Changing your own spark plugs – especially in a Hemi powered Ram that has two plugs per cylinder – might seem like a highly technical job but this week’s Tech Thread Spotlight features a great DIY on how to change the spark plugs in the mighty 5.7L Hemi. Changing the spark plugs in the Hemi Ram can improve performance and fuel economy but a tune up can be costly. Fortunately, with the help of this pictorial DIY and a handful of basic tools, even the greenest mechanic can change their own plugs in their driveway or garage.
Best of all, since this Hemi Ram spark plug change DIY has notes along the way that don’t pertain so much to actually changing the plugs but rather, they offer up tips to avoid making the job as safe and easy as possible.
Click here to read DF member merv’s 4th gen Ram Hemi spark plug change DIY. If you have previously avoided the job because you weren’t sure what was involved, this thread shows just how easy it can be with proper instructions
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
