Thanks for this great post did my plugs within 1hr.

 

Excellent DIY...pics and succinct captions were great. Thanks. I especially like the "ice cold beverage of choice".

 

Nice DIY. But a quick question. When re-installing your intake. Do you need to apply the paste gasket to the head/intake?

 

How are the E3 working?
Looking at their web site they have video showing improvements in power and lower emissions.
But other honda sites suggest very bad luck with them, even breaking apart.
NGK web site indicate that to have more than one electrode doesn't necessary improve the intensity of the spark (they actually say it could be lower).

I used them in my previous car (not the fit) and after a while I had to change the coils. It could be they were old or not. Maybe the spark plug impedance was different from coil -> cable and there was a lot of powerful reflections going on.

In essence, has anybody anything to report good or bad about these plugs?

 

You should never goop dialectric grease onto the coil pack sleeve like you showed. A dialetric is an insulator, not a conductor, that bleeds off charge when there's high potential difference. You do not want it on the plug center electrode metal end. You should only rub a thin layer onto the ceramic portion of the plug. It's purpose is mainly to keep water out. The boot itself should do the job without it if it's clean.

Second. Do not put oil or anti seize on the plug or on any bolts. You will upset the torque spec and over-torque by 10%, Although that's not much you also risk goobering contaminants on to the plug electrode. Spark plugs and almost all fasteners in cars are zinc plated and torque values specified are for dry metal to metal contact. Unless specifically instructed or with the exception of maybe some suspension components you should not use it.

Third. You should not use a torque wrench to install the plugs, at least on NGK or Denso plugs. The plugs come with instructions to turn them a certain amount after seating. The only purpose of screwing the plug down is to make sure the crush washer makes a proper seal.

 

It is very nice that people do these procedures as a resource on the internet. However, please read my comments yesterday on some of the errors in the procedure. The author should update the procedure accordingly.

 

CTCT, Thanks for your inputs, however, sound like pro, would you kindly post some real pictures like the way SID did ? We are all fans, no pro, we understand things by reviewing images please !

Stay tuned

 

Sid...Thanx Bro, b/c of your great instructions I change the plugs on my 07 Fit Sport...Man what a difference in performance the E3 are making.

 

SID 6.7: Great write-up with great pictures. Really helped me out.

All spark plugs get torqued, gasket or no.
Refer to the NGK web site here: Spark Plug Installation Instructions

All spark plugs should be treated with anti-seize compound prior to installation. What is anti-seize compound? A high-temperature resistant lubricant. Tightening spark plugs that have been lightly coated with oil will not cause them to "over torqued" any more than tightening spark plugs treated with anti-seize.

 

I haven't changed the plugs yet, but I'm planning to. I took one out to look at it's condition. When I pulled the coil off it had a nice resistance to it, like it was plugged onto the end of the spark plug, but when I put it back, it practically dropped into place with no resistance at all. Can't tell if there's any connection to the spark plug. Any way to tell?

By the way, you know in the UK we call the fit a jazz?

Oh, I should add, it's the 8 plug i-DSI version, so it's not as if one cylinder is completely misfiring.

update: figured it out. disconnected both leads from the cylinder, engine sounds horrible on three. Reconnected only the spark plug in question, engine sounds fine. So it's working.

 

Thanks for the write up. That made it a snap.

 

Thanks for the write up. I just did mine at 105k miles using the OEM Denso Iridium plugs. For anyone doing this, please note that the Torque values given in Op's original post is wrong and someone else has corrected it in the thread. So please read the whole thing.
Also, dielectric grease application should be on the ceramic portion and also on the inner wall of coil (this has also been mentioned)

THANKS a bunch for this write up. I dont know how much I saved but I think I got a free torque wrench out of it!

 

Thanks for the write up! Just did this to my car, with corrected torque numbers given later in the thread. Took about an hour. The 5/8" socket kept getting stuck on the plug after install and I had to use some needle nose pliers to pull it out. Now I'm interested in seeing if there's any difference in power or fuel mileage.

 

DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS PERSON! He quotes the NGK website and then proceeds to advise to use anti-seize as if he got that information from the website. Not only is that post deceptive, but the website makes no mention of it, and it is flat out wrong.

Anti-seize will lubricate your threads causing higher metal-body pre-load then non-lubricated. This will stress the ceramic portion to a point where it may break. Second, it adds gunk to the threads where it will likely burn, change state, etc... and possibly foul the plugs.

Again, do not use anti-seize anywhere unless specified by the manufacturer of the product you're installing or you have a very unique situation, unrelated to spark plugs, where your threads are rusty. This might occur on wheel lug nuts or bolts.

It is very rare that you will need to use anti-seize on any other threaded bolt or nut because the bolt or nut will be plated or coated with a material that is different than the steel or aluminum your going into.

 

Total horseshit. Anti-seize compound is a light (number zero or 1) petrochemical grease that looks silver because it contains a high concentration of powdered zinc. The zinc is what prevents seizing of threaded parts,and the zinc is lower on the galvanic scale than either aluminum or steel. The grease evaporates from heat or from being consumed by airborne bacteria, and the zinc stays behind to prevent corrosion and seizing because it is one of several "gliding metals", possessing its own lubricating properties. Copper is another, and so is molybdenum. Where are those gliding metals used? High velocity bullets, and piston rings. The variance in accuracy and repeatability in all torque wrenches will make lubrication from anti-seize compound unmeasurable in installing spark plugs, and the anti-seize will prevent spark plugs from seizing and breaking in removal.

 

You are wrong on all counts. I presented the facts, not my opinions. You should google your issue and research it before you announce your beliefs as facts to this forum. In your attempt to rebut my post you've only stated what's inside anti-seize, not whether it should or should not be used on spark plugs. What do you think the threads of those NGK spark plugs are plated with? I'll give you a hint. It starts with a Z. Lastly, there are published torque specs based on ASTM papers and MIL SPECS that state "wet" and "dry" torque values for bolts (the spark plug is a bolt, for all intensive purposes).

 

im all for anti-seize on the plugs.... but never in my life have i ever used a torque wrench on a spark plug, i didnt know anyone did.

 

I've always been a fan of the anti-size compounds until I read this article. Seems plated threads are not to use anti-size now.

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So exactly how would zinc in a small amount of anti-seize cause the slightest problem when placed on plated spark plug threads? Answer- it can't. And the difference between wet and dry torque specs is well within the accuracy and repeatability specs. of any torque wrench. Claiming that fouling the plugs would happen is ridiculous, unless you dunk the plug up to the ceramic in a jar of anti-seize compound. Anyone who would do that deserves fouled plugs. You are certainly welcome to your strange beliefs, but I will continue to use the same successful methods that have served me well for 48 years.

 

Nice article for beginners, but a small amount of anti-seize and the right touch will prevent cross threading that is common with spark plug installation in aluminum heads with deep wells for the plugs. Whether with cast iron or aluminum heads, absolutely NONE of the dangers being warned of in the article have happened to me. I have always used a torque wrench in installing plugs, but have always hand-tightened the plugs first before using the torque wrench. Never galled or broken plug, never a fouled plug, never a plug that didn't fire. The only statement that makes sense in the article is the one that says "anti-seize is unnecessary". That is the author's opinion, and it may even be true to a minor extent, but my use of anti-seize does not cause harm and does not concern me.