Changed plugs

[CJ]

I finally got around to putting in the Denso Iridiums I bought a while back (thanks to Rory for the plug spanner ), the fronts were handy but the rears were a huge pain in the ass. After removing the manifold and disconnecting half of the engine ancillaries, I got stuck in. The plugs were welded into the block, I had to go at them with the WD40 and a load of elbow grease, I pretty much made sh!te of the plug spanner in the process. The Denso Platinums I removed had about 45k kms on them and I reckon they had another 10-15k of life left. I've noticed since putting in the Iridiums that the engine revs a lot easier, apart from that, the difference @ relatively low revs is negligable. I've yet to the car out for a proper run but I reckon that they should liven things up a nicely at the top end of the tacho.

I've never had to replace the rear plugs on the V6 before, it was something I had wanted to do for a long time more so to understand the process than anything else. Heres a few pics:







CJ

[Muad_dib77]

U must let us know how you get on at full wellie.. The Difference for a set of Denso Platinums vs non platinums seems to be 35-45 euros depending on supplier..

is it worth it?

[CJ]

The Difference for a set of Denso Platinums vs non platinums seems to be 35-45 euros depending on supplier..

Platinums are the standard rear plug, Iridiums are marketed as the high performance alternative, see the blurb taken from here:

Q. What makes Iridium better?

A. Until recently, platinum was considered the best material to use on the top of an electrode because of its durability. However, Iridium is 6 times harder, 8 times stronger, and has a melting point 1200 degrees higher than platinum. Put that into a harsh environment such as an engine piston chamber, and you have a spark plug that can resist wear much better than platinum. Additionally, the DENSO Iridium Power alloy is so durable; it allowed our engineers to produce the world’s smallest center electrode (.4mm) which reduces the voltage requirements, concentrating its sparking power. Also, its smaller size, combined with the tapered U-Groove ground electrode, allows more room for the flame kernel to develop and produce a more efficient combustion.

CJ

[CJ]

Blah blah blah... But does it ACTUALLY make any difference, or are they just charging higher prices

They produce a cleaner spark for longer so you should see marginal perf increases and better fuel economy over time. I know that MfFTO runs Iridiums and speaks highly of them, they're the plug of choice for a lot of Jap performance enthusiasts.

CJ

[Myfeckin FTO]

Blah blah blah... But does it ACTUALLY make any difference, or are they just charging higher prices

They produce a cleaner spark for longer so you should see marginal perf increases and better fuel economy over time. I know that MfFTO runs Iridiums and speaks highly of them, they're the plug of choice for a lot of Jap performance enthusiasts.

CJ

Best plug - no doubt - you can see from the above pictures the amount of time that goes into changing the rear bank of plugs - the iridiums are meant to last 60K miles (fit and forget) - better than having to get your mechanic to check/change your plugs every second service and when you take into account the labour charges that go along with it then I reckon you could save money using iridiums and it would be better for the engine as well even ignoring performance or economy gains.

[belfastman]

CJ................seeing you done the rear plugs yourself,how long did it take you to do?.............

[mcgon1979]

I stand by the IK22s. Ok I don't know if they were worth the extra money, but Im glad they are in there... nice pics CJ.

[CJ]

CJ................seeing you done the rear plugs yourself,how long did it take you to do?.............

All in, about 2.5 hours or so, it was my first time so I would expect the next change to take less time.

CJ

[Kace]

CJ - do you need any special tools to change the front plugs ? How long did this take you. I've got 3 plugs ready to go in and would like to get these in some weekend.

[CJ]

CJ - do you need any special tools to change the front plugs ? How long did this take you

IIRC, you'll need a slim plug tool (i.e. the one that was part of the std tool kit). Shouldn't take more the 15 mins for the fronts.

CJ