an anti-seize lubricant is the wrong thing as you will over-tighten the plugs then.

 

My goodness never thought tightening sparkplugs was like brain surgery. Everything has to be exact! If you err on the torque will the engine explode?

 

Yup, into 5,223.233 peices

 

No, but like any other over-torqued bolt or screw, you risk seizing or damage to the threads. On an inexpensive car's engine that may be a risk one is willing to take. On a Porsche engine that costs as much as a small car.. not so much.

 

What are the chances of siezed spark plugs on slightly wrong torque plugs if they are replaced every 4 years? Serious question. As minok states, the engines of porsches, which i agree, are indeeed cery expensive.

 

I agree with Minok... as the relevant question is why risk torquing improperly when it cost $25K for a rebuilt engine installed. Plus if something does go wrong you can ask PCNA for a replacement with some confidence that it wasn't your DIY project that caused an issue. BTW, I didn't properly use torque values on my prior BMW's either. But then I could buy a nicely used E46 M3 for the price of a rebuilt 911 engine. Since acquiring my C2S I've become less of a grease monkey and more the torque monk... using proper torque wrenches and values for all my projects on this car. Even upgraded my wrenches to Precision Instrument.

 

I have not yet done the plugs on my 997.2, but I did the wife's BMW 3er last year and came across this interesting fact about NGK plugs, OEM for BMW.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/TB-...1antisieze.pdf

I didn't use never seize, I trust what NGK and any other OEM supplier suggests.

 

Well, that depends on how good you are at guessing by feel at what the right torque is. If you are horrible at it the odds are high you will way over/undertorque the plugs, with the respectively associated risks of damaging the threads in the block or the plugs coming loose as you drive. If you are very good at estimating proper torque with just your hands, then you may well be fine.

A good torque wrench is not an overly expensive tool, so why not use that tool?

It feels somewhat like someone asking, what are the odds of me ruining a philips head screw head by using a flat-head screwdriver on it. Just buy a damn philips head screw driver!

 

Ngk article says it all. Great reference. Now we know why anti seize is not needed. Te plugs were already built to have the function on them.

 

The idea behind multiple electrodes is that the gap stays in spec longer. The electrodes erode over time, making the gap larger than spec. With multiple electrodes, the erosion is spread over several electrodes keeping the plug gap in spec longer.

 

Great!
Thanks!