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Changing the spark plugs

22K views 32 replies 21 participants last post by  jakesurfin 
#1 · (Edited)
#3 ·
No I'd wait till 60K miles. I should take a pic of the plugs I removed. They were in very good shape. I could tell by the looks of them the motor is running the way is should. I think 30 is too soon. Heck I think if I left mine alone it would have been OK but it's best to swap them out when you are supposed to and that's 60K according to Subaru.
 
#8 ·
Thanks a million!!!

:thx:
After putting it off for 113k miles. I finally got around to doing this. My trusted Subaru mechanic wanted to charge me $450 bucks.

I did it all for about $140 in parts, and 3 hours time (I'm slow).

Peaty! Dude! you were right on with that fuel line hose trick. If anyone is wondering, the 5/16" diameter hose works great, nice snug fit on the end of the spark plug. This trick worked so well, I used it for every plug to insure I didn't strip the threads.

Watch out with those clips on the wires, I broke the first one I took off. Going to have to change the them soon anyway, but high temp duct tape and that metal bracket are holding it in place pretty good for now.

After 113,000 miles, my plugs looked no worse than the ones in your pictures Peaty.

Again, thanks a million (or more like $310).
 
#9 ·
I will be doing this anytime soon......

So...., what's the trick to remove those spark plug clips without breaking them?

How do they lock anyway?

Are they similar to the mass air flow sensor plug in the air intake duct next to the air filter box (just push the tab down and pull the plug), or something different?

I've seen some plugs where the locking tab must slide to the side to unlock (like those fuel pump motors in Jeep's gas tank, they're a pain in the "rear" to unlock and unplug) I hope they're not the same as the Tribeca's spark plug wires.

Thanks in advance!

GT500DAD said:
:thx:
After putting it off for 113k miles. I finally got around to doing this. My trusted Subaru mechanic wanted to charge me $450 bucks.

I did it all for about $140 in parts, and 3 hours time (I'm slow).

Peaty! Dude! you were right on with that fuel line hose trick. If anyone is wondering, the 5/16" diameter hose works great, nice snug fit on the end of the spark plug. This trick worked so well, I used it for every plug to insure I didn't strip the threads.

Watch out with those clips on the wires, I broke the first one I took off. Going to have to change the them soon anyway, but high temp duct tape and that metal bracket are holding it in place pretty good for now.

After 113,000 miles, my plugs looked no worse than the ones in your pictures Peaty.

Again, thanks a million (or more like $310).
 
#11 ·
Because of the age and engine heat, these clips are really brittle.
The link on the above post explains it pretty good, but you are not pushing down(towards the earth) you are pushing in (towards the engine block).

Yes, the clips are very similar to the MAF sensor on the air intake tube. Just remember the ones on the drivers side (U.S. cars) slide rearward and off after you push in, the other side slides forward.

I purshaced my NGK Iridium plugs from a Subaru dealership for $21 each (ouch).
if you get the NGK plugs there, they come pre gaped, don't gap them or you will scrape off the iridium (don't know how to spell iridium).

This is an easy job if you follow Peaty's scoobymods instructions. Good luck.
 
#13 ·
jamesbalfour said:
Is it so important to change after 60K miles. Mine is working ok. Will it not work for the longer period. :(
I went 113,000 miles with my stock plugs with no problems, never one misfire.

However, I was told by a real mechanic that the longer you go without changing them, the harder it will get to take them out.

I would change them at 60k or around there.
 
#14 ·
Wow, good ol sb9t.com to the rescue. It's been awhile since I've had time to visit, however I'm coming close to 60k on my 06 B9. Called the dealer and they said "oh, 60k mile service is VERY important on those vehicles" .....so I asked what do you service. Besides the fluid flushes and oil change, plugs were on the list. Same thing as was said above, 30k was the ideal time to be done on our ol H6. So, being that i'm hitting 60k I figured I'd do them...How? Well let me check sb9t.com out, surely someone here has done them!

Peaty, again you save the day! Thanks a lot for the support you show to the site. With you fantastic write up, I will save the $850 service cost and do the plugs myself ( and a few other items on the list ) and then take her in for the f/r diff's to be serviced.

Thanks again guys!!!
 
#15 ·
Happy to help. Front and rear diffs are a heck of a lot easier :) Basically the same on all automatic scoobies. I have how to's on scoobymods for those too. Still, best to leave a few of the inexpensive things for the dealer to do. Can't hurt to see them once in a while. I don't like doing the coolant flush and replace. I always let them do that...
 
#31 ·
You changed out the spark plugs but hate doing the coolant. Lol. Dealer gave me a price of 450 bucks for labor. They tried to sell me the 700 package. Ugh. I did the other fluids already except the coolant And oil. Had to wait for the oil cooler gasket to come in. Why dont you like doing the coolant? Seems relatively easy to do since their is a drain plug. Am I missing something here? Got me second guessing this.
 
#19 ·
I personally think changing the plugs every 60K is a good idea. Given that, buy the NGK plugs that are made for "performance" and not for "longevity". If you decide 60K is wise, why get 100K plugs? What you get with perfromance plugs is a slight boost in both HP and GAS MILEAGE! Just my two cents.
 
#20 ·
06TribecaMD said:
Peaty, again you save the day! Thanks a lot for the support you show to the site. With you fantastic write up, I will save the $850 service cost and do the plugs myself ( and a few other items on the list ) and then take her in for the f/r diff's to be serviced.

Thanks again guys!!!
Changing the diff's is no harder than changing the oil.
 
#21 ·
Sorry I'm Bringing this back from the dead but, I'm almost due for plugs (within a few thousand miles) but I figured I would get them so as to not wait till the last minute. Well, I see the recommended plug is the NGK ILFR6B.
Could I possibly use LFR6AIX (also Iridium) ?? I happen to have some (New of course) from my other vehicle. If not I'll stick with the recommended ILFR6B.
 
#28 · (Edited)
vag coils are so crappy. or meant to brake down early.
I owned a 2002 polo 1.4 16v before the impreza : coils passed away at 6 years / 60000km
just one of such a long list of premature failures. I gave up at 8 years / 70000km

my 12 years old legacy has reached 300,000km last month,
I have installed new high voltage wires last week as a preventive measure. main coil is the original. Idle feels a little more steady, but the original wires were still perfectly fine at any rev above 1000RPM : no missfire, no lack of power.

another subaru, yes please
vag, never again
 
#29 ·
vag coils are so crappy. or meant to brake down early.
I owned a 2002 polo 1.4 16v before the impreza : coils passed away at 6 years / 60000km
just one of such a long list of premature failures. I gave up at 8 years / 70000km

my 12 years old legacy has reached 300,000km last month,
I have installed new high voltage wires last week as a preventive measure. main coil is the original. Idle feels a little more steady, but the original wires were still perfectly fine at any rev above 1000RPM : no missfire, no lack of power.

another subaru, yes please
vag, never again

I hear you there!!
 
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