Gonna go ahead and replace the spark plugs this weekend. Everything ive replaced so far has been original so im pretty sure the spark plugs are too. Never changed any before, what all do i need to know ?

 

Spark plug socket, should be the 5/8" one. Wire can be tough to get off of the spark plugs sometimes, you can buy a tool that is made for removing them or use some pliers but be careful not to damage the boot. I took out the little heat shields around each one as well and cleaned the area around the head. Other than that it is pretty straight forward.

 

double check and make sure the new ones are gapped correctly, i like to use some copper anti-seize (personal preference). other than that its pretty straight forward take old ones out put new ones in. Use the appropriate spark plug socket and start threading it in by hand as to not cross thread anything

 

Good point, they are not gapped correctly out of the box. Should be .040 I believe.

 

Okay thanks. Seems pretty easy

 

After you remove the wire, blow out any dirt from around the plug before you remove them.
Do them one at a time so you don't mix up the wires.
Get some electrical/contact grease for the boot before you put it back on... it will make for a better connection, and make removing them easier next time.

 

The only problem I had with mine was some crap that had built up around the very bottom of one of the front two plugs on the passenger side...It made getting a socket around the hex part verrrry difficult...once I was able to break it loose I cleaned out around it and got the new ones in no problems....Just be careful not to break any of them off since they're original...

 

Be sure to remove the spark plug heat shield tubes as part of this job. They serve no good purpose and allow dirt/rust to accumulate around the plugs near the base. The heat shield tubes can be easily removed by grabbing the top of them with a good set of locking pliers and rocking/yanking them a bit until they come off the head.

 

AtomicDog, you did not put the heat shields back? No issues with the boot cracking? How long have you been running like that?

 

I've done plugs probably a dozen times since I bought the truck in 2001 (due to pinging, performance, vanity, etc.) and my only tip is to grab both the 5/8 plug socket AND the regular 5/8 socket. Why? The plug socket likes to get stuck on the new plug and when pulling the ratchet out the socket stays. (Not a problem if you remove the heat shield). So I always use the plug socket for removing the old plugs, and switch to the regular socket for installing the new ones. Can do a set in about half hour with gapping and anti-sieze.