My First Spark Plug Adventure!

[ThirdeYe]

Today was an interesting day. I took out my spark plugs and replaced them with some new OEM NGK's, and also some NGK "Premium" wires, because the wires were original (1994 wires) and the spark plugs I had no idea when they were changed last. Anyways, I was also going to attempt to tackle my leaking cam plug while I took the valve cover off to see if there was any sludge, and I spent hours and hours trying to get the housing for the cam plug off but to no avail. Finally gave up and put everything back together and i'm gonna take it to Acura Monday hopefully to get it replaced. Anyways, Here's my narrated story of changing my spark plugs for the first time:

I first attached my brand new spark plug socket to the end of my 6" extension bar connected to my socket wrench. I removed the boot from spark plug 1. The wrench kept turning and turning, and wouldn't come out. After a while, I figured out that the little rubber piece inside the socket wasn't pushed in all the way. After I got that squared away, I removed the first spark plug. I went down the line and removed all 4 plugs.
The Lineup:

They looked pretty worn out to me. Here's a comparison of the new plug next to the old ones:

I went down the line and replaced all of the plugs, adding a small amount of anti-seize to each one.

The Plugs:

A B18B1 Honda Motor after over 122k miles:

Finally after slapping everything back together after hours of frustration trying to get the cam holder off, I installed the new wires:

The final product:

Overall changing the spark plugs was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I had a bit of trouble getting the loose plugs out of the motor, but I solved that by putting the boot back in, pushing down gently, and lifting back up with the plug stuck in the boot (worked really well actually!)

 

[mechtech2]

You managed to hide the important part of the plugs, while showing the useless [comparatively ]insulator.

 

[Merkava_4]

Quote:

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Anyways, I was also going to attempt to tackle my leaking cam plug while I took the valve cover off to see if there was any sludge, and I spent hours and hours trying to get the housing for the cam plug off but to no avail.

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Are you talking about the thermostat housing that you keep calling a cam plug? Someone used RTV on it last time right? So what you do is remove the mounting bolts and smack it hard with a soft mallet; that will break the seal of the RTV. A hard plastic mallet is best, or you can even use a block of wood and a hammer.

 

[ThirdeYe]

No, i'm talking about the cam plug housing (called exhaust cam holder, I believe) because my cam plug is leaking and you need to remove it. I hit it as hard as I could with my rubber mallet (actually damaged my rubber mallet!) and I still couldn't get it off. Tried the block of wood and it just broke the wood. It's on there for life or something, i'm just going to cut my losses and let Acura deal with that. I also need to have them checkout some potential problems with my bumper and alignment anyways

As for the pictures of the spark plugs, here's one of the pics (from the first plug I pulled):

A better pic of the 4 plugs, labeled:

 

[Drew99GT]

Plugs look fine; just a little old.

So your motor has seen mostly Valvoline All Climate? Looks bright and shiny!

 

[ThirdeYe]

I'm not sure, but it has Valvoline in it right now. The previous owner always had it done at the Acura Dealership in Auburn, MA, and i've had it done at a dealership here, that used Valvoline. Loving the way the crankcase looks though. I have a friend with a '96 Integra and his looks identical

Great engines.

 

[m2200b]

If your replacing the wires I change the plugs. Your look about 20k but I pull them as you at least got
1. no coolant on them
2. none were fouled with oil
3. you can get the next ones out as you change them regularily .
Sounds like a good does of black rtv on the cam plug but its sounds like you used as much force as I'd apply as it doesn't look like much of leak.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I think I might actually try some RTV on that gasket to avoid paying the dealer to get that beast off (it's on there for life!)

 

[98LSC32V]

Some oil is getting by, not a big deal right now but could get progessively worse if the seals aren't fixed.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I bought some replacement o-rings for the spark plug holes. I plan on putting them in as soon as I get the car back from the dealer (having them replace the cam plug, couldn't get the dang housing off!) I looked into each hole with a flashlight and saw no oil what-so-ever. Perhaps a slight leak when the valve cover may have been taken off in the past?

 

[javacontour]

Looks like a text book perfectly used plug.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I re-seated the original spark plug seals better (they weren't in the valve cover very well and they weren't cracked or brittle) so i'll pull the boot in a week or so to see if it's letting any oil in. I checked it yesterday night and it seemed good so far.

 

[PF52]

Quote:

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You managed to hide the important part of the plugs, while showing the useless [comparatively ]insulator.

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LOL Reminds me of a poster on another forum I frequent; they will post a dozen pics of tools, shop rags, gloves, PB Blaster can, RTV tube, etc, but always forget the shots that show the actual work. I enjoy the threads however, now that I know what to expect.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Oh geez i'm not that bad am I?

 

[JustinH]

the old plugs still looked fine.