How To: Change Your Spark Plugs

[MyNameIsThien]

Tools/Items needed:

Spark Plugs (NGK IZFR6K-11 or Denso SKJ20DR-M11)
10mm wrench
10mm socket wrench
Ratchet
6" Extension Bar
5/8" Long Socket and a magnet extractor tool OR a 5/8" Spark plug socket wrench
Anti-seize grease (optional)
Torque wrench (optional)

Time needed: Less than 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Start by removing the four bolts holding the spark plug cover to the cylinder head.  Use a 10mm socket wrench and a ratchet.  You should be able to brake the nuts loose and finish extracting the nuts with your hand.


Next, use your 10mm socket/ratchet set to remove the bolts holding the ignition coil.  I had to use a 10mm wrench to loosen nuts 2 and 4 (pic 3)



Pull out the ignition coil slightly, press the locking tab and disconnect the wire connector.  Pull on the connector, not the wires!



Remove the ignition coil


Remove the spark plugs with a 5/8" spark plug (or a deep) socket and a 6" extension bar.
 
I had to use a magnet extraction tool and a regular deep socket because my spark plug socket wasn't deep enough but you may have better luck.


Check our your old plugs and compare them to your new ones.  My plugs were 10 miles shy of 85K miles and they looked abysmal.


Put the new spark plug into the socket, then screw it into the hole.  Screw it in by hand so you do not crossthread it.  Torque the spark plug to 13 lbs-ft.  (If you do not have a torque wrench, tighten the spark plug two-thirds of a turn after it contacts the cylinder head.)

Install the ignition coils into the hole and connect the wire connectors to the coil.  Make sure it locks in place.  Push the ignition coils down all the way.  Install the bolts.  Reinstall the coil cover and tighten the four nuts.  Start your motor and be amazed by how much smoother your engine runs!

[JohnnyG123]

The spark plug gap should be 0.044 inches. I just put NGK's in my car last week and they didn't require adjustment, but you should always check the gap before installation just in case.

[rjp6262]

man i should probably do this one as well...getting close to 90K on the clock...these things are going to be nasty! is there any spark plug upgrade for us?

[rocketstarter]

PulseStar has dyno results, however I doubt it'd be more then a horse or two on the high end in our cars. They seem to produce more power with higher piston speeds where accuracy is crucial. they have write ups about them in Import Tuner all the time, check the back of the magazine where they install aftermarket parts on cars and pull them on a dyno after every mod, the pulstar plugs are ALWAYS there.

[timot_one]

The spark plug gap should be 0.044 inches. I just put NGK's in my car last week and they didn't require adjustment, but you should always check the gap before installation just in case.

It should be noted that there are different gap spacings for California emissions Accords and the rest of the 49 state Accords.  I'll have to look it up, but I know for a fact that they are different.

[rjp6262]

PulseStar has dyno results, however I doubt it'd be more then a horse or two on the high end in our cars. They seem to produce more power with higher piston speeds where accuracy is crucial. they have write ups about them in Import Tuner all the time, check the back of the magazine where they install aftermarket parts on cars and pull them on a dyno after every mod, the pulstar plugs are ALWAYS there.

i know there are those, but i don't know if their gains are going to be noticeable in our cars. but i don't know how much it's needed for higher revving engines. im asking on K20a to see if anyone has used them on a K series, so that will give me some info there. if there's a decent gain then i'd consider them, but really at $25 a pop, i don't know if it's worth it. isn't there some other plug i could upgrade to?

[Sworkhard]

also know that the iridium plugs shouldn't be gapped as they are very easy to scratch.  They are supposed to come gapped from the factory, and for $12-20 each, they better be.

[Sworkhard]

PulseStar has dyno results, however I doubt it'd be more then a horse or two on the high end in our cars. They seem to produce more power with higher piston speeds where accuracy is crucial. they have write ups about them in Import Tuner all the time, check the back of the magazine where they install aftermarket parts on cars and pull them on a dyno after every mod, the pulstar plugs are ALWAYS there.

i know there are those, but i don't know if their gains are going to be noticeable in our cars. but i don't know how much it's needed for higher revving engines. im asking on K20a to see if anyone has used them on a K series, so that will give me some info there. if there's a decent gain then i'd consider them, but really at $25 a pop, i don't know if it's worth it. isn't there some other plug i could upgrade to?

The pulsestars are not worth it.  They will make a bit of power compared to old plugs, but make no difference compared to new oem plugs once the ecm has calibrated to them.  The oem plugs are about as high end as you can go already.  There really isn't anything to upgrade to.  You can upgrade your ignition system, but that will cost you > $700

[rjp6262]

yeah ill just grab some OEM replacements tomorrow after class and throw em in...my car will probably appreciate it...can't wait to see how nasty the ones in there are lol

[timot_one]

Good info on the Pulstar plugs.  I may have to pick a set of these up since I can benefit from their performance by tweaking KPro.

[Sworkhard]

Good info on the Pulstar plugs.  I may have to pick a set of these up since I can benefit from their performance by tweaking KPro.

You might be able to, but essentially they do the same thing as a hotter plug, which is why you can't use them for turbo apps (ask some sti and evo owners who badly damaged their engines about that).  You'd probaby get a bigger advantage advancing the timing a little bit on stock plugs, since that is essentially what hotter plugs do (causes the combustion to start more rapidly, so it's like the spark timing is advanced slightly)

I'm not a pro, but I was going to buy the pulsestars but figured I browse for a couple of hours and see what performance was experienced on other cars (I'd actually ordered them already, but cancelled), and every case where they compared to new oem plugs, performance was the same or went down with the pulse stars.  Peformance went up compared to well used ones, but that is to be expected.

Edit:
I know levi had them on his car, but he also had a ignition upgrade and even then he couldn't really notice the difference.

[ROLO]

Some photos would be helpfull.. I have been dying to do this myself...  good write up JDM guru..

[Sworkhard]

Some photos would be helpfull.. I have been dying to do this myself...  good write up JDM guru..

.  His article is full of photos.

[timot_one]

It's a good thing that I'm sticking with a n/a set up and can also adjust my timing.  When it comes down to it, I'm willing to spend an extra $20-30 on plugs to see if there are any advantages.

[Sworkhard]

Heres some dyno results from spark plugs.com  You'll notice that they are an improvement over basic champions, but have pretty much no improvement over high end ngk iridiums, and our laser iridiums are a step up from the regular iridiums so in my opinion, oem ftw.



If you do get these plugs though tim, please dyno new laser iridiums and new pulsestars.  I'd be willing to donate $20 to the project if you were willing to go through the trouble of comparing them on our cars.