A DIY Tutorial On Replacing Your Ford’s Spark Plugs
Got a bad spark plug or two in your motor? It’s a good idea to replace your spark plugs as soon as possible. The longer you leave a bad spark plug in your engine, the more fuel is wasted and the longer you have to deal with reduced engine power.
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When it comes to replacing your spark plugs, you have three options:
- Pay a Ford dealership to replace the spark plugs
- Pay a repair shop to replace the plugs
- Replace the spark plugs yourself
We will always recommend the third option over the first two. If you have a spark plug socket and other basic tools, you can certainly replace your Ford’s spark plugs yourself.
Why Replace The Spark Plugs Yourself?
Replacing your spark plugs at home is beneficial in a few ways. For instance:
1. Replacing Spark Plugs Yourself Is The Cheaper Option
At either a Ford dealership or at a repair shop, expect to pay about $100/hour for labor. Depending on the complexity of your engine and the number of spark plugs that need to be replaced, the job will take 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete. Even if it takes only 30 minutes to replace the spark plugs on your engine, the dealership will charge you a minimum of one hour’s worth of work. If you replace the spark plugs yourself, you won’t have to pay anything for labor.
Also, Ford dealerships will charge you a large markup on OEM replacement spark plugs. If a spark plug costs $9 wholesale, you’ll probably pay at least $12 for it at a dealership. If you’re buying a set of spark plugs, the costs add up. At a repair shop, you will pay a markup, and also probably get aftermarket plugs.
You’ll save a lot of money if you order your replacement spark plugs from us. We offer wholesale pricing for genuine OEM spark plugs.
2. Replacing The Spark Plugs Yourself Saves A Lot of Time
Not only does tackling a spark plug replacement job yourself cost you less money, but it also saves you time. You don’t have to drive to the dealership and then wait for the technician to knock other cars out of the way before starting on yours.
Read on to learn how to effectively replace the spark plugs in your Ford. This guide is geared toward older Ford Focus models, but the steps are still straightforward enough to apply to many other Ford models.
What You Need To Get First
First, gather together the following items:
- Replacement spark plug(s)
- Spark plug socket (5/8” for the Focus; the size may be different if you have another model)
- Gap tool
- Socket wrench set
- Ratchet
The Spark Plug Replacement Process
Once you have all the tools, take the following steps:
- Open the hood.
- Locate the ignition coils, which are right on top of the spark plugs.
- Push the tab on the coil harness and then disconnect the coil.
- Remove the 8mm bolt holding the coil in place.
- Pull the ignition coil off of the spark plug.
- Now, you can see the spark plug in the cylinder. Using your spark plug socket, remove it from the cylinder.
- Take the new spark plug and then gap it with the gap tool. Make sure there’s a little bit of resistance on the right size. (The plugs come with the correct gap, but sometimes the plugs get dropped during shipping and handling, and the gap gets knocked smaller than spec.)
- Put the new spark plug on the spark plug socket and then screw it into the cylinder. Be sure to use the torque specs outlined in the owner’s manual.
- Push your ignition coil back in place, bolt it in, and then reconnect the harness.
- Repeat with the other spark plugs.
Please contact us for assistance finding the right replacement spark plug(s) for your Ford model.