Spark Plug Change Instructions

[Loren]

For those of you who have a hard time getting to cylinder 1 and 4 plugs! I followed Loren's instructions and was able to change my plugs. However, getting to plugs of cylinders 1 and 4 was pain #@??)*... but I got it. The second time I had to do this I removed the mufflers. This gave me a lot of room to work with and made the job a lot easier for me. Took me about 20 min to take both mufflers off the car. Just loosen the bracket on the cat side and the 3 13mm nuts holding the muffler to the engine support bracket (see pic). You don't really have to do this, but if you have big hands and a only small collection of extensions and universals this will help you a lot. Good luck. muffler.png

I can't wrap my head around how to remove the muffler. I will be doing my plugs and coils this weekend. (had the PO306 code thrown) hope it's just the coils and plugs.. #6 that i could see with the wheel off looked pretty rough, part of the plastic came off in my hand.

Is there a good muffler removal tutorial?

Pretty much the reverse of this DIY Tutorial...

http://www.renntech.org/forums/tutorials/article/84-pse-porsche-sport-exhaust-install/

[wingman2468]

Well after ready all this I took on the plug change challenge today. I did not drop the mufflers and was making good time. Probably could have finished in about 2.5 hours except I failed to notice on the drivers side middle cylinder, the wiring harness plug had gotten pinned between the engine and the coil. As I tightened the screws down I cracked the coil female-end plug receptor. More like snapped it off.  :( So off to the dealer for parts. Hopefully someone will read this and be sure to clear the coil male end plug out of the way before tightening down the coil or snap it into place while the coil is inserted but not yet screwed down. Lessoned learned. The entire time I was under there looking at the few muffler bolts I kept asking myself "why didn't I drop this out?"  BTW...the dealer says Porsche updated the coil for the 997 and recommended I buy all six which I did.  $$$$$$$$$$ 

[tanny02996]

Thanks everyone for the tips and insights - i would never have had the confidence to try this project without Renntech! :thankyou:

I tackled this project today. Went as expected except when I went to re-install the heat shield on the passenger side.  My bolt sheared off (under pretty light pressure...grumble).  Now I have part of the shaft in the receiver and the rest in my hand! Anyone ever face this situation? Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

-tanny02

 

 

[JFP in PA]

Thanks everyone for the tips and insights - i would never have had the confidence to try this project without Renntech! :thankyou:

I tackled this project today. Went as expected except when I went to re-install the heat shield on the passenger side.  My bolt sheared off (under pretty light pressure...grumble).  Now I have part of the shaft in the receiver and the rest in my hand! Anyone ever face this situation? Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

-tanny02

 

 2014-12-06 13.42.20.jpg

 

Sure, use an drill and an easy out to extract the broken section, run a thread chaser down the bolt hole to clean the treads, put some anti seize on the replacement bolt, and you are back in business.

[tanny02996]

Appreciate the fast and clear advise...now I just need to find a small enough easy out...

[SpawnyWhippet]

Perhaps I am doing something wrong, but I have spent 60 mins just trying to remove the upper rear bolt that holds the drivers side muffler bracket on. I can just about get a long extension with a universal joint to the bolt and get 1/8 of a turn with my ratchet before the UJ locks up.

If the long bolts that hold the muffler to the muffler brackets had been fitted upside down with the nut at the top, this would have been 5 mins job as I could just drop the bolts out the bottom and pull the muffler off the bracket.

[Loren]

5 minute job if you remove the 13 mm nuts that hold the bracket to the chassis. All you need is a short 13 mm box or open ended wrench.

[SpawnyWhippet]

Am I removing the wrong bolts? I have 2x 13mm bolts holding the lower part of the muffler bracket under the engine, and 2x longer 13mm bolts holding the upper part to the engine just above the coil pack for cylinder 2

Edited January 8, 2015 by SpawnyWhippet

[Loren]

Am I removing the wrong bolts? I have 2x 13mm bolts holding the lower part of the muffler bracket under the engine, and 2x longer 13mm bolts holding the upper part to the engine just above the coil pack for cylinder 2

 

The three 13 mm nuts on the inside of the chassis bracket (marked with arrows) will let you rotate the muffler down and out. Seriously a 5 minute job if you remove these.

 

(click to enlarge)

[SpawnyWhippet]

Thanks very much, I was trying to remove brackets '17 and 18', which was why it was so tough!!

 

So much easier and quicker when you take the correct bolts off... Took only 45 mins to do the passenger side, including brake pad change.

Edited January 8, 2015 by SpawnyWhippet

[SpawnyWhippet]

My 2004 C4S doesn't have the protective cover plates over the spark plugs - are they missing or were they not fitted on this model year?

[lkchris]

Regarding which torque figure to use for installing spark plugs, I'd use the figure printed on the spark plug box. 

 

You'll note in previous comments, Loren gave a figure for previously-installed plugs which was less than for new plugs.

 

That's because the function of torqueing down the plugs is essentially a function of crushing the crush washer that comes on the plug.

 

So, different plug makers may use different crush washers and the same manufacturer may have changed the washer used over time.  No way Porsche knows anything about this.

 

It's the plug manufacturer's responsibility to know the metallurgy of the crush washers they use and specify a tightening torque that corresponds.  Again, no way Porsche knew back in the early 2000s what's being produced in 2015.  Maybe somebody can find some obscure DIN or SAE document specifying that all plug crush washers should be identical, but I doubt it.  Seems harmless but correct to follow what the plug maker specifies.

[dallison]

I will verify that dropping the mufflers will make life easier.

[Hilux2400]

I put new plugs in and coil packs on when I put new silencers on.  It's much easier with the exhaust off.  Two of the captive bolts on the mounting plate sheared off, so I drilled all three out and replaced with stainless bolts with Aerotight stainless nuts.  I also put the vertical bolts, the ones that pass through the anti vibration mesh, in from the bottom.  This means that the next time I take the silencers off I won't have to disconnect the holding plate.   

 

[Jason Mulholland]

The idea to remove the mufflers was key... until the mufflers ended up dangling from the PSE actuator lines.  Fortunately, I was able to push the muffler on the driver side backward enough to get to #2 and forward enough to access #1.  Work still in progress (#4 yet to go).  Bracket is the biggest obstruction to accessing #4.