8 Spark Plugs

[dubnutts]

For all you 4 banger truck owners with 8 spark plugs 2 per cylinder, they are a bitch. The ones on the passenger side are easy but the driver side is rough. You have to take off the intake manifold to get to them but it runs way smoother now. It took a few hours but it is way worth it.

 

[phatcap]

yeah when i did mine, i neglected to realize that a couple of those hoses connected to the underside of the manifold are coolant hoses and got sprayed with it upon removing them. oops...

 

[billy69mach]

Mine Didnt Have Any Coolant Hoses Under The Intake But Mine Is A 1994 2.3

 

[Derek The Great]

Mine Didnt Have Any Coolant Hoses Under The Intake But Mine Is A 1994 2.3

being a 1994, we also got lucky because we have the crappier intake set up which means we didn't have to remove the intake manifold to get to those drivers side plugs... The toughest plug for me was the passenger side plug closest to the firewall, nasty lil bugger.

 

[dubnutts]

watch for stuck plugs

i started changing them like two months ago but i just got the intake manifold off and started to wrench on the first driverside plug and it broke loose and when it did my hand came back and busted against some metal handle looking thing and i ended up getting 10 stitches in my left thumb got a sweet scar too ill post the pics later

 

[Derek The Great]

i too work for the busted knuckle garage, hehe

 

[Simple_serf]

They aren't that bad to do...Pull off the hood, Pull out the intake, Change plugs.

The earlier 4 plug motors were easy to change the plugs on, but any dist. work was a bitch, given that that was below the intake manifold, and given that I like points, well, that just makes it more interesting.

look on the bright side...you get better mileage than a 3.0 or 4.0, and you have an engine that can easily hit 250K miles.

 

[sbc63trls250]

I just picked up a ranger with 468k. I was just looking at a tune up for this thing. Wtf 8 plugs. I was alittle confused. Does my 97 have that coolant thing in my intake manifold?

 

[th31d10t]

I have '96 and I was able to change all 8 plugs without taking off the intake manifold. Taking it off will make like a little easier but it can be done without removing it.

 

[Mutant Pony]

i started changing them like two months ago but i just got the intake manifold off and started to wrench on the first driverside plug and it broke loose and when it did my hand came back and busted against some metal handle looking thing and i ended up getting 10 stitches in my left thumb got a sweet scar too ill post the pics later

Ah, the joys of turning wrenches.
If you do any kind of work on a vehicle you WILL get things like this from time to time. My left index finger is missing the nail section, That was a snowmobile though. My left pinkie finger is slightly shorter(Mud truck) as well as my right(mud truck). My hands are all calloused and scarred from wrenching nearly every day for the last twenty years.

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

You guys know there's no reason to remove the intake manifold, right?

Back when mine was stock (1990 dual plug) I could change all eight plugs and wires in about a half hour, without removing anything but the plugs and wires themselves. The intake manifold is designed to allow access to the plugs with about 12" of socket extension.

Now that I have a turbo on the passenger side it takes me 45 minutes because I have to remove a piece of intercooler piping to get to the #2 and #3 plugs on the passenger side.

 

[phatcap]

ever changed em on a '98 or newer? i don't know about you, but i'd rather not risk crossthreading the plug holes trying to f around with 2 ft. of extensions and swivels. i found it much easier to get everything out of the way enough to access the two bastards on the driver's side rear of the motor. it doesn't take that long.

 

[phatcap]

and besides, it gives you a chance to inspect and clean the throttle body, iac, and intake itself if needed.

 

[tylerh]

i did mine in my 96 without taking the intake off it can be done but it is a pain you need a big extension and a couple of universals and your good to go but a little tip put some tape on your universals to stiffen them up a little

 

[Army]

Use wobbly extension instead of universals. Much easier, and have a better "feel" for cross-threading.