8 Spark Plugs

[beefgravy]

I too have this in my 93 now... what was the purpose or advantage to 8 plugs?.... curious

 

[HD_Slim]

I too have this in my 93 now... what was the purpose or advantage to 8 plugs?.... curious

I believe the additional spark plug is just there to meet emissions requirements - two sparks for more complete combustion.

 

[Byrd]

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

I put two o-rings on the joint sections of the universal to make it stiffer, works like a charm, no more flop, tons of control and they last a bit longer than the tape. Just my 2 bits.

-Byrd

 

[Mirage]

Have to agree with Byrd above. I just did the plugs on my 96 B2300 this morning and found that a stiff universal is definitely a big plus here. It can be done without removing the top of the intake, just take your time, a long extension, and a stiff universal.

 

[ubear7]

What exactly is involved when removing the intake.

 

[Resurrection Ranger]

I used the 12 inch extention thats one piece with the plug socket. When I used a regular extention and plug socket sometimes they would separate pulling off the plug. It does have a swivel head but its fairly stiff so it doesn't flop around. The biggest problem I had was getting the wires on the last 2 cylinders under the fuel rail. I unplugged the EGR for more access and I used one of those flat socket organizers as a guide and pushed the plug on with another one. Plug boot pullers help quite a bit too.

 

[outomyelement]

I just finished changing my plugs last week (95' 2.3L). I didn't have to take the manifold off, although I agree that (facing the truck) the far right rear 2 are a pain. I picked up a 15" spark plug extension (about $15 a Autozone) -- an idea picked up here from another user, another string... It worked great!!!

I had someone else help me guide the wire boots back into place. I agree with Resurrection, having a boot puller to take the boots off and put them back on would be a huge help. Took about 45 minutes...

I changed the plugs, wires, (pre) o2 sensor and cleaned the MAF and got rid of some hesitation that my truck was having in the lower gears. All the plugs were white...

I've also noticed a small increase in HP.

Next project -- FatMat sound insulator install! I'll document the install once I get it going...

 

[cbsremix]

I have 92 and I was able to change all 8 plugs without taking off the intake manifold, the drivers side was much harder but you can get around it.

 

[samurphy]

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

I agree with this. It's true that I loved my cavalier's 4 plugs (in retrospect) but how often are you changing the plugs that you can't spend the extra time to give your truck some extra attention?

I had a failed plug (that one... driver's side... all the way back...) and it was my first taste of tearing into my truck. It felt cathartic to dig so deep into her for the first time. (yes, that is what she said)

 

[Z3CHYD]

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.

+1 perserverence and sweat does wonders lol

 

[Z3CHYD]

I too have this in my 93 now... what was the purpose or advantage to 8 plugs?.... curious

As I have been told, Ford started putting 8 plugs in the 2.3 because it enables it to have a "cleaner burn" so there isnt as much waste fumes since there is more spark in the cylinder walls to ignite the gas/o2 mixture

 

[Bryan22]

i just did mine a couple weeks ago. only thing i removed was the bolts from the A/C compressor and moved it aside after that a short extensin, long extension and a swivel in between did all the work. this was my second time doing it , which made it a bit easier. I think i had all 8 done in less than an hour.

 

[Nick806]

I have a 99 2.5L and yea those two driver side ones are a real pain in the ass. I didn't remove the intake but it damn sure took forever. I'm wishing I had removed it though so I could clean and inspect. Esp that IAC. Every time I shift gears it doesnt drop back to idle, it wants to stay kinda at the same rpm that it was at in gear. thinkin of tearin all that apart this weekend and doin that cleanin and inpsection I shoulda done two weeks ago.

 

[SkiLLzWheeLz]

I bought some needle nose pliers to take off the drivers side rear plug wires........they are about 12 inches or so long made by GearWrench or whatever.....they have two bendable spots instead of one like normal pliers, which results in less space needed to open the jaw. Worked great on the 3rd plug wire....the only one I needed help on....regular extension and socket worked for me on the plug itself

 

[Pistons23]

I have a 99 2.5L and yea those two driver side ones are a real pain in the ass. I didn't remove the intake but it damn sure took forever. I'm wishing I had removed it though so I could clean and inspect. Esp that IAC. Every time I shift gears it doesnt drop back to idle, it wants to stay kinda at the same rpm that it was at in gear. thinkin of tearin all that apart this weekend and doin that cleanin and inpsection I shoulda done two weeks ago.

im doing that this weekend. only because my dumbass didnt gap the plugs properly the first time. since i cant find just the upper intake manifold gasket, i bought the whole set. now that the upper intake will be off ill be able to clean the throttle body pretty well and also the iacv. this is a lesson i learned the hard way, ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SPARK PLUG GAPS(even if they say theyre pre-gapped).