Okay - I know there have been posts here listing all the swivel sockets used to change our plugs - w/o the search engine I cannot find those old posts.
Has anyone changed their plugs & if you have, what sockets were necessary to get to the ones WAY in back? I want to be ready to change mine when the weather warms up (no garage since that plum tree fell down! LOL!) so if you can let me know what to have on hand I'd really appreciate it! Thanks guys!

 

granted i only have the v6 so 2 less plugs but i got mine out through the wheel wells. used nothing more then a medium extension and a regular old spark plug socket.

 

Cowlady, it is a knuckle busting job, but it is always fun when we get to do something for the good of our trucks, so here goes. What I did, I had a swivel torque wrench (the head on it swivels so you can change the angle, this was great I thought) and a 6 inch extension, an 8 inch extension and a 12 inch extension. Are you plannin on changing wires, too? That would be the best move, in my opinion, but that's up to you. I didn't even take the wires out of the looms until I had changed the plugs, that way I could change the wires one at a time and reuse the factory looms (which are a real pain to get open, by the way, and dang near impossible to reuse all of them) and I didn't have to worry about routing the wires correctly, it left me sort of a template to change them with. Anyway, for the plugs that are hard to get to, I took the 12 inch AND the 6 inch extensions together with the socket on it (no wrench yet) and I put it over the spark plug, hand-turning to see if I had it on the plug or not. Once it was on, I found the best angle that was possible to get the wrench on (this is where the swivel head came in handy, especially on the very back plug on the passenger side, the fuel rail (?) is really in the way there), then I loosened it. Most of them stayed in the wrench until I got them out, but I also had one of those retractable magnets that I had to use to 'fish' for a few of them. When going back in, I put the plug in the socket (it should sit in there fairly well without falling out) and used the no-wrench method to get it started and went as far as I could by hand, then I again found the angle to put the torque wrench on and tightened. This is time consuming, and requires more patience than I usually have, so be ready for a good job when you are going to do it. It isn't that bad after the first time, but feeling it out the first time can get to be a pain! The driver's side plugs were all fairly easy to get to, the roughest one is the very back on the pass. side, but I had a problem. I stripped the plug on the very back of the driver's side, and how I got past it is I put the socket and extension on the plug and got it to sit as best I could, then I took a hammer and tapped the socket down onto the plug. (Don't worry, I am way out of warranty) Good luck, and happy changing! By the way, what kind of plugs are you going to use? (no sales pitch, just curious) I used the Autolite Platinums, and they are great! You are on your own on wires if you decide to change them too, I went with Exact from Advance Auto because the stock replacements were over $175. Exact for $65 will do, for now, anyway, no problems yet and I have almost 10,000 miles with them. Matt90GT helped me step by step through this in the 'Engines' forum, but I modified a few of his steps. That's just the basic, howver works for you when you are doing is how is best for you, but I didn't use any swivel sockets, the only swivel I had was the one on the torque wrench. Be careful with your hands, some real pulling to do to get those boots off the plugs!

 

It's probably 'overkill' but I ordered(over the net) a special spark plug socket from SNAP-ON TOOLS. I don't have a link or pic but it is on their site(www.snapon.com) and the p/n is S9720KA. It is looooooooong which makes it easier to remove and start the plugs and it grips the plug better than any other socket. It is 'costly' but worth it--I think.

As to torquing them; I always torque the parts that require/need it but in the case of my plugs, I couldn't. I don't trust a torque wrench when at an angle so I ran my plugs down finger-tight/snug and then, 1/16th of a turn more.

Get a big tube(NAPA has some) of dielectric grease and put a 'dollup' of it on the opening of the s/p boot before you slip it back on.

Btw, I haven't changed my plugs on my 97 4.6L xlt but I have on my 01 L and it was no picknic! 4.5 hours--whewwwww! Hope you have smaller hands and shorter work-time .

Dan

 

cowlady - since you have the 4.6 you still have plug wires, right? So I can skip coil pack removal.

I found the job to be more of an initial intimadation, soon as got my hands in there it wasn't that bad.

Anyway, first time I changed my plugs (5.4) engine it took a little under 3 hours over the course of the 3 days.

Tools I used (for plugs only)
3/4 rachet
spark plug socket w/ rubber boot in it
6" extension that locks
3" extension that locks
3" extension, regular one.

The locking extensions greatly help when you put the plugs back in, because sometimes the boot on the inside socket is tight and when you pull out the socket will stay on the plug, which is a major pain when can't put reach in and pull it out, so the locking extensions prevent that.

When changing mine I didn't use a swivel at all. I just put the extension/socket on the plug, and only used the rachet for the initial loosening then my fingers for the rest, and when tightening used fingers first then ratchet for the final tightening. The swivel socket takes away from the actual torque you exerting to tighten the plug, which makes it harder to tell how tight it is. So just take extra time to work around this.

Tips:
-patience
-some more patience
-don't do it when your rushed for time
-Tightening plugs - first finger tighten the plug (with extension of course), the place the ratchet on and 1/16 of turn to tighten it.
-Give it a couple days of driving then check to make sure they're all tight.
-Use a little bit of anti sieze on your plugs (unless your planning on changing them so often they don't get a chance to become stuck)

 

LOL, a wrencher after my own heart. A true shadetree mechanic.

 

How the heck do you guys physically reach the back plugs? Do you guys lay down on the engine??? I look at it and think, "I'm gonna have to build a platform over the engine..."

 

Thanks guys - I will print this out & use it as a reference & to stop the bleeding whe I hit my knuckles on the engine!
One of the things that most worries me is my height - at 5'2" i can barely SEE the back plugs, let alone reach them! Dennis may have a good point - I may have to lay across the engine to reach them. Even w/a stepladder I won't get a good enough "grip" to be able to do the job. Boy do I wish this motor was like the old ones - plenty of room & everything easy to reach! <---sighing wi****ly! Believe it or not I am not too "green" when it comes to working on a motor - I still can rebuild carbs (2 & 4 bbl) & tune ups were FUN to do so I'd do all my friends cars as well as my own! Now I need help for just about everything it seems. Heck - I have to kneel on the bumper to be able to remove the oil filler cap because I can't apply enough downward pressure to loosen it! Now you see what I'm up against when I go to change my plugs! <---sniffling!
I do appreciate your help though & I will let you know how it goes. Looks like it may have to wait a bit though - we're getting more snow thru the next 14 days so much as I want to get this over & done with I'm not that hardy - I will wait for drier weather to attempt this!
LOL LePew! I thought I was about the only 1 here w/o a garage to work in! Someday I want a garage & a barn - I could care less about a house! I'll live in the barn when I'm not living in the garage! I'll make sure I save you some room too - ok?

 

Woo-hoooo!! I'm in like Flint!

Your generosity is greatly appreciated CL. Too bad about your tree. The oak tree in my neighbor's yard also doubled as an engine hoist with the help of a block and tackle. Some claim that laziness is the mother of invenion, I tend to belive that necessity is the mother of invention. Good luck to you and give me a shout so I dont miss the barn raising.

 

Don't worry about that. The engine, side paneling, battery, all that stuff is rather comfortable after a while.

I'm 5'4", with a stepladder I couldn't reach the back plugs. Just make sure you have some good lightning since your body and head will block alot light as you lay across everything. I used a flourescent droplight, didn't get hot so I didn't get burned, and it provided all the light I needed.

 

Yes, be SURE to get some sort of good light source, and there is more than enough room up on the fenders to sit while you work. Cowlady, it took me and two other people all three yanking on one of the plug wires to get the boot to come off of the plug, and that was AFTER we got the seal broken. They can get tough!

 

Not trying to tick anyone off but...... changing all the plugs in my '95 5.0 truck takes me about 30 minutes. OK, I'll admit, that's if I'm sippin a beer when I do it, it really only takes 25....

Now...where's that Nomex suit of mine....

 

are a totally different ballgame than previous Ford engines. It's the overhead cams that make them such a PITA.

I've done my 4.6l and it's not fun, but not that bad if you don't have to hurry. I didn't have to remove any of the fuel line runners, but did have to loosen the power steering pump from the mounting bracket.

How uncomfortable it is for a woman leaning over/on the fenders depends on the "build" of the woman, I suppose, but use a blanket or towel for a cushion and watch for belt buckles or you'll scratch the paint.

I used Bosch Plus 4 plugs, but IMHO, not worth $6.00/ea.

Have fun!!!!!!!!

 

i'm with CL, i'm one of the last few without a garage as well.
just changed my brakes a few weeks ago, outside temp was somewhere near 15 degrees. usually try to get all work done before winter but those buggers snuck up on me.
oil changes in the cold i don't mind, but anything else can get annoying.

 

wildchild
I know exactly how you feel. I just hate not having a nice warm garage that I could pull into at any time and fix what ever. I hate having to plan my truck repairs around the weather. I mean I have acess to a garage but it's hard to get to and not always available.

CL
Good luck on the plug change. I know a few have had good luck using the spark plug socket that has the u-joint built into the top. I bought one at Sears for like 10 bucks. I have yet to change mine to see how well it works. Also locking and wobble extensions are a good thing to have handy. I might actually pay someone to change mine. 50-100 bucks may seem like money well spent if it takes me over 4 hrs to change the plugs. The last time it took me 5 hrs to do the 2 coils packs and the wires. Then again it did get dark and I had trouble getting some of them routed and seated down right.