It's time for me to replace the plugs for the first time on my 5.2L. It may sound like a stupid question but I'd rather ask one than guess and end up ruining a wire and having to buy a whole new set.

How exactly do you remove the wires? I've never seen an engine where each plug cavity has a metal tube that the plug wire goes into. I'm not 100% positive but it appears that the tube is split all the way down one side. Not broken but looks like it is designed that way. With the engine cold I pulled on the metal cylinder but it didn't seem to give any so I didn't put any real force behind my pulling and I certainly wasn't going to go just pulling on the wire to see if it's the only thing that comes off.

Thanks for the help fellas!

 

You should replace all wires, not just one. Twist the boots and pull. May take some force!

 

Those metal tubes are permanent. Twist and pull to get the wires off. Like mike said some force maybe necessary.

 

the boots just pull out of those tubes, the tubes are part of the block and do not come out.

 

Dont grab it by the wire either just the boot

 

I would replace each wire one at a time so that you dont forget were they go, I got them mixed up on a v6 ford ranger onetime and it took 3 backfires before i got it right haha

Unless your replacing the distributor cap and rotor button too, like i did, this is he way I did it on my 5.2. I drew a picture of a distributor cap in a notebook and numbered each pole that the wires plug on to with its cylinder number and C for the coil. So I wouldnt get it mixed up. The other end is easy because the intake has the cylinder numbers written on it.
Mechaniczman

 

Well, I'm glad I asked here because the guy at O'Reilly's said that those tubes should come out and then you can pull on the wire.
That being said that the tube stays then let me ask you this. How do you get at the boot? It looks as though the top of the boot is slightly lower than the top of the tube. It appears that the only way to pull is pulling on the wire itself and I know that's asking for trouble. Do I need to get a spark plug wire puller that grabs the boot and allows you to pull using the tool? I've never used one of those but I've seen them.

Thanks fellas!

 

Needle nose pliers would work.

 

Yeah a needle nose will work but then I would replace the wires too. I did that once and developed a miss fire cause the boot cracked and was arching across to that metal tube. All the wires I've seen the boot sticks above the tube slightly. I wouldn't take the parts guys word for gospel......

 

the boots on my old truck stuck out of the clyinders a little bit, enough to grab, if yours dont you could try the spark plug puller, but i always used needle nose pliers as suggested above