Yes I am an artist.

No I am not a mechanic.

However I do my own repair and maintenance if it isn't way too complicated or requires big expensive machines that I don't have access to.

That being said, a spark plug is usually a pretty simple procedure.

This was easily done in under an hour.

I was able to complete the whole thing with a standard socket set and a couple of small wrenches.

I couldn't immediately find the hood release as I didn't look around the corner. This model has the latch showing sideways underneath the dash and steering.

I've never worked on one of these. Seems like a decent-looking motor. It drives well. I did clear out all the pine straw. :-)

Under the hood I removed the leads from the battery. I missed the chance to take a photo of how it looked, some corrosion on the positive post.

I gave the posts a cleaning and removal of the corrosion.

Okay so there are four plugs for this vehicle and they are under that top panel that is held in place by these four bolts.

Under the top panel are these four coil packs. I have to remove these to get to the spark plugs.

Prying the latch gently with a flathead screwdriver and some gentle persuasion...

comes right off!

Once those four are unplugged the whole piece can be lifted up and out of the way.

Some gentle twisting and pulling was all that was needed to lift these out of the motor.

This is how each of these coil packs look. I have replaced these on other cars before. These looked to be still in good shape.

With all the coil packs removed I can now grab those plugs!

A socket wrench with an extension bar and a 5/8" plug socket.

I have to guide the socket in without the wrench connected as there is a low clearance over the plug ports.

Once in place and I could feel the socket lock in around the plug, I could connect the wrench and gently turn.

Eventually it becomes free from the threads and can be gently lifted out of the motor.

These plugs were coming up on 100K miles. I have seen way worse plugs in a car, but it's about time for some new ones.

Being careful to keep the holes free of debris as I prep the new plugs.

This is everything I've pulled out of there. 4 packs, 4 plugs, and about 8 bolts.

Pretty much just going with Densos as that is what is in there in the first place. :-)

So fresh and so clean!

Here I am placing the new plugs in the same way I took the old ones out. When it's down at the bottom I turn and nudge around the extension bar in an attempt to gently locate the threads and getting the plug eased into the threads being careful not to force it or crossthread it. I get them in there hand-tight. They don't need to be cranked in there too hard, just firmly. Did this three more times for the other plugs.

When all the plugs are in, I replaced the coil packs into each port.

Each coil pack has a bolt to hold it in place and then some wiring that needs to be reclipped in place in their corresponding couplings.

There! All plugged in!

Now the screws too.

Bam! It's ready to be covered again.

This cover fits easily back in place, locks in basically.

It's not enough to sit it in place...

I still have some bolts left. They must go into the cover. :-P

Ta-da!!!!!!

Checking that all the bolts and parts I removed are all back in where they go, checking for loose or rogue tools in the engine bay and got the battery reconnected.

That is pretty much it! I started it up and it ran and sounded loads better. It responds better and delivers performance much better with a short drive!

I was able to do this easily within about 45 minutes, and I was really taking my time. If you wanna do a similar procedure your time may vary, depending on the car you have, the number of plugs and the current state of your motor.

Thanks for stopping by!

@SaintChristopher

[vroom vroom]

Other automotive posts by me

Certainly not an "Auto Repair How-to", more of a "How the fuck did I do that?" Blog.
Replacing my own catalytic converter.
My Weekend Misfired.