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Always remembered RIP
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2005
- Messages
- 164,073
- Reaction score
- 368
- Age
- 89
- Location
- Daventry
- Your Mercedes
- 2002 SL500, 216 CL500, all fully loaded
I changed my 16 sparking plugs today, it took 3 hours in total as I had to make a plug cap removing tool, and I only have one usable hand for the time being.
It best to unscrew the coil packs first and leave them on top of the engine, you need a 30 torx for this, and put the screws some where safe. With the coil packs to one side to start with, lever off the lead caps. I used an old 5/16 BSF ring spanner by grinding off the end so that it just slips onto the plug cap with a gap of 16.5mm and this was perfect.
Once my offside coil pack were off I could see some oil leaks from the rocker cover, one bolt was not tight so I tightened the 8mm bolts all over.
With the coil packs out of the way the old plugs were removed using first a 3/8th plug socket with an short extension making 14cm in all, as you get towards the rear you need to insert the plug socket and extension first then fit the handle as room is limited. So Far so good and the offside all done. When the coil packs were off the nearside I managed to drop the 3/8th short extension down to the engine bottom cover, as I only have the one usable hand, so I did the rest with a ½" drive with a U/J standing at the front and leaning over, as the U/J bit wobbles around I could just hold the base with my bad hand, I could not work from the side as one gets no leverage.
When refitting the plug caps, a little lubricant like switch cleaner around the ends of the plug caps makes pushing them back on dead easy,,If you do not you may not get the back one on.
After dropping 3 of the old plugs down onto the engine cover as well all was done,,I have to retrieve the ½"short extension anyway, and I can do that once its running.
The plugs are torqued to 25nm
With 2 good hands 2 to 2½ hours should cover the job including cleaning down where needed, they only need changing every 6 years or 60k miles so a one off job for most.
It best to unscrew the coil packs first and leave them on top of the engine, you need a 30 torx for this, and put the screws some where safe. With the coil packs to one side to start with, lever off the lead caps. I used an old 5/16 BSF ring spanner by grinding off the end so that it just slips onto the plug cap with a gap of 16.5mm and this was perfect.
Once my offside coil pack were off I could see some oil leaks from the rocker cover, one bolt was not tight so I tightened the 8mm bolts all over.
With the coil packs out of the way the old plugs were removed using first a 3/8th plug socket with an short extension making 14cm in all, as you get towards the rear you need to insert the plug socket and extension first then fit the handle as room is limited. So Far so good and the offside all done. When the coil packs were off the nearside I managed to drop the 3/8th short extension down to the engine bottom cover, as I only have the one usable hand, so I did the rest with a ½" drive with a U/J standing at the front and leaning over, as the U/J bit wobbles around I could just hold the base with my bad hand, I could not work from the side as one gets no leverage.
When refitting the plug caps, a little lubricant like switch cleaner around the ends of the plug caps makes pushing them back on dead easy,,If you do not you may not get the back one on.
After dropping 3 of the old plugs down onto the engine cover as well all was done,,I have to retrieve the ½"short extension anyway, and I can do that once its running.
The plugs are torqued to 25nm
With 2 good hands 2 to 2½ hours should cover the job including cleaning down where needed, they only need changing every 6 years or 60k miles so a one off job for most.
