lowlife9

gearbox did you ever check the gap on the denso plugs ???

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

no totally forgot. i will try and remember today and search for the gapping tool.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

denso iridium IK20 (performance version) is 0.040 for all the plugs. i measured this gently without shoving the gap tool all the way so its prolly a bit more than this. i think i will just swap these new ones in today instead of waiting couple more months for the 3 year mark.

gangulyarchan

Hi, sounds great and I have a quick question. I have a 2003 EX sedan and want to change the spark plugs. Should this DIY work word by word for the 03 EX too? Would the torque specification for tightening also be the same?

Thanks.

lowlife9

usually the spark plug manufacture has specific torque specs for there plugs.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i would say 20 ft/lbs is fine for all 01-05 civic engines. you want to make sure they dont come loose. stock spec of 13 ft/lbs is way too little.

MonKy

Awesome write up
Changed the plugs last week..

gangulyarchan

@ Gearbox - Thanks a lot for the advice and a small question for you. Should I use dielectric grease while doing this change or can I skip it? If yes, how much should I use and what is the right procedure to apply it?

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

If you read the entire thread (pages 1-3). You will learn everything you need to know about dielectric grease Yes you should use it.

gangulyarchan

@ tbohar - Thanks a lot for the advice. I should have read your earlier post about the dielectric grease .

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

No problem, I just didn't feel like retyping everything

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

its just preference. its good to use some grease on the tip of the plug where the boot goes on, but our coil packs are well sealed already. its just extra protection. dont use too much either.

gangulyarchan

Hi all,

Finally replaced my spark plugs today. Thanks a lot to Gearbox, tbohar and of course LT2004ever for this wonderful post.

I got all the tools and it was a piece of cake and loads of fun. Applied dielectric grease and anti-seize compound on the new ones before attaching. Did not have a torque wrench, so tightened it close to how tight they were while opening (around 1/4 to 5/8 th turn after hand tightening).

Below are picture of the old ones. Does anyone see anything abnormal on the old ones?

lowlife9

lol once again you failed to read the previous post on page 2 " listen to what your spark plugs are telling you".

gangulyarchan

I read that link and my plugs look good to me...just wanted to double check...coz I frankly do not know much about plugs

oldskool89

Cool write up for the new guys.. I just wanna know if anyone has tried those E3 sparkplugs and if they're any good or not...since we're all talking about plugs haha

oldskool89

Oops nevermind just read that they're garbage well that answers my question haha

lowlife9

well i just replaced my plugs his diy said to torque to 13 lbs gearbox mentioned 20 lbs and my hayns manual said 18 lbs so i just did 15 lbs hopefully they stay put.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

ive done 13-15 lbs before and they loosened up. ofcourse its always good to retorque them after few hundred miles. 20 will not hurt them, and ive never had issues removing plugs before (without using antisieze)

JRunyon21

iTrader: (1)

Super noob here.

I always went to the dealer for this kind of stuff b/c it just made things easier. That was until the last time I went and they recommended 8 different things at once totaling $1100. "Tune-Up", Trans Fluid Flush, Brake Fluid Flush, 90K inspection, Vlv Adjustment, etc.

I am now on a mission to figure out which of these I can accomplish on my own. I work in a maintenance department at a papermill so I do have experience as far as tearing things apart and rebuilding them. But I do not have any experience working under the hood of a car.

I asked the service rep what a "Tune-Up" consisted of and.....well.....It was awesome to listen to him try and stretch spark plug replacement into something worth $169.

This one seemed pretty straightforward so I'm gonna start with the "Tune-Up" aka spark plug replacement.

My first question is about the type of spark plug I should I use. I am just going for a replacement and not performance. Should I use copper, platinum or iridium?

Second question: Which style of spark plugs will I NOT have to check the gap? I do not have the tool nor do I fell confident doing it even if I had the tool.

Third question. I want to list all the suggested maintenance and see which of them I can accomplish. Should I post that here or start a new thread?

2004 Honda Civic VP
103K miles

Thanks in advance

-Jason

lowlife9

i also have a 2004 vp .when i first got it at 90,000 miles the first thing i did was replace the timing belt thats very important to do if you haven't done it yet do it as soon as possible also the timing belt tensionor,water pump, transmission flush,all belts,plugs,oil,air filter,cabin filter,brake pads,my steering flud was bad so i changed that.and i still need a valve adjustment.i hear that platinum plugs last the longest but eitherget NGK or DENSO nothing else. but i would recommendyou get deno iridium they are the best your car will shift alot smother and you will get better MPG.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

get ngk or denso iridium if you do not feel comfortable checking the gap. they come pregapped from factory. everything else you mentioned is typical honda ripoff. trans fluid costs $25 for 3 qts and is easier than changing the engine oil. im trying to figure out how they added up to $1k. fluid flushes are usually only $50 each like brake, trans, etc. spark plugs take 5 minutes to change and cost $2 each for the cheap ngk copper vpowers. i would suggest picking up a real honda service manual from www.handaaccessories.com and just read thru the pages on fluid flushes and other basic maintenance. you will be shocked at just how easy they are to do, even with no experience.

JRunyon21

iTrader: (1)

Thanks gearbox & lowlife.

After reading through this website for about 6 hrs today(lol), I should easily be able to accomplish spark plugs, transmission fluid change, and engine oil change. I will borrow a torque wrench from work and these few few fixes should get me going in the right direction.

Couple Questions:
Should I use Honda OEM motor oil and oil filter? If not, what should I use?

Should I use Honda OEM transmission fluid? If not, what should I use?

Thanks in advance.

-Jason

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the oil doesnt matter much for engine, almost anything will work fine but i recommend 5w30 since you have alot of miles and engine is worn in. 5w20 is too thin esp if you live in hot climates above freezing. if you have auto trans, honda fluid is a must. anything else ruins the transmission.

lowlife9

what gerbox said except i prefer synthetic oil amsoil to be exact and filter its over kill but i dont care its my money.

JRunyon21

iTrader: (1)

Transmission fluid change
My initial plan was to change 3 quarts. Wait a month and then change 3 more then after 2 months change 6 quarts. After that, I could get back on a normal transmission fluid change interval. I read somewhere that doing the 3 quarts, drive around block, 3 quarts, drive around block etc(total 9 quarts) would proabably hurt my tranny b/c it is use to the fluid in there now(Hasn't been changed for at least 60000k).

Should I change 3 quarts, drive are block, change 3, etc. Or should I just change 3 now and then 3 more at the end of the month and then 3-6 more after two months?

Oil Change
Any oil? Would I benefit from synthetics(mobile 1/supertech)? If I'm using conventional motor oil, can I just get the cheapest one or should I go for a valvoline/comparable brand?

How many quarts of oil should I get?

Thank you very much gearbox and lowlife. You guys have already helped me a ton.

-Jason

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Valvoline MaxLife is a great synthetic blend of oil, and you don't really benefit much from using a pure synthetic. Don't get the cheapest oil because it does not have the greatest additives in it, which you want to keep your engine running longer.

I think 4 quarts will do it but you won't need all four. I can't remember off the top of my head how much oil actually goes in but it's something like 3.2 liters or something.

Your tranny plan sounds good It's more than most people do anyway. Just start doing it at regular intervals because the automatic transmission in these cars isn't the strongest one around.

billing10

Yes they do make a difference ...Not so much in power or anything but in firing up it will start better for sure

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

^ I felt no difference installing these, but I bet you the engine has. ^ You responded to a guy on the first page from 2007 FYI.

5150

Just completed this DIY with the iridium plugs. Car runs so smooth now. Thanks for the post!