Plug Wire removal..

[Calabrio]

I've worked on plenty of cars, many have DOHCs.

Yet, I've never had a harder time removing the plug wires than on my 93 Mark VIII. When I replaced them last summer, almost every single one of them broke.

I replaced the set, use liberal amounts of dielectric grease, and tonight when I went to go check my sparkplugs, I couldn't get the plugs to pull out. Stuck. Tight.

Anyone have any tips or experience with these plugs? Is it usually this difficult? Is there some unique tool that I need to use? I do not want to loose a $100 set of wires every time I want to change my spark plugs.

 

[Redwingvksm]

Twist/take em off every Oil change? Good question. If you put dielectric grease on them before I don't know how else you gonna keep them from sticking.

I'm just use to rippin' them off, taking out the plug and gettin' a new set. 33/year isn't that bad for some wires really...(assuming you buy 100 set of wires and the plugs/wires last you 3 years.)

I don't really have a solid answer how to take them off man, sorry...

 

[Calabrio]

It's just strange. are they ridiculously tight for everyone else?

 

[kustomizingkid]

The plug wires on my Mark are stuck on really good. I tried to pull one off last night and it just wouldn't come off so I sprayed some wd 40 on all the wires and will try again later.

 

[67Continental]

mine came out ok...

 

[segxr7]

The plug wires on my Mark are stuck on really good. I tried to pull one off last night and it just wouldn't come off so I sprayed some wd 40 on all the wires and will try again later.

What good will that do? Now they're going to be just as stuck, and slippery too.

Get a plug wire puller at a parts store.. It looks kind of like a set of tongs. Grab the wire boot and twist back & forth until it un-sticks, then the wire should pop right off.

 

[kustomizingkid]

What good will that do? Now they're going to be just as stuck, and slippery too.

I dunno about you but I've always had fairly good luck with stuck things being helped becomce unstuck with a little lubrication.

I don't want to have happean on my mark what happend on our 97 f150. I pulled the plugwire off and the wire and rubber boot came of but the socket wouldn't go on the plug So I shine some light down the hole and it i see a little metal thing smashed dow there. It was the contact on the end of the wire and it ripped off. I took me about an hour and a half to grind some pliers down to fit and then fish it out.

Also I technically didn't use wd 40, I used this stuff called aerokroil. It is an insanely good working pentrating lube. It is the best stuff I have ever used.

 

[segxr7]

But how is spraying the wires going to un-stick the little metal thing up inside the boot? You can't get to it unless you remove the wire..

 

[Calabrio]

it actually does seem to feel like the rubber shafts are what are really causing all the resistance. As though the rubber expanded in the valve covers.

 

[JayBay]

I just changed out plugs and wires on my 94, and the wires were date coded 1994. I'm not sure how old the plugs were, but shall we say they had a "rich patina". All my boots popped right off, and the plugs for the most part came out easily.

Maybe your car has cooties.

 

[MediumD]

Yeah... http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=26552

it actually does seem to feel like the rubber shafts are what are really causing all the resistance. As though the rubber expanded in the valve covers.

I noticed that too, it does seem like the rubber toward the plug-end of the boot is what's causing it.

I still have 4 left to do. I tried WD40 but only left it for an hour or so, when I try the other 4 I'll try lube again and let it soak in for several hours, maybe overnight. Otherwise it's back to my method of smashing the plastic boot with a screwdriver and hammer and vacuuming out the pieces, then fishing out the rubber end with a bent piece of a coat hangar..

 

[1993_M75]

On my car, both the old and new boots were difficult to insert / remove on some cylinders. Seems to be the plug tower seals on the cam covers that are the sticking point. I just put some dielectric grease on the ouside of them to help them slide in.