Hi All... I know this sounds dumb..but HOW do you unclip the wire from the coil pack? I've just started to work on my spark plug change, and I don't want to break anything.
What's the secret?

TIA

MP-In-The-Wind

 

Not really any secret to it. As with most any connector used in the auto industry, there is a small locking tab to keep it from inadvertently disconnecting. Just look for the tab and disengage it.

 

...I did find the tab...the trouble was the first one that I tried to disconnect was REALLY stuck together! So yes, push the center tab, and pull the connector away.

What a PIA the plugs are...a regular socket doesn't work...and you need a thin walled 14mm wrench to loosen the plugs...oh yeah...it's gotta be a LONG socket otherwise with it attached to an extension it won't reach the threads!

Also, a "grabber tool" (think arcade claw thing...) can be used for plug retrieval... and the rubber hose to start the plugs is essential!

Thanks for letting me vent!

 

I'm not sure if you know this, but they make sockets specifically for this task that grasp and hold the top of the plug in the socket by means of a rubber insert.

Since you seem to be new to the job, also make sure you put each one back in the core t location, removing and replacing one at a time is the lost reliae to do this. And don't ever remove or replace plugs with the engine still warm on a car like ours with aluminum heads.

 

No problem.

Hopefully, you didn't unplug the connector from the throttle bodies to gain more access to the plugs. The manual says to do it, but if you do, you then have to hassle with an idle relearn which, in some cases, can be troublesome.

 

I actually bought/return so many 14mm sockets because none of them were thin enough. I then finally bought a micrometer to measure through all the 14mm at Sears and finally found the thinnest one and it worked perfectly. Retrieving the plug was not too hard.

 

Care to share the diameter of the opening or the diameter of your socket?

 

My regular old Craftsman name brand 3/8 drive deep-well 14mm socket worked fine. It mic's out to right around .775 inches OD. I know Sears now sells a bunch of other (and usually cheaper) socket lines as well, so maybe he picked up some of those. Sockets made of weaker metal alloy are usually fatter to compensate for the loss of strength.

.02

 

Please either buy a spark plug socket or use a long rubber tube to hold the top of the plug to ensure that it seats correctly. You don't want to crossthread it going in.

 

I cleaned the throttle bodies and MAF sensors...(no didn't disconnect them). It started up and now runs fine. dare I say it's running smoother! ;^)

Thanks everyone.