I'm in the middle of changing out my spark pkugs. I'm having 2 problems. The plug wire boot on the #5 cylinder (2nd one back on the passenger side), I can't get it off. The rest came off fairly easily, but this one is stuck. I've tried pliers, needle nose and my bare hands. All I've managed to do is mangle the boot so that there isn't much left to get ahold of.

My second problem is that the #2 and #4 cylinder (front 2 on the driver side), I can't get the spark plugs out. The rest have come out nicely, but these won't. It's not that they are so tight that I can't spin the wrench, it's that I can't get the socket on the plug. No matter what I've tried, the socket wrench just spins. The rest gripped easily and came right out.

So, I have 3 spark plugs and a wire boot that I can't get out. Any help would be tremendously appreciated, as this is my daily driver. I've never done a tune-up before, but it has been going very smoothly except for this. I even have the new cap, rotor, and wires ready to go. So, I'm just looking for help to get this finished. Thanks for reading!

 

try using a slightly smaller socket at tapping it on with a hammer start gently you dont want to use to much force

 

if you can't get the socket on the plugs then i would say that you have gunk around the bottom of the plug. grab the heat shield with a pair of channl locks and rotate it back and forth while pulling it off then clean around the plug and see if that will do the trick. with the stuck boot you should also remove the heat shield so you can get a grip on it. if the channel locks won't get it then you can use some needle nose pliers and put one side in the heat shield to get a grip then rotate and pull it off.
worst case scenario is that your threads are stripped on the plugs and thats why they won't come out, if its that then someone that has dealt with stripped plug threads should speak up.
if you tap on the socket with a hammer then you will probably break the porcelin on the plug and may screw up the threads on the plug.

 

I didn't know that the heat shield could come off, I will try that now. Thank you.

 

Hammer=Bad news, Try shooting some penetrating oil around the plug and let it set for awhile. The last guy that put the plugs in didnt use anti seize on then. Dont make his mistake when you put the new plugs in.

 

^ Haha, 1+ In this case, hammer on your ignition system is a very bad idea. Sheriff has the right idea, just pull those heat shields off so you can see what your dealing with. Some penetrating oil might work, but unless that truck has set in water for a long time, I don't think those plugs would be siezed.... Just MY OPINION though.

 

yep, the heat shields just pull off and they'll fit aroun the boot so if you ever have a stuck boot and don't want to mangle it then you can pull the heat shield over it and get a good grip. also with the heat shield off you can clean any gunk away from the plug easier instead of just shooting compressed air in there and hoping that it gets it all.

 

Ok, not be a pain in everyone's ***, but what do we mean by the heat sheild? I'm assuming you mean the metal cylinder-type of thing that the spark plugs and the boot goes in, right? It doesn't seem like they come off. I tried with a pair of channel locks, and they just keep slipping off. By the way, thanks to everyone who is helping me out with this, I really appreciate it!

Also, while we are at it: The pcv valve is on the driver side valve cover, right? How do i get it off? It doesn't seem to want to just pull out, and I don't want to put pliers on it without asking you guys.

 

They come off, you just have to wiggle them like hell. They aren't a remove and reinstall piece though. Once you remove it, it's gone.

 

Is it possible to replace it with a new one, or will I just have to run without them? Will that damage anything?