nexy

thanks for the DIY. based on these instructions, i felt confident enough to change out my plugs myself, as i passed 100k miles not too long ago. i took pics as well, and thought i could add a little bit more commentary, especially in the steps that i was slightly confused about. first the plugs:

i bought a set of NGK platinums, even after reading through the other threads about the different types. these are pretty much factory replacements, and for $13.07 at autozone, i figure if they last another 100k miles, i'll be happy.

here's my somewhat dirty, but servicable engine in my 2003 civic lx:


first, i turned the slotted fasteners on top of the "honda" labeled cover a quarter turn to release it, and lifted it off.


then i removed the 10mm acorn nuts holding on the plug covers.




then i pulled off the electrical connector from each. they were pretty tight, so i used a flathead screwdriver to gentle ply then loose.




then i gently pulled out each plug cap.


i set all the parts aside on a small table i have in my car port, so nothing, in theory, would get lost.


then i removed each plug.

i ran into a little trouble as i was using a 3/8th snap on ratchet and extension with a craftsman spark plug socket. taking out the plugs was easy. i found when i was putting them back in, after i tightened them, the socket stayed on the plug. the extension snap didn't have enough umph to stay on the extension, and instead stayed on the plug. i had to use a long needle nose plyers to pull the socket off the plug. other than that, everything went smoothly. all told, it took about 15 minutes of work. not too bad for a girl.

here's a comparison between the old and new:


reassembly involves reversing the steps. the engine seems to start up a little better, and runs a little smoother. well worth 15 minutes of time, and $13.07. and again, thanks to the op for getting me started. i probably saved $100.00 in labor.

PeterLazro

Hey guys

I have 200K on my original wires/harness and coil packs. Should i be swapping out the coil packs and wires? Will there be any benefit? better mpg?

Also last December I changed my spark plugs(copper) I read copper plugs only last a year? I do 70/30 city/highway. I've also read that copper gives the best performance but iridium/platinum last longer. I don't mind swapping them out every year if copper will give me better mpg. I still haven't gotten the legendary Honda civic MPG even with conservative driving habits. I guess city driving really kills the mpg in a car with no tq.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

copper and iridium last around 30k miles MAX. change more often for better performance. you really will not notice much difference between copper and iridium other than less electrical system load with iridium (no extra hp). coil packs do not need to be changed unless they fail and you get cylinder misfires, or if you just feel like changing it (wont notice a difference).

zachinnis

Okay so i finally got around to changing the plugs on my Civic (93 DX) and was confused because iv never worked on imports before. seen this post and was like OHHHH thats were they are haha. so now i know where there at my question is, is there spose to be oil around the coil pack???? I had a monte carlo with the plugs down inside the motor like my honda and it had two of the 6 packs with oil on them but the others were dry!

robgrant

Hey, I had the kid in the parts store change my plugs the other day. He sold me NGK iridium plugs and installed them for me after work. I noticed the car seem to run a little better, but my gas mileage is terrible. Where I was getting 25MPH before, I'm now getting 20MPH. My reason for changing the plugs in the first place was the mileage per gallon. I'm told I should get 35MPG on highway, and I never got better then 27. Now, it is a flat 20MPG no matter what. Any clues as to what could be wrong here?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the only thing you did was change the plugs? thats very interesting because plugs rarely affect mileage that much. even going from regular to iridium, the only advantage is silghtly less electrical usage which can improve mileage but not really enough to notice. is the engine running smooth or is there shaking and rough idle? unless he did a really bad job on the plugs and either broke one or didnt torque them in properly, plugs should not cause issues. its a pretty easy job but you never know. you do need to know certain things that many people think arent important.