I have read a few entries about how easy changing the plugs on my 2010 Honda Fit Sport wil be. In looking at the job I feel there is more to the story.

My first question is about removing the cowling and I suspect in real life most of those clips will break off. Am I wrong is that what I have to expect.
Is there any problems in getting the bolts loose on the HV packs? My car is a southern car with no rust on anything.
Has anyone had problems with seized plugs or even worse threads comming out attached to the plugs?
Is there room in there to swing atorque wrench to torque the new plugs or do I need a special small wrench?

I checked with shops around and they want 250-300 to do them. Surprisingly the dealer was the cheapest at 220. I am an old time gear head but for some reason I have bad vibes where this job is concerned. Are the things above I have seen on forums true or are they the exception. If there is danger to the head removing them I might just leave them alone. Car has 107K miles on it and I am doing routing maint. Just flushed cooling system and changed fluid in manual transmission.

Thanks Mowfixer

 

I have a 2013 Fit, I assume 2010 is the same. I had a misfire code earlier this year and had to check mine. I didn't replace my spark plugs, but my Cyl 3 ignition coil was bad and plug 2 was a little loose and plug 3 was very loose.

It is possible to replace the spark plugs without removing the cowl etc. But, you have to do it by feel. Stand at the passenger side of the engine and stick your left hand behind the engine. Unclip the ignition coil (this is the hardest part). There is a little clip in front of the coil that is pushed down and then wiggle pull it off. If haven't done it before, look at a photo to see how to do it (again can't physically see it so you need to know what to do). There is a 10mm bolt holding ignition coil on, remove it. The ignition coil will then just come up. A normal spark plug socket will work, but need an extension that is not too long (have a few different extension lengths ready). There is room for a torque wrench back there, but not a big one. I bought a bike torque wrench which is small enough to get back there. Remove Cyl 1, then 2, then 3, then 4 Then replace 4, 3 2 1 (So coils won't be in way of the one further back in the engine).

This spring/summer I am planning to replace plugs, adjust valves. So I will have to remove cowl I think (don't want to do this in snow outside). I will probably replace the Auto transmission filter while I have cowl off, too. But, if just checking/replacing plugs, there is no need to remove cowl.

 

Here's a link to another thread documenting peoples' negative experiences. I'm out now, but later on I can provide documents from the service manual (which is positively stellar).

There is a good number of clips on the plastic cowl that the wiper arms go through. On the windshield side, they're blue press in clips that break easy. I and others buy packs of the clips from amazon. There's 6 or 7, and 3 or 4 usually break each time. It'll still fasten with less, but to really lock the cowl back down snug to the glass, replacements are necessary. They're cheap. I'll put up a link later.
The clips you need to be careful with are on the hood side of it. They're hooks, and they're integrated. Regardless, when you see the manual you'll be plenty comfortable with this job.

For a torque wrench, something normal that can hit 20lbs is all that's needed. I use a husky. If you're worried or want to get fancy, you can pick up a CDI (Snap on subsidiary, if I've been informed correctly) from amazon.

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I wil see if my long arms can reach without removing cowling. I still dont have a torque wrench small enought to fit in there as my current ones lowest setting is 30 ft pounds and its a 24 in handle. Guess by the time I buy a torque wrench I might as well take it to the dealer. I hate paying someone to do things I should be able to do myself. Honda made this quite a chore.

 

This is the one I have

 

reading the link provided and all the posts is discouraging. Doing something as routine as changing spark plugs should not be such a problem. I got my car used and saw nothing on carfax about plugs being changed but car is running fine so maybe I should let sleeping dogs lie. I hate giving the greedy dealer any business but rather than spend 90 bucks for a torque wrench ,price of 4 plugs, ordering clips for cowl and aggrivation factor, maybe their 200 dollar price doesnt look so bad after all. I believe they will earn every dollar of that from what I have read. Thanks all for your comments. Maybe a stick of TNT up the exhaust pipe might be the best option.

 

On my 07 it was 30 minutes for all 4 plugs and coil packs nothing else to remove.. Yes some of it is by feel or use a mirror to spot locations a bit.

 

One observation I have seen that may contribute to problems with loose plugs.

If you look at the torque wrenches that will fit in the space available, to do 20 ft pounds you are near the bottom of the range of larger wrenches or 20 ft pounds is near the top of the range of most of the bicycle wrenches.

I did testing years ago with a torque tester when working on specialized equipment, and I found that most torque wrenches have poor accuracy when at the bottom or very top of their range. I discovered the error was significant. I wonder if the people torquing these plugs (including dealers) are using a wrench with 20 ft lbs inot in the sweet spot of the wrench.

The ink posted by by JDFIT goes to 60 NM and if I remember 27 NM is 20 ft lbs. I believe you could get an accurate torque setting with that wrench as the torque we want is in the middle of that wrenches range.

Just a thought from obversation of the hundreds of wrenches that are available and few seem to be a good choice for torqing something as obviously critical as these Fit spark plugs.

 

@mowfixer It's not easy, and you're not wrong. It's a pain in the backside, but it gets easier after the first time.

I did not have a lot of problems with broken clips.

As you know, this could happen in any engine. Mine were not seized, but one required a long-handle ratchet to get leverage. This made me very unhappy.

There is room if you are using a torque wrench of the appropriate size for spark plugs.

If HV = coil packs, my hand slipped on the screw on the #1 (closest to driver's side). I didn't strip the screw head, but I bought a replacement anyway for next time.

The DIY info on this forum is pretty good, and @Pyts knows what he is talking about. So do others. You're biggest frustration will be with lack of space. But you probably already noticed that.

 

@mowfixer That's been my experience, too, and it's documented on certified wrenches. When I'd started I had a 20-100 husky torque wrench (it worked but is now showing age), but when I was able I picked up the dial/beam-type CDI in "like new" condition for $100. It's clunky as heck and doesn't ratchet, but the cool thing is it's a 0-60. When able I'll be getting the above linked CDI or the 5-75 version (optional via same link) if there's a used "like new" one. They come with certs indicating any variance. + - 3% clockwise from 20-100% of full scale. So it should be accurate within 3% from 15lbs to 75.

There's actually another factor to consider, which is rotational speed. When torquing very slowly, bolts can skip tight vs. sliding to a stop, and I'm certain that's not very accurate. - 2 years spent as strictly a tire guy.

I'll post up the manual in just a couple minutes!
I can get the plugs out while following the full procedure in under 30 minutes using a 3/8 ratchet, 4 and 6" extensions, wobble or u-joint (for metal cowl bolts/comfy angles), plastic pry tool, and 8,10,14mm sockets. 8 for coils, 14 for wiper arms, 10 for the rest. If actually going for speed it might take 15 or less.

The only part I recall getting hung up on when I first did it was the plastic hood hinge covers. They've got two hooks and a small white clip in the middle. On the passenger side it went fine, the driver's side cover just didn't like the factory clip. It'd break, and I'd replace it, try to reinstall. The damn thing flew off more than 3 times disappearing on the freeway.
But a new cover is under $15 through the dealer. Eventually I removed that clip, only from the driver's side, and it's been no problem since.

My issue with taking it to the dealer (or any mechanic) for this job is, even though the guy may work on only Hondas, he won't work on only Fits all day, and doing plugs on the Fit is different from doing them on other cars. From what I've heard and experienced, they're just as liable to mess up as you or me. We don't have to rush, and I see that as tipping the scales towards DIY.

 

I did more research and found some old notes. Many torque wrenches and I mean even very expensive ones can have errors of 1-4% advertised error in the sweet spot near the middle of the range. At the low and high ends we experienced sometimes over 20% error and thats a lot. To do 15-20 pounds torques with some degree of accuracy you want the 20 pounds to be closer to that middle of the range. If you get a 20-150 ft lbs or other such wrench and try to torque your plugs then all bets are off as to what torque you really got on them. And on the flip side if you get a bicycle wrench that barely makes it to 20 ft pounds your again torquing at a limit but this time the high limit. For me to be comfortable the few wrenches I see that go from 10-60nm would give you pretty accurate torque on your plugs but at a price.

I worry if you take it to the dealer what do they use to torque your plugs? When I worked for a dealer many years ago we had to supply our own tools so every guy in there had a different make torque wrench that they preferred. So if I take my car to the dealer to get it done how do I know I wont see what others who did the same, and have the plugs loosen up.

I see on the Fit engine needing proper torque to keep the plugs tight over time and I wonder if keeping my good running plugs in might be the best approach. This concerns me and surely someone will say they used the calibrated arm approach and theirs never loosened.

I see to get a torque wrench with reasonable accuracy you might need to spend 300 or more.

 

Just FYI, it's not that difficult to calibrate a torque wrench and then you know what the error is and don't have to worry. Plenty of tutorials and videos online.

Realistically, unless you're a professional mechanic you probably don't use a torque wrench all that often. I do my lug nuts a lot (winter wheels, cleaning, maintenance, etc) so I have confirmed the accuracy of my wrench around 80-90 ft-lb (I set it about 5 ft-lb above the target value). If/when I want to do the plugs I will check my smaller torque wrench at 20 ft-lbs.

I'm sure you can spend $300 on a torque wrench, but again, unless you're a professional using it every day why would you? Harbor Freight sells a couple different versions with different torque ranges. You can get them for under $20 if you catch a sale. Get the one(s) you need, check that it/they are reasonably close at the torque values you need, and don't make life harder than it already is.

 

Here's the promised docs. Some folks take off the wiper motor with the under cowl. recent plug thread also had a full vid for the job.

 

@Pyts re:Spark Plug Removal & Inspection

" Apply a small amount of anti-seize compound to the plug threads, and screw the plugs into the cylinder head, finger tight, then tighten the plugs to the specified torque.
Specified Torque 18 N m (1.8 kgf-m, 13 Ibf-ft)"

Some here have said not to apply anti-seize and I've seen the recommendations of the torque being around 20 ft-lbs as being better than 13.

 

Oh yeah, its totally wrong about the plug torque, in so much as that spec has been revised and said spec could be obtained via the parts counter at Honda. The print I got in CA said 20ftlbs.
as for anti-seize, I wouldn't recommend it. Just tried it with nickel and kept track. came loose in 3 months. ik22 plugs, haven't re-tried oem. I think I posted in this about the torque earlier.

 

I just did this job several weeks ago on my 2009. My Fit Sport had an incomplete service history at 165,xxx miles and the buzz about loose or blowing out spark plugs would not let me not verify the condition and torque of the plugs. Easier to replace plugs than do a thread repair insert in the head.

I have a Haynes manual and read numerous threads about the job in this forum. I worried over it a while then started the job on a nice sunny morning. I am a neophyte on the Fit but been DIY wrenching for 50+ years on motorcycles, cars, boats. My dad was a master mechanic and I learned a lot from him. I was tempted to try and do it by feel and not remove the cowl but as it turns out that would not have been possible to complete the job on my car. I had no problems breaking clips off the plastic cowl - they were already broken by a previous owner or tech. The cowl assembly came off easily. The only problem completing this service was that I had was two of the four spark plug boots remained in the cylinder head. These two coils came off and left the boots in the holes. I needed to use a mirror to look at what I was working with, then used a pair of lineman's pliers to grab, twist, and pull the stubborn boots out. I do not think I could have grabbed the boots without using the mirror to guide the plier jaws and I would not be able to see with the cowl in place. The pliers destroyed the boots but they are only $5 or $6 each depending on source. I used anti-seize and a torque value of 20 ft/lbs. FWIW the upper cowl cover, the exterior piece under the wipers, was only retained by the button rivets on each side. All the clips were broken and the cover was not loose and vibrating in the air stream. It had been like that for thousands of miles. It's not correctly attached like that but I put it back as I found it until I get around to replacing the clips.

 

fwiw....

 

If you use a torque wrench to the spec the issue of over tightening the plug is a non-issue. This is the underlying message if you know coffee is hot and objects in the mirror are closer then they appear.

 

You can do it, OP. It's straightforward, just hidden behind some 10mm bolts and plastic clips.

 

All the clips break on the cowl. Buy some in advance. It's a straightforward job, just tedious. Replace all the coil packs and use iridium plugs. There's plenty of info on all of that on here. Use coil packs made by the same OEM manufacturer.
Andy