changing plugs

[dave valiant]

I just got a 98 OBW and want to do a few things to have her tip top. I am going to do the timing belt and water pump. The water pump sin't leaking but i just figured while I am in there to do it. I am also going to replace the spark plugs and wires. There isn't a whole lot of room to work with in there so I was wondering what the best way to go about getting them in and out would be. To me it looks like I will need a short extension on the socket, then after that is in attach the ratchet to the extension.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[chef_tim]

Congratulations Dave :banana: . I read on here that there are holes in the body channels so you can get at the plugs. When I did my motor the plugs were already in so I didn't have to deal with that but the plug wires were a nightmare:eek: . Give me a call when you get a sec and tell me about the new toy. Later, Tim

[dave valiant]

Thanks Tim. That would definetly make getting them changed a whole lot easier. I will give you a call tonight.

[sidedown]

The passenger side plugs are accessible after removing the airbox. Driver side is a little tight, try not to repeat my first time mistake. My first time replacing the driver side plugs I removed the front boot from the plug, then I figured it would be easier if I pulled out the washer fluid reservoir. Mistake was after I removed the washer fluid lines, the reservoir squirted into the plug well and filled it with washer fluid. Luckily the spark plug was still in, just took a few mins extra to swab all the fluid out so it didnt run into the motor. But once the washer reservoir is out, its easy to get both driver side plugs. I have never tried the fender access way, but have heard that is easy.

[ron917]

I've seen several posts about the body access holes. They don't exist on my '99 OBW. Maybe they are there on the '98, but that would be very surprising since there's very little difference between the two years.

 

Remove the airbox on the passenger side. On the driver's side, remove the battery and the winshield washer reservoir.

 

The hardest part is figuring out what combinations of sockets, extensions, etc, that you own will do the job. Once you've found a combo that works for one plug, it may not work on the next. It's tight, but it's doable.

[The Dude]

The Phase II engine calls for spark plug replacement every 30,000 miles. The Phase I engine calls for spark plug replacement every 60,000 miles, and requires expensive platinum spark plugs due to the extended interval. Guess why? You'll find out. Changing the spark plugs on the Phase I engine can be one giant PITA. DON"T forget to use anti-seize, especially if go with the 60,000 mile replacement. Good luck.

[Tech1967]

4" extension + 1" extension + socket should do it. Be glad you don't have to figure out how to get the coil on plug setup out of a hot turbo (misfire diagnoses).

[J A Blazer]

Here's my recent experience on a 4-cylinder 2000 OBW. Passenger side quite easy after removal of air intake plastic plumbing. Driver's side somewhat harder. First, drain windshield washer reservoir. Remove battery, then remove the reservoir; reservoir removal can be done without removing the battery but is much easier with it out of the way. No problem with plug wires on either side. Only difficulties I encountered were getting enough room to use my torque wrench, and my spark plug socket would get left behind in the plug well when I removed the ratchet and extension; friction between the socket rubber insert and the plug was, for me, greater than the friction between the socket and the extension. Solution, for me at least, seems to require two plug sockets; one with the rubber insert to capture the plug on removal, and another without the rubber insert to be used for installing the plugs, although it must be done carefully to avoid damaging the porcelain part of the plug.

[Tech1967]

Here's my recent experience on a 4-cylinder 2000 OBW. Passenger side quite easy after removal of air intake plastic plumbing. Driver's side somewhat harder. First, drain windshield washer reservoir. Remove battery, then remove the reservoir; reservoir removal can be done without removing the battery but is much easier with it out of the way. No problem with plug wires on either side. Only difficulties I encountered were getting enough room to use my torque wrench, and my spark plug socket would get left behind in the plug well when I removed the ratchet and extension; friction between the socket rubber insert and the plug was, for me, greater than the friction between the socket and the extension. Solution, for me at least, seems to require two plug sockets; one with the rubber insert to capture the plug on removal, and another without the rubber insert to be used for installing the plugs, although it must be done carefully to avoid damaging the porcelain part of the plug.

 

Just put a length of vacuum line from one washer pump to the other. A regular screwdriver carefully applied will pop off the hoses. Bent nose needle nose, long is best, will get the electrical connectors off. Again be carefull. Two bolts and the tank slips right out. You might as well have some drill bits and a 6mm x 1 tap around cause you'll need it sooner or later. You really don't need any more room to get at the plugs. I use a socket with no insert to loosen and tighten, and the boot from an old plug wire on an extension to get them in and out. The benefit of the old boot is that as long as you get a few turns with that there is no way you can crossthread. I would say the torque wrench isn't essential but when in doubt it is intelligent.

[unibrook]

Brilliant suggestion to use the old wire boot as a hand tightening guide before applying the the ratchet. Wish I had not thrown my old wires out! I ended up just gently hand tightening with the 4" extension without the ratchet on it to be sure I wasn't cross-threading.

[NOMAD327]

I will repost a response I made at some time in the past to this question.

I used PFR5B-11 NGK which I found at advanced auto for $10, best price I found, and yes those are the original equipment plugs for the car. List on those plugs most places is $15 each and a lot of the internet sources wanted $12 or more with shipping extra. My kid who is on a budget bought Autolite APP3924 for about $4 apiece. They are double platinum and made in America. Very high quality appearance and seemed to match the NGK's for dimensions very well. The car has been running like it should on them for more than 20,000 miles, so they may be OK to use. The plugs on this engine are real difficult to change, so I bought the NGK not wanting to have to redo the job if there were any problems

 

Once you remove the windshield washer bottle and battery (can probably just slide it forward on it’s tray a bit) on the left and the air inlet tube and mass air sensor and air cleaner box on the passenger side, access is fair doing a 2.5 in a 96 to 99 Legacy. I would do the front plug first on each side, as they are slightly easier to do. What makes it the most hard is that the plugs are really far down inside the wells in the heads. The rear plugs on each side are harder because the frame rails are closer in the back. My problem was that an extension was needed, but there isn’t room to get one in with the socket attached. You have to slide the socket into the hole first, then slide in and assemble the extension, and finally attach the ratchet to the end of the extension. I immediately removed the sponge rubber plug protector from my socket, the reason being it will be extremely difficult to get the socket off the end of the plug and out of the hole if the rubber is gripping the spark plug. I didn’t want it on for plug removal either, because there is a lot of trial and error with your socket set as to what gives just the right length for getting the socket stack down into the hole. As I recall, what worked best for me was to use a plug socket in the rear, and then use a ratchet with a standard socket on it to turn the hex on top of the plug socket instead of using an extension. On the front plugs, a 3" extension worked pretty well with the regular spark plug socket and a ratchet. There was at least one plug which worked slightly better with a standard deepwell socket instead of the spark plug socket, but that was not a critical must have item! I would recommend having a small hand mirror on a stick or a ladies compact to be able to glance down into the well to see what’s happening. I’ve done a few of these cars, and on each one, at one time or another, the spark plug socket became slightly jammed on some aluminum protrusions of the head that were down deep in the well. The impression is that the threads are pulling rather than the socket is cocked and dragging. If you experience this, Use the mirror to reconnoiter. If in doubt, reverse direction, and the condition should go away if it’s not the threads. This usually happens when it’s just starting to go real good to scare the heck out of you.

Going back in with new spark plugs, make sure you check the gap first, then lube the threads with an anti-seize compound. Make sure there is a washer on the plug or you will wonder later on if it was in fact there. The big trick for installation, is to have a piece of rubber hose that’s about three or four inches long and a snug fit on the top of the spark plug. Stick it down over the top of the plug and use it to guide the plug into place. Twirl the hose between your fingers and you can probably get the new plug in half to three quarters of the way which ensures the threads are started straight. It's also much quicker and easier than a socket wrench as far as it will go. Putting all the stuff back on after the plugs are in, make sure the three quarter inch hose that connects to the bottom of the intake tract after the air flow sensor is reconnected, The car will not run without the hose connected, and sometimes it slips off unseen during disassembly, and you don’t even realize it needs reconnected.

[mnwolftrack]

I also have a '98 OBW, and I changed the plugs from underneath the car. I did not have to remove anything to get to them, and access was about as good as it gets as far as I could tell. I didn't want to bother trying to take off parts in the engine bay. I don't recall my OBW having access holes, but either way, it was easy enough under the car.

 

The tricks I used are this: I rotated the spark plug wires before trying to pull them off, then rotate and pull off in one motion. Then, push a spark plug socket into the hole. Next, put a 3 inch 3/8" drive extension into the hole and spin it until it engages with the socket. Then spin until the socket slips on to the plug. Then, hook your rachet up to the extension, and loosen the plug. Then, take the rachet off the extension, slide out the extension so you can pull it off the socket, then the socket should come out with the plug still in it. It's definately best to have a spark plug socket with the rubber grommet inside to hold on to the plug.

 

Use antiseize on the new plug threads, check the gap before inserting, and insert the new plug into the socket, then put both into the hole. And installation is the reverse of removal when concerning the plug, socket, extension, and rachet goes.

 

I also went with the expensive OEM double platinum laser plugs, and they were about $10 each but I figured I wouldn't have to do this again for a long time. I also went with OEM plug wires, as that seemed to be the wire of choice for people here.