Hi P owners,
Thought I do a small write up to change out spark plugs.
Simple tools you may need and about 2-3 hours.
Here are some tools you may need, as you replace your spark plugs.
Take out the rear tires.
Once you do you will see a cover with 2 10 mm bolts, take that out and it will expose 3 spark plugs per side. There are 2 #5 hex bolts per coil packs. Remove those and pull out the spark plug and tubes. Use a standard spark plug too with 2 3" inch extensions or if you have a 4" extention with the 3/8 socket tool you should be fine. Its gonna get a little tight towards the exhaust. Make sure not to drop any extentions down the hole, pain to get out. To take off the coil pack from the tubes, squeeze the side of it and it should pop out. Use some anti freeze on the new plugs that you put in, once you put back the plugs torque the plugs to 25 lbs if you can. I also used a can of quick dry to clean the connectors of the coil packs. and re assemble. Good Luck Hope this write up helps.
rear wheels take off.
cover with 2 10 mm bolts.
coil packs and tube coming out.

Have fun, after everything is done go to fridge, get a cup of ice and poor beer.. sip and enjoy the day.

 

anti sieze, not anti freeze

 

What seems to be the most preferred plug for the P car, Bosch-NGK ??

True that the one plug close to the exhaust is a pain to remove and or install, have to use touchy/feely type way of getting it in?

Please clarify, would not mind doing my own install.

Thanks

Max

 

I just did mine today. I used ngk 2288 BKR6EK plugs that i got from advance auto. dual prong instead of quad like the stocks. I got the recommendation from another search i did here.

as for removing the muffler, I found that completely useless since the mounting bracket is still in the way and the upper bolts for it are pretty much inaccessible. It took me about an hour for one side, and 20 minutes for the other side (w/o d*cking around with the exhaust). I used a 3" extension and a swivel to get the spark plug near the muffler out. after breaking it loose i took the ratchet out and just unscrewed the rest with the swivel and extension attached to the socket. I had my plugs and o rings replaced about 20k miles ago so i had no leaks. I was trying to solve a problem but replacing my plugs didn't do it for me. Maybe my coil packs...

One other tool I would recommend having around is a small, good quality magnetic retriever tool if you don't have a socket with the rubber insert. Real handy for getting the socket and spark plug out of the tube after its unscrewed.

 

Thank you for posting. I am thinking of doing this very soon.

 

Good writeup.
You mean anit-seize right.

 

good contribution

 

can somebody clarify between 2 part numbers? here a person recommends BKR6EK, yet in another write up somebody else says they used BKR6E...im about to get a set myself, but im perplexed which to get

 

Great posting! I sent a copy of your instructions to a friend w/ a 99 MY. Next project will be replacing my rear window regulator on pax side.

 

Good job! I tackled mine a while back and was surprised how easy it was. A tip for those using a transom plug to remove those pesky stuck tubes, wrap a little piece of sandpaper around the rubber, and it will pop those suckers out with no slippage problems. Instead of that factory tool, the transom plug and and sandpaper cost less than $3.00.

 

I did this last week. I actually found it essential to remove the muffler as I couldn't get my arm in the tiny space available otherwise. Yes, the mounting bracket is still in the way, and is a PITA to work around, however, you can see what you're doing, and you have more options to maneuver.

It took maybe an extra ~15 minutes to remove/replace the muffler - well worth it in my opinion.

FWIW I had Bosch plugs in before and also replaced them with NGK BKR6EK (also based on opinions found searching the archive). Thus far I'm very happy with it. Engine seem very smooth through acceleration.

 

On the '02 and later, I think you have to remove the mufflers, I know I did. There was really no way in hell without doing that and I have a lift. Since I've removed them before to do the PSE hack, and replaced the steel bolts with SS ones, I can remove my mufflers in seriously like less than 5 minutes a side. I reversed the 2 long bolts that hold the mufflers to the brackets, so they pull out from the bottom, so the bracket stays on the engine, just the mufflers come off. Also makes it a lot easier to get the rearward heatshield bolt off and on, too.

 

took me bout 45 mins to do the job and i also went ngk

 

Thanks for the write up!

 

Just did my plugs (04 C2)... I pulled the mufflers as well as I'm going to do the PSE hack, but not sure the passenger side would have been doable with the mufflers in place. Those bolts on the #4 coil pack are a bitc* to get to! Much harder than the #1 on drivers side. Not sure if the earlier cars also use torx 50 fasteners on the coil packs, but it reduces the clearance even more since my Torx sockets are so much deeper than a conventional 10/12mm socket.

Great idea on reversing those long bolts so they will drop out from the bottom! Should be much easier in the future than removing the three mounting plate nuts.