So, it’s time to change your spark plugs and now you are sitting there thinking what do I need to get this done? Congrats, you stumbled upon my guide that will take you through the 8 Items you need to change your spark plugs. We will go through the tools you need and what spark plugs you may want to buy.
Products
Spark Plugs
You will need to buy a set of spark plugs based on the best fit for your needs. To determine the best plug for you, head on over to my Spark Plug Buyers Guide here. The guide will explain basic spark plug construction and design to assist in your decision.
I’ll break it down in short here. You have 3 dominant types of plugs you can buy that are all based on similar designs. Iridium, Platinum, and Standard plugs.
Iridium plugs offer the longest life at a higher price. Depending on the price, it may or may not be the best bang for your buck. If your only concern is performance go with the iridium, if not, platinum will likely be the best value. My guide above explains this better.
Platinum, and most notably double platinum, offers the best value. Platinum is abundant enough to keep the cost low and increases the service life enough to pay for itself in the long run.
Standard plugs are the cheapest for a reason, as they use abundant natural resources in their construction. This comes at the cost of lifespan. Typically, you will spend more on these plugs over time. However, if you are selling your car in the next 20,000 miles, I would go this route.
Always check manufacture’s recommendations as a few cars out there will require platinum or iridium plugs. These cars’ engines were designed to run with higher-end plugs and should not be downgraded. You are likely to see poor engine performance if you were to install a cheaper spark plug.
Dielectric Grease
Corrosion is something your spark plugs and spark plug wires are susceptible to. The easiest way to protect your plugs and wires is by adding a bit of dielectric grease to each plug. Here is a link to a YouTube video explaining its use.
Specialized Tools
Gap Tool
You will need a gap tool to change out your plugs. Some plugs come preset from the factory for your car. These tend to have a cardboard cover over the end to ensure they do not get damaged. I do, however, recommend checking the gap on these plugs to make sure they remained undamaged.
Gap tools are cheap and come in a few different varieties.
The first is a coin-shaped gauge and has a tapered edge running around the outside. You place this edge between the electrodes and run the spark plug around until it stops. Then you read the numbers where it stopped, and that is your gap. The hole on the opposite side is used to adjust your gap.
Second is a wire gauge also somewhat coin-shaped in appearance. The wire gauge has a set of gap adjusters on both ends and a series of gauged loops running in between the adjusters. Loops are used to check the gap and have the gap measurement written above each loop. The major drawback is the loops only measure your most common gaps and you may find spark plugs that don’t fall into one of the loop sizes. In this case, you need to pair it with either the first coin style or a set of feeler gauges.
Lastly, you can use a set of feeler gauges. I have had to resort to this method a few times because of the limitations of the fixed loops. Some people prefer using feeler gauges; I’ll leave that up to you.
Buying the coin style and the disk style is cheap and would cover all your standard gaps. You can have both for around $5.
Spark Plug Wire Boot Removal Tool
You can remove spark plug boots by hand, but I do not recommend this. You will inevitably end up doing one of several things that can damage yourself and the wires. The most common thing that I have done is slam my hand into one of the numerous sharp edges under the hood and donated my blood to the car.
I always say, “I haven’t started working until I’m bleeding!” Try not to end up donating your blood, it’s best if you can avoid it.
People tend to pull on the wires and not the boot. I’ll admit to having done this… It’s not good and you can pull the wire loose of the connector inside of the boot. Then it is another trip to the auto parts store for a set of wires. Pick up a set of Spark Plug Wire Removal Pliers and save yourself a headache.
A note here, your car may not be designed to have the wires removed with this tool, it may have its own special tool, or you won’t have enough room to get the pliers in. Check under your hood before buying these!
Spark Plug Wires
Speaking of spark plug wires, did you inspect your wires? Wires are good for about 60,000 miles and anytime you are changing your spark plugs it is an excellent time to inspect your plug wires for integrity.
Check the wires for any cracks, abrasions, gouges, or burns. If you see this, change the wires. If damaged, it could cause the spark from the distributor to jump to another ground resulting in misfires of your engine.
One last check that you should do is test it with a digital multimeter, if you are checking them, you might as well go all out. You will want to consult a tune-up manual to know the maximum resistance of your wires.
As for the wires, if you have a stock vehicle, a basic set will do. If you are modifying or planning to modify your engine, go ahead and upgrade. If upgrading, you should know the construction of your wires and how your vehicle electronics might react to the wires you choose. The best wires, for performance, don’t play nice with modern electronics.
Spark Plug Socket
A spark plug socket will make your day a lot easier. Inside of a spark plug, you will find a retainer that will hold the spark plug into the socket while you are removing it. This is extremely helpful for installing and will help reduce the risk of dropping the spark plug and breaking the ceramic, which, ends up being another trip to the store to get one spark plug…
General Tools
Ratchet
You need a ratchet to change out your spark plugs.
Torque Wrench
Spark plugs have a set torque to prevent damage. Use your torque wrench! You should be able to find the torque in the owner’s manual but if it’s not in there, you have two easy options. Option 1 is the internet, if you can’t find it there I am intrigued about what type of car you drive. Option 2 which may be easier but less accurate, is to check the spark plug box. Many boxes will list general torques on the package.
Extension
You may need an extension, especially on plugs in the middle of the head. These will be deep in the valve cover and difficult to get at.
Congrats! You have what you need!
Now that you have everything you need to change your spark plugs, get out in the garage and start turning wrenches. Feel free to comment below and sign up for the newsletter! Thanks for reading!
If you want more info check out this YouTube video here.
