How do i get to my spark plugs?

dgannon69

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I know as far as taking off the engine cover and then they are underneath the 4 black things, (coil packs?) and then i need an extendable socket set thingy?lol

Anyway the reason being is that it had a 40K service today and part of that was having the spark plugs replaced... when i opened the bonnet just to check the stealers did their job i noticed that the black plastic engine cover was still covered in dust as if it hadn't been removed so i'd like to check if the plugs have been changed...

Next question is, should there be obvious signs the spark plugs are new or old?

Regards

Dave
 
when you look at the engine cover there are 3 plastic crosshead screw that hold it in place.Unscrew these , i think its half a turn, and they will come loose and you can remove the engine cover (you don't need to touch the engine cover itself hence why the dealer may have done the job properly and the engine cover still has dust on it). With this out of the way you will see 4 black boxes on top of the engine, these are the coil packs. On my car these are squares and are held in place with 2 allen head bolts, i think its a 6mm allen key you need, if i remember correctly. Unscrew these and withdraw the coil pack. To get to the spark plugs you need a spark plug socket (this has a rubber insert to grip the plug so you can lift it out after unscrewing it) a rachet and a long enough extension bar.
If you do take them out make sure you have a torque wrench to torque them up to the correct torque when refitting, you engine has an alloy head and if you torgue them to much you'll strip the threads and then you're talking about a costly repair. I don't have the toque figures at hand but I can post them later as I have them at home
When you check the plugs the electrodes on a brand new plug with little mileage they should be shiny metal with little sign of colouration.
A plug thats been in a long time should have a tan/beige coloured deposit on the electrodes
 
when you look at the engine cover there are 3 plastic crosshead screw that hold it in place.Unscrew these , i think its half a turn, and they will come loose and you can remove the engine cover (you don't need to touch the engine cover itself hence why the dealer may have done the job properly and the engine cover still has dust on it). With this out of the way you will see 4 black boxes on top of the engine, these are the coil packs. On my car these are squares and are held in place with 2 allen head bolts, i think its a 6mm allen key you need, if i remember correctly. Unscrew these and withdraw the coil pack. To get to the spark plugs you need a spark plug socket (this has a rubber insert to grip the plug so you can lift it out after unscrewing it) a rachet and a long enough extension bar. If you do take them out make sure you have a torque wrench to torque them up to the correct torque when refitting, you engine has an alloy head and if you torgue them to much you'll strip the threads and then you're talking about a costly repair. I don't have the toque figures at hand but I can post them later as I have them at home
When you check the plugs the electrodes on a brand new plug with little mileage they should be shiny metal with little sign of colouration.
A plug thats been in a long time should have a tan/beige coloured deposit on the electrodes
 

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