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3rd Generation GK Specific DIY: Repair & Maintenance Sub-ForumThreads discussing repairs and maintenance you can do yourself on the 3rd generation Honda Fit (GK)
I thought I replace the spark plugs (85,000 miles), so I got a 10mm socket, removed the bolt, and removed the coil. Checking the new plugs, I saw that they need a thinwall 14mm socket. I have sockets, but they don't have the foam inside to hold the plug, so I could loosen it but not remove it. Maybe a magnet would pull it out, and maybe not. I could stuff something inside the socket to make it grip the plug, but if it came off inside the plug well, it would be a mess. I ordered one of these from Amazon. I guess I'll wait till next week to do this.
Couple years ago, I was replacing the plugs on my GD3 when the foam piece from the socket fell inside the cylinder. It was no fun getting that puppy out. Not something I want to repeat.
Lesson learned - stick to the magnetic spark plug sockets, and you never have to go through what I did.
Couple years ago, I was replacing the plugs on my GD3 when the foam piece from the socket fell inside the cylinder. It was no fun getting that puppy out. Not something I want to repeat.
Lesson learned - stick to the magnetic spark plug sockets, and you never have to go through what I did.
Right. I should have gotten the one that had both foam and a magnet.
I don't know if there's a technically proper name for a claw/grabber tool, but I've had to pick up nuts and bolts out of some tight spaces in the past and they're a great help. Either that or a little magnet on the end of a stick. That being said, I'll probably order one of the spark plug sockets anyway.
I don't know if there's a technically proper name for a claw/grabber tool, but I've had to pick up nuts and bolts out of some tight spaces in the past and they're a great help. Either that or a little magnet on the end of a stick. That being said, I'll probably order one of the spark plug sockets anyway.
I’m a mechanic for a living, 18 years in at this point.
I pull the stuff that grips the plugs out of all my sockets. I start all spark plugs by hand using a plug starter, mostly a Mac SPS1. I have other ones, but my Mac ones are the go to. You can also use a piece of rubber fuel hose to get in and pull the plug out/start the new one.
Dont forget a dab of anti-seize, and plug torque is like 10ft/lbs
I thought I replace the spark plugs (85,000 miles), so I got a 10mm socket, removed the bolt, and removed the coil. Checking the new plugs, I saw that they need a thinwall 14mm socket. I have sockets, but they don't have the foam inside to hold the plug, so I could loosen it but not remove it. Maybe a magnet would pull it out, and maybe not. I could stuff something inside the socket to make it grip the plug, but if it came off inside the plug well, it would be a mess. I ordered one of these from Amazon. I guess I'll wait till next week to do this.
Interesting! I didn't know they changed from the standard 5/8" spark plug. Good to know just in case. I wonder if the 1.5t and 2.0t motors also now use the 14mm socket?
I’m a mechanic for a living, 18 years in at this point.
I pull the stuff that grips the plugs out of all my sockets. I start all spark plugs by hand using a plug starter, mostly a Mac SPS1. I have other ones, but my Mac ones are the go to. You can also use a piece of rubber fuel hose to get in and pull the plug out/start the new one.
Dont forget a dab of anti-seize, and plug torque is like 10ft/lbs
Nice tips but this is the correct gap and torque for the GK.
I just changed my spark plugs in my 2015 GK. The tools needed included the following: a 10mm and 14mm (thin walled, deep) socket. Two 3" extensions and possibly a universal joint. 10" ratchet and torque wrench. 12" section of fuel line. Plug gap checking tool. Pliers.
Getting the best plugs. I bought a set of plugs from a national chain auto parts store for about $9 ea. They were Iridium, but they weren't OEM. I checked them when I got home, and they were different from the OEM plugs (NGK 90137 DILZKAR7C11S Laser Iridium Plug). They were 1/8" shorter and had the iridium nib only on the center electrode, not on the ground electrode. The OEM plug has it on both. I decided I wanted the OEM, so I ordered the 90137 plugs from a major online autoparts vendor for $11.50 each; some places were charging $19 each, so shop around.
The plugs came gapped at .044". I closed up the gap to .041", halfway between the specified range of .039" and .043". I found that the old plugs had worn to an opening of .045". They were all worn and colored nearly the same. Nice. Not bad for 95,000 miles!
The process of changing the plugs was straight forward. Remove the rubber hose close to the left-most plug. Use pliers to release the clamp. Remove 10mm bolt holding ignition coil and pull its connector off (squeeze the back edge of the connector to release the tab). Pull the coil assembly up and out. Put the 3" extension on the 14mm socket and drop it in the plug hole (gently). It will go all the way in. Put the second 3" extension on the first and loosen the plug until it's turning freely. Take the ratchet off the extensions, and unthread the plug with your fingers. Pull the socket and extensions out. (On two of the plugs, you will have to pull off the upper 3" extension in order to pull the socket out. The plastic shield above the plugs gets in the way. This is why two 3" extensions work better than a 6" extension.) Put the piece of fuel line down in the plug hole and feel around until you can get it to slip over the top of the plug, and then pull the plug out. Gap the new plug to .041"--gently, the tiny iridium electrodes are a bit fragile and can break. Put the gas line on the new plug, and lower it in. NOTE: NGK plugs have an alloy coating that resists seizing; using an anti-seize grease will result in over tightening the plugs and possible thread damage (see link at GolNat's post below). Install the plugs dry. Thread the plug in by hand as far as you can. Finish tightening it with a torque wrench to 16 ft. lbs. Put the coil pack back on and tighten the 10mm bolt in place. Done with one; do the rest. Remember to put the rubber hose near the left-most plug back on.
Here's the picture fo the tools I used. The torque wrench isn't in the picture, but you need it to do the job well.
Last edited by Brian Jones; Jan 12, 2020 at 10:53 AM.
Reason: Correction
I like the gripper part instead of the foam. If this doesn't work, I do have long reach magnets to pickup the plugs and at worst, a long reach set of skinny pliers. Or I can stuff some foam into this socket.
I like the gripper part instead of the foam. If this doesn't work, I do have long reach magnets to pickup the plugs and at worst, a long reach set of skinny pliers. Or I can stuff some foam into this socket.
The internal gripper is nice, but I've had them stick to the plug and pull out of the socket.
I thought I replace the spark plugs (85,000 miles), so I got a 10mm socket, removed the bolt, and removed the coil. Checking the new plugs, I saw that they need a thinwall 14mm socket. I have sockets, but they don't have the foam inside to hold the plug, so I could loosen it but not remove it. Maybe a magnet would pull it out, and maybe not. I could stuff something inside the socket to make it grip the plug, but if it came off inside the plug well, it would be a mess. I ordered one of these from Amazon. I guess I'll wait till next week to do this.
Cool let us know how it works, I need an excuse to buy another tool
Originally Posted by hasdrubal
I don't know if there's a technically proper name for a claw/grabber tool, but I've had to pick up nuts and bolts out of some tight spaces in the past and they're a great help. Either that or a little magnet on the end of a stick. That being said, I'll probably order one of the spark plug sockets anyway.
I just changed my plugs. The tools needed included the following: a 10mm and 14mm (thin walled, deep) socket. Two 3" extensions and a universal joint. 10" ratchet and 24" torque wrench. 12" section of fuel line. Plug gap checking tool. Pliers. Anti seize grease.
Getting the best plugs. I bought a set of plugs from a national chain auto parts store for about $9 ea. They were Iridium, but they weren't OEM. I checked them when I got home, and they were different from the OEM plugs (NGK 90137 DILZKAR7C11S Laser Iridium Plug). They were 1/8" shorter and had the iridium nib only on the center electrode, not on the ground electrode. OEM has it on both. I decided I wanted the OEM, so I ordered the 90137 plugs from a major online autoparts vendor for $11.50 each.
The plugs came gapped at .044". I closed up the gap to .041".
The process of changing the plugs was straight forward. Remove the rubber hose close to the left-most plug. Use pliers to release the clamp. Remove 10mm bolt holding ignition coil and pull its connector off (squeeze the back edge of the connector to release the tab). Pull the coil assembly up and out. Put the 3" extension on the 14mm socket and drop it in the plug hole (gently). It will go all the way in. Put the second 3" extension on the first and loosen the plug until it's turning freely. Take the ratchet off and unthread the plug with your fingers. Pull the socket and extensions out. On some of the plugs, you will have to pull off the upper 3" extension in order to pull the socket out. This is why two 3" extensions work better than a 6" extension. Put the piece of fuel line down in the plug hole and feel around until you can get it to slip over the top of the plug and then pull the plug out. Gap the new plug to .039" – .043" (gently, the think iridium electrodes can break). Put some anti-seize grease on the threads, put the gas line on the new plug, and lower it in. Thread it in by hand as far as you can. Finish tightening it with a torque wrench to 16 ft. lbs. Put the coil pack back on and tighten the 10mm bolt in place. Done with one; do the rest. Remember to put the rubber hose near the left-most plug back on.
Here's the picture fo the tools I used.
I just took apart the plastic part from the coil and used as a remover, once i got them loose and as a starter when putting them back in.... no hassle...😎😋
Thanks for that. Remember when Champion sparks plugs were "King of the Road"? Looking on Amazon, I went through three pages of spark plugs, and champion was not listed. They do sell Champions, but you have to search specifically for them.
GolNat: Did not know that. Thanks for the heads up. I have edited my post accordingly.
I was very careful not to over-torque the plugs, so I'm hoping they're okay. The NGK link states that anti-seize can increase the actual torque by as much as 20%, which means that torquing to 16 ft lbs with grease might result in a torque of just over 19 ft lbs. If I did reach that level, I hope it doesn't present a problem down the road.
Last edited by Brian Jones; Jan 12, 2020 at 10:55 AM.
Thanks for that. Remember when Champion sparks plugs were "King of the Road"? Looking on Amazon, I went through three pages of spark plugs, and champion was not listed. They do sell Champions, but you have to search specifically for them.
I don't even use champion in my $100 push mower lol. I took it out and replaced it with an NGK stat.
Originally Posted by Brian Jones
GolNat: Did not know that. Thanks for the heads up. I have edited my post accordingly.
I was very careful not to over-torque the plugs, so I'm hoping they're okay. The NGK link states that anti-seize can increase the actual torque by as much as 20%, which means that torquing to 16 ft lbs with grease might result in a torque of just over 19 ft lbs. If I did reach that level, I hope it doesn't present a problem down the road.
You're welcome. I don't think you have to worry to much about it but just wanted to make sure that people were aware of NGK's view on the subject.
