Hi Org,
I'm the new owner of a '97 Max - glad you guys are around!

I guess there are a few cheapies on Amazon for $30-60 CAD, including "Amazon Basics", to my surprise. They seem to get mostly positive reviews. I probably want to be in the 10-80 ft lb range, with a 3/8ths drive, for doing my spark plugs.

There's this cheapie at Canadian Tire that claims 0-150 ft lb range(!). Stripping my cylinder head would not be fun. Is there a brand that people recommend that maybe costs a little more?

This Max is a gift from my parents and there is a fair amount of "deferred maintenance" on the thing, but it mostly runs. At 240k km (115mi?) I don't know if it has ever had a spark plug change, and we were having trouble with too much cranking on start. It would often die quickly if you didn't pump the gas to keep it going. We burned out a couple starters. So now that the old beauty is mine it has come to my attention that it needs a tune up. Unfortunately my car repair skills are at a novice level and my dad's are worse

I'm getting a socket set and I hope to be able to do my own spark plug change. Another question I had is what extension for the 3/8ths drive I should get. Is the universal joint one recommended? How long? I know the knock sensor will probably need changing now or in future.

Thanks

 

Hello and to the Org.

I would steer clear of the style torque wrench that you linked to.

For 3/8th 10-80ft-lbs, you may want to consider this one.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/TEKTON-3...4330/205539234

https://www.homedepot.com/s/torque%2520wrench?NCNI-5

I have Tekton's and Husky torque wrenches for my ft-lbs wrenches and they work great.
Going to pick up Tekton's in-lb torque wrench next. Currently using a Harbor Freight for that.

 

That looks good, the detailed description gives me confidence. Thanks!

I find it interesting how Husky brand resembles Stanley brand at Canadian Tire.
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/s...9291p.html#srp

Alright, barring further suggestions, I'm going with the Tekton - org-recommended.

 

Although I own and use several varieties of torque wrenches, I’ve never used or found the need for one for spark plug installation.

 

So you just do the "add a quarter turn after you feel it contact the cylinder" kind of thing, or what?

 

I can’t even say it’s a “quarter turn”.

I simply thread them in by hand until I’m unable to thread them any more, then snug them in until they feel right.

The only process or formula I implement is to snug them all in with the same snugness.

 

Blasphemy! LOL

If something has a torque spec, it gets torqued to spec. That's my motto.

 

You get zero debate from me ... I’m just sayin, I’ve personally never found the need in this application.

Does anti-seize and dielectric grease have a place in your plug replacement process?

Those are two things I won’t do without.

 

I'm going without anti-seize (as per NGK guidelines, I believe) and I'm thinking dielectric grease might be a good thing to pick up.

mmmm... snug plugs

 

, most definitely. Plus, who doesn't love the smell of anti-seize....

 

Okay, I ordered the 3/8ths 10-80 from Tekton.com. I was tempted by the purported 10-100 so that I could do my lugnuts but I wanted to play it safe. For a few moments I had some buyer's remorse (already!) but watching this guy's video squashed that.


A tip to anyone buying Tekton is that you can get free shipping over a certain amount, maybe $50. And if you sign up you earn points that amount to 10% off.

Researching more about plug changes I realized that it's a possibility that the plugs I have installed are seized... fingers crossed!

 

... one of the reasons I use the “snug-em” technique as opposed to the use of the wrench.

I’ve always used anti-seize on plugs. Especially in aluminum blocks.

But, anti-seize changes the torque applied using the wrench.

To avoid issues re: the use of the anti-seize ... snug em, don’t torque em.

If you’re even thinking yours are seized apply some WD40, or the like, and let it sit overnight.

 

Oh boy. This is all the more reason of why anti-seize should be applied.

Quit a while ago, I bought a 91 Toyota Truck. When I went to perform some maintenance and change the spark plugs on a 22RE engine for the very first time, the spark plugs were extremely difficult to get out. I snapped one and it was stuck. Had to remove the head and take it to a machine shop. Absolute nightmare of a project. Granted, I have no idea how tight the previous mechanic tightened them, but none of the spark plugs had anti-sieze on them. I would like to believe that if anti-seize was applied, I wouldn't have gone through that nightmare.

 

I agree 110% with your philosophy on spark plug torque. At the same time, I believe "if there's a torque spec, then torque it"....the one exception being spark plugs. I always use anti-seize on the threads, (teflon-based) and have also removed plugs from many cast iron and aluminum cylinder heads over the years, both of tapered seat and gasket seat design.

I've removed dry spark plugs (no anti-seize) from aluminum heads, and cringed as they came out with difficulty, but been lucky. I'm not sure if it's still true or not, but back in the day, NGK, and Nippondenso plugs came with a special plating on the threads that did not require the use of anything on the threads. Never had an issue not torquing plugs in ~ 40 years..... YMMV.

 

When I did mine my plugs, I used a wrench I got from Harbor Freight. I needed the torque wrench more for reattaching the upper manifold than installing pluge but used it for both. It seemed to work well for what I needed it for.

 

I'm waiting on an extra socket extension to arrive before trying the plug swap. My Stanley socket set only had about a 6'' extension and the video I watched indicated that more was needed. This looked to be a good deal (but I hear the step-down adapters are fragile).

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...-2999735p.html

Shipping was cheap but they unceremoniously canceled one of my items and I can't figure out the tracking!

 

I have three torque wrenches from Harbor Freight for each torque range. They are supposedly most accurate in the middle of their range. HF wrenches are about as cheap as they get, but they get the job done for most things. For the ~15 ft-lbs for spark plugs, that's 180 in-lbs, which is within the range for the 1/4" wrench, so I will often check with both the 1/4" and 3/8" wrenches to verify. I've heard they are not super accurate towards the lower ends of their ranges, but I'm sure that varies with the quality of the manufacturer. I'm not assembling engines from scratch, so the HF stuff has worked fine for me for years.

1/4" - 20-200 in-lbs
3/8" - 5-80 ft-lbs
1/2" - 20-150 ft-lbs

As far as anti-seize, I've never heard of an official source recommending its usage, only people saying they use it with no adverse consequences. NGK specifically says to not use it on account of it changing torque values. Porsche even sent out a TSB a long time ago specifically saying not to use it:



If you've got a sticky spark plug and you're worried about getting it out, let it soak in some good penetrating oil overnight before trying to get it out. No, WD-40 is not a good penetrating oil. Try Sea Foam Deep Creep or B'Laster. Slowly loosen it a little bit, and then snug it back up. Wait a bit and try to loosen it a little more, than snug it back up. Don't go back and forth real quick or you will build up too much heat and increase your chance of breaking it. Going back and forth is an attempt to clean off the threads a little bit at a time. Don't try to do it all at once if it's not coming out, that's a good way to break it. You can also use the heat of the engine and thermal expansion to see if that helps if you're really stuck, but obviously not when the engine is running.

 

Ditto on having more than one.

Click style
OEM 25-250 in/lb 3/8"
​​​​​Husky 20-100 ft/lb 3/8"
Husky 30-250 ft/lb 1/2"

Bendy
Craftsman 0-150 ft/lb 1/2"

 

I'm a 45 yr mechanic.
I have seen the damage caused by improperly installed plugs.
Most were too loose!
Diy people should invest in the manufacture repair manual.
The people that made it know more about it than you will get from this web site.

 

Better too tight than too loose amirite?

I don't know why I just now received an email notification of a reply to this thread - but there we are. Seriously, I was doing the thought experiments about the "too loose" condition and it didn't look good. Thank you for sharing your experienced opinion on the matter, kind sir.

I recently checked my lugnut torques and discovered a couple that needed tightening. Torque wrenches are not a bad idea.