Spark plugs for turbo
 

Great info by @2forme

Need ? No, but you could if you do not mind lifting your engine

Boom, MINDBLOWN... http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...1&postcount=20

This is regarding spark plug change, and I quote:

But but but I thought the cars manual said .... Argh nvm thanks for the info though

It does! great way to make money for the service department after the warranty is up for a spark plug change.

ok, what plugs am I gettin?

The heat range code for these plugs is really cold already. I don't think it is necessary to change them, but you may want to remove them and gap them down a bit if you are experiencing spark issues with boost.

Thx guya

That did blow my mind. I was thinking about pulling mine to check them along with a quick compression check.

How are you going to get a compression tester to "screw" in?

I don't know about yours, but my compression tester has a flexible rubber hose that screws into the spark plug hole. Then I connect it to my gauge.

Mine does as well, but I don't know how effective it is at screwing in while at a near 90 degree angle.

how do shop techs do it>? I cant see it fitting, but I have clumsy hands

They might have an SST.

whats that?

If I boosted my engine I would probably run one step colder. (Japanese plugs: Colder = bigger number)

A 7 is a colder plug than a 6 FYI.

SST = Special Service Tool.

Ok, so I did a lot of research this morning. Thought I would share my findings.

The OEM plug is a Denso ZXE27HBR8, which will tell us all about the design of the physical plug.

ZXE - Thread Size x Hex Size - 12mm x 14mm, .55mm Iridium
27 - Heat Step - Equivalent to an NGK 9, Champion 4.59, or Bosch 2
H - Thread Reach - 26.5mm
B - Electrode Design - Triple ground electrode
R - Resistor
8 - Gap - 0.8mm (.032")

Now, with that knowledge, we can "build" a spark plug to our needs. As a general rule of thumb, for every 75-100 hp of FI, you should go one step colder in your plug. This will be your biggest concern when finding a model to fit your needs. One step up in Denso land would be ZXE31HBR8.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any equivalent plugs with those dimensions. Denso, themselves don't even list them. I think it was a completely new model. It's odd to find spark plugs with 26.5mm reach.

The guide to the Denso part number spec is here (pg 12).

NGK lists a spec here.

Hope this helps everyone!

Makes it sound easy I wish I could see a video of how easy it really was

I don't think its easy, I think it requires TONS of patience. I do think its easier than lifting up the engine!!

What is this trollish information you speak?

Oh, sorry, let me translate...

Dude, Denso sucks ass. It sucks so much that other manufacturers haven't even made replacements for it. I bet that it costs like 20$ per plug from the dealer, too.

Just take your spark plugs out. Who needs that crap? You'll make more gains from the weight reduction alone.

...but really, it's 19.xx $ from the dealer.

I'm an NGK guy myself. I find that the more linear powerband and less heat you get from NGKs over Densos is more than worth the lower horsepower number they ultimately produce.

if its not avail in NGK, I'm fine with denso quality

money is fine for the part, I just want to know someone else has done this ZXE31HBR8 before I buy it

Done ginea piggin for a minute

Gem, that model isn't made yet.

The spark plug? It is, but it's really pricey being a RACE plug. I don't think anyone really wants to pay about $90 per plug. We'll test some out real soon though! :)

Regards,


Bob @ Drift-Office, LLC

Link? I couldn't find it on the google.

I have a customer running the HKS 50003-M45HL plugs, made by NGK with good luck. Not sure if they alone were an improvement though as we did a bunch of other things at the same time.

http://www.hks-power.co.jp/en/produc...ies/index.html

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...45736924_n.jpg

We are using the HKS fire on our own FR-S and S2000. They are great plugs!

If I couldn't get genuine NGK, I'd pay the same for an HKS equivalent plug made by NGK. How much are the HKS plugs?

Somewhere around $27 a plug

Ishii

Been getting a lot of emails about these;
they can be ordered here for $26.97 a plug:
http://ishiimotors.com/engine/spark-...park-plug.html

(Insert P.T. Barnum quote here)

Hmmm, sounds like a weekend project. Pull plugs and check gap. So they are suppose to be .032"? Anyone got any other suggestions for gap? I'll take some pics if I can.

Sounds like a great weekend project. Take lots of pics and let us know what tools and methods you use to get them out. Generally you want the largest gap you can have without a misfire. As long as you aren't getting misfires, then keep the stock gap or take a chance and open it up a little bit.

With swivel sockets you can get in there. To make things a bit easier and give you some clearance from the frame, you can take the bolt out of the left and right engine mount and jack the engine up a little bit.

We have a local guy who has taken out his plugs around 3-4 times already as the car had issues from tuning, than he had his catch can hooked up wrong. The job takes about 2-3 hours to do all said and done.

I'm gonna try this without jacking the engine. The weather sucks right now, but if it clears out by the weekend, I'm gonna give it a try.

Replacing the spark plugs in the car with the engine in place is not easy.

You will need at min.
14mm spark plug socket (that does not grab ahold of the spark plug too tight)
two of the shortest wobbly extensions 3/8"
A thin flex head 3/8" ratchet
Another thin flex head and a 10mm short socket 1/4"

This is a 3.5 hour book time job. It is not entertaining and if you have fat hands/wrists then I'd say forget trying.

DO NOT put a 3inch extension in the hole after putting in the spark plug socket. You will have a very difficult time getting it undone!

Ishii

These are the tools I use for in place replacement.
http://www.141motors.com/images/S_plug_tools.jpg

I have a ton of shop tools and I have no clue how he did it without lifting up the engine. :iono:

The following took me about 30 mins. I already had my under tray off, so add about 5 mins or less for that.

Tools needed to check/change plugs:

• 3/8 Drive Ratchet
• 3/8 Swivel
• 2" Extenstion
• 14mm Deep Socket
• 12mm socket
• 10mm Socket
• 8mm Socket (for FA20Club Kit Clamps)
• Flat head Screwdriver
• Jack
• Block of wood
• Car lift or Jack stands
• Depending on what is installed on your car you might need other sockets or screwdrivers.
• Anti-seize for plugs threads.

Steps:

1. Put the car on a lift or jackstands.
2. Remove the metal engine under tray using the 12mm socket and flat head screwdriver for the plastic clips. (There might also be some 10mm bolts. I can't remember.)
3. Remove the (2) 14mm engine mount bolts.
4. Disconnect intake and any other turbo charge pipes that might be kinked if you jack up the motor. (8mm socket used on clamp to remove charge pipe from TB only)
5. Use a jack with a block of would on the head of the jack so you don't damage anything. I jacked up from right under the exhaust manifold where it bolts to the head. Jack up the side of the motor you want to work on first till the coils clear the frame rail.
6. Remove (2) 10mm Coil bolts and disconnect the 2 coil pack harness and pull them out.
7. Remove spark plugs with 14mm socket.
8. Check your plugs or replace them at this point. Don't forget to use a small amount of anti-seize on the threads and not to over tighten the plugs.
9. Follow the steps in reverse and doing them in the opposite of what they state to do.
10. Repeat all steps on the other side.

Would love pics of this lol



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Sorry, but you will need someone else to do that.

If you need pics for this then you should take it to a shop. It was ridiculously easy.

Compression test was just as easy. Took about another 30 min doing that.

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