Originally Posted By: DeafBrad
Originally Posted By: NibbanaBanana
You leave them in there for a long time and then they don't want to come out. What's so great about not having to change spark plugs anyway? How difficult is it to change spark plugs? When you take them out they give you a good idea how your motor's doing. I use Autolite copper plugs for 30K miles. Never had a problem.
I never had a problem with the copper plugs either. About leaving the plugs in, some cars are bad when it comes to changing plugs. On some v6 engines the intake runners need to come off and it would be a pain to do every 30k miles. Very long life plugs make sense for them.
My 4 cylinder car was easy, and I could do them all and close the hood in ten minutes. No problem there with using copper plugs and changing more often. My van isn't bad either; the back row of plugs just takes a little more care.
I've got a 4-cylinder car. It's a boxer though, which presents some interesting access issues.
I've changed plugs on various Honda inline 4s. Some were extremely easy for access, like a first generation Acura Integra. Just yank on the boot and pull out the plug. My '95 Integra GS-R threw an added step, with a cover over the plug holes. The first time I tried removing it to see what was under the cover, I overtightened the nut and snapped the bolt. It was some strange bolt that could only be removed by taking over the entire valve cover. I decided to get a factory service manual, and it said 8 ft-lbs. My wife's Civic isn't too bad for access, but it has a plastic cover and the direct injection coils are screwed on by nuts. They're NGK Laser Platinums though.
The hardest part for me was installing the plug. I have to use a plug socket with a rubber sleeve so it doesn't just crash down into the spark plug tube. The extension would always separate from the socket. I found a Craftsman locking extension that locks onto the socket.
