Great video guys. I worked for LAPD for 21 years and i torqued all suspension bolts, nuts, spark plugs and of course all brake caliper bolts and even bleeder screws. You'd be surprised how many people didn't even torque the lug nuts or the intake manifold bolts. I have all the torque wrenches, quarter drive, 3/8 drive and half inch. Plus i marked every bolts to make sure that i torqued them. Thanks for reminding all technicians to be professional at their job.

I have been changing sparkplugs for over 40 years and have never used anti-seize on the threads. I was told years ago that the addition of anti-seize to the threads will mess with the torque specs if you use a torque wrench to torque them down. I have read that some manufacturers do not recommend using it, but I can't remember which ones off the top of my head. I have always used dielectric grease in the boots though. Great video as usual.

The electrical connectors unlock more easily if you push the connector in further to relieve pressure on the lock tab before attempting to release it. I recommend blowing the area around the plug out with compressed air after loosening the plug a couple of turns to prevent any debris from falling into the cylinder. I used to use anti-seize on aluminum heads when they first became more common ~40 years ago and it was common for plugs to seize in the heads. Probably different aluminum alloys and/or coatings on plugs seem to have solved the seizing problem a long time ago. I can't remember the last time I wasn't able to remove a plug without some sort of damage.

literally wouldnt change a thing. great vid guys

A few additional things to consider , #1 Make sure the springs are still inside the boots when your putting the coils back on , sometimes they fall out without you even realizing it. #2 Look inside and clean out the wells before removing the plugs. Many times the wells are filled with oil / debris. #3 inspect the boots for any signs of arcing. Even a pinhole is going to be a problem.

1:15. Guy just wants to replace them and get paid….. 1:57 Guy jams whatever is available in 12:46 the can't be good.... 15:10 NGK SAYS NO ANTI SIEZE FOR THEIR PLUGS DIRECTLY ON THEIR WEBSITE 5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SPARK PLUGS 1. Anti-seize NGK spark plugs feature trivalent plating. This silver or chrome-colored finish on the threads is designed to provide corrosion resistance against moisture and chemicals. The coating also acts as a release agent during spark plug removal. NGK spark plugs are installed at the factory dry, without lubrication or anti-seize. Anti-seize can act as a lubricant, altering torque values up to 20 percent, increasing the risk of spark plug thread breakage and/or metal shell stretch. Thread breakage can sometimes involve removing the cylinder head for repair. Metal shell stretch changes the heat rating of the spark plug and can result in serious engine damage caused by pre-ignition. Do not use anti-seize or lubricant on NGK spark plugs. It is completely unnecessary and can be detrimental.

I always spray brake clean followed by air after removing boots. Then remove the spark plugs. Thanks for the videos as I do not work on vehicles for a living. I just thirst for knowledge. Love the diag videos as well. ❤

Great advice! In addition to your process, I will take a shop vac or compressed air and clean out any debris in the plug recess prior to removing the spark plug. Yes, it's overkill, but you may be surprised what can get in that recess.

As you can see, the lowly spark can generate alot of conversational opinion. We are all still apprentices after 45 years. Keep producing the videos. 👍

Great video. Thanks. I’ve seen the debate over use of anti-seize. I’m a DIY person who uses it with no issues. I’m sure they’ll be comments about what can go wrong but those people never seem to show any videos about the “wrongs” happening but just prefer to comment and troll on other people’s videos.

I've been in the grind professionally about 40 years. Love your videos. The most impressive thing about this video is the fender covers. ...and that dog. :)

I'm really glad you talked about some (Ford) spark plugs that should be remove on a hot engine. Of course on a Ford truck, it will be the one in the back. That is the hardest to get to, that will break.

All I have to say down here is that yeah, plugs seem like one of the easiest jobs, and in many cases they are, but they're spooky, and mission-critical. I know a lot of the trucks have absolute nightmare plugs, many of the cars do, and even on "easy" inline 4 cylinders it's always a relief when they come out clean and don't bring the threads with them, and another relief when they snug down firm and don't keep spinning with the wrench.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to wipe the porcelain portion of the spark plug with isopropyl to clean off the oils from your fingertips. Some manufacturers of spark ignited engines do recommend doing it. Great Video. 👍

This would be a great video in an apprentice guide play list for young people just getting started. It's been my experience that a lot of older techs will tell an up and comer to do somethingbut they skimp out on the why it it needs to be done a certain way. Great videos

You do a great job nice work.

i gotta admit im surprised by this video from you guys. longtime subscriber to your channel and a ASE Master with L1, L3 and L4 here myself. 1st never use a gap gauge on most modern spark plugs. Feeler gauges or those set wire gauge. 2nd a big no no is to add anti seize to the threads. Most every spark plug manufacturer will tell you that. a neat trick to start the spark plus is to use a piece of rubber fuel line to start them. I have the plug starters made by a few people but also have rubber fuel line in different lengths 6in, 12in and 18in in my plug tool drawer

Getting a gap tool after watching this. Great video and yes in the Prius once you get the wiper items out of the way, very easy.

Thank you for showing us the gap check out of the box. Never thought about that. Great video 😁👍🏼

"Royalty auto service"! For the descendants of George Washington amusing name. Very interesting and helpful vid, and as a DIY driveway monkey very impressed with the spread of tools and equipment. FYI my son's Jaguar and wife's BMW, the spark plugs were £25 each from the main stealer .(each having the car makers name on) A little after the event, research, revealed both used a specific NGK spark plug, at nearly half the price.

Great video Sherwood. I like your meticulous work ethics.

Love your attention to detail and vast knowledge from experience. Happy to become a subscriber.

So glad you picked the "easy side". 🤣

I really enjoy your very deliberate method of working. Excellent.

Excellent video smart wise and informative. Anti-seize copper got to keep that in mind.

OMG, a stumpy tailed cattle dog! Win! I have one as well.

Let me tell you sir, the best brand spark plug i have used is the brand Beru. This brand is known to have a very reliable spark for a long time! Second brand for me is the Ngk. Outside of these 2 brands, I've noticed power loss to my experiences. but I have also noticed that some cars only run well on the Oem spark plugs, and other than that sluggish.

I love your philosophy/work ethics on cars. Great video! 👍

The gapping method you showed worked perfectly for me. Thanks for the video!

Amazing informative video!!!! Thank you for all the details!!

Really enjoyed it ! Thanks for producing another training video ! 👊🏼 🔥

Great informational video

Great video and always a learning curve

Great stuff gentlemen.

Wow! The measuring. Never would have thought that pre gapped plugs could be wrong. Makes me want to check mine!

Very informative. Thanks again..

Thank you For the video Good to know

Great video. I believe the general guidance with regard to anti-seize that the torque needs to be reduced by 20% from the spec torque. The reason for this is your introducing a hydraulic compound on the threads and the plug shouldn’t be torque to full value because in fact with the compound you’d be overtorquing them as well. As well, there is some debate about reducing torque when using anti-seize, but the general consensus said it should be reduced. That said I appreciate your video and your expertise and how you do this.

A sprits of interior detailing spray on those connector clips helps a lot, lubricates them so they slide apart.

Put a light film of copper anti seize on your wiper blades. It makes the wipers last twice as long and keeps the window clean as can be. :)

Awesome video you guys, I really enjoy watching your stuff, I look forward to seeing more scope videos. We do the same procedure at our shop with the exception of we replace the coil boots at the same time as the tune-up/spark plug replacement, pretty frequently we see corrosion build up at the coil contact points under the boots

Exactly the video I needed to tackle a DIY spark plug replacement job on an LS4 engine. Very timely and well done! Thank you for your time and professionalism!

You guys are amazing!!!

The brownish residues on the outside of the ceramic mentioned around 19.45 actually are corona stains.

So glad I found this channel. Been following your guide to do my brake pads on my Nissan Silvia 😅

It's called reading your spark plugs to understand how ur engine is running, nice job Sherwood.

Glad to see you using a dab of antiseize, a touch of silicone, and hand starting as well. On top of that, I always clean and blow out the spark plug well before removing the old plug. Always have the new plug ready BEFORE hand so the time for the exposed hole is minimal. Also, I use a thread ROLLER (TIME-SERT; 👍 this is NOT a thread chaser) and finally install the new plug

You guys give such great instructions!! VERY helpful to us home mechanics trying to help friends as well as our own family save a bit of money at the shop. Please do a 5th gen Explorer (like 2013) with all wheel drive. When I had the dealer change my plugs they said "Well it's a transverse mounted engine so we have to take a LOT of stuff apart in order to reach the back 3 cylinders" and they charged me A LOT of money to do that. I paid up cuz I didn't have the tools nor the time to do it. BUT that's since changed and I would LOVE to do this myself some day. I would also love to see how y'all do it. Thanks for all you do to empower us DIYers!! Really appreciate your channel.

Thanks for your video. I've never used ant seize on spark plugs, but I see it because of the complexity of these new cars . Great advice about not using gun on them, coil bolts people have gone crazy using gun on everything on these cars .That makes sense about calibrating your elbows once in a while using torque wrench .

The original spark plugs in the truck were NGK IR. They are Iridium spark plugs designed to last 100k miles. That is why they looked in great shape after 30k miles 🙂 . If they were platinum plugs, I would change them at 30k with IR plugs.

Antiseize reduces the torque specification per NGK.

NGK for the win. Use them on everything.

Do manufacturers make the gap small so that as the plug ages the gap increases into the oem spec? I replaced plugs on a VW last year, and the OEM recommended new plugs had gaps that were all 0.2 mm too small out the box. I double checked it with two plug checkers, being sure not to damage the platinum coating. I used the exact brand specified by the dealer repair manual. After a little head scratching I decided to grab the neutral pole in a vice (on the sides so the platinum coating was not affected) and gently increase the gap, but I wondered if I might have been better to simply install them with a small gap....

I feel so stupid for dropping spark plugs down the hole now. Never thought about that. Thank you for these videos.

I bought a kit from Mac for spark plugs and I love the thing I still use it to the day that rubber boot is still inside of them they grip good. I love them not sure if you’ve tried those.

Great video. I never use a socket to start the threads. It is too easy to crossthread them. I always use a small piece of rubber tubing on the porcelain end to feed it into the hole and now you will not have enough torque to damage the threads if it isn't perpendicular to the hole because it will spin around the end before getting stuck. I turn the plug left to loosen it until I feel/hear it drop and change direction because I know the threads are lined up. You can't feel that through a socket either. Many cars such as Mercedes and Infiniti require properly torqued plugs because they are indexed, meaning the spark has to be at the correct angle and direction to ensure proper combustion.

Thanks a lot for the video..

Some plug manufacturers recommend only a wire gapping tool for precious metal plugs.

I use Vacuum Hose or Vacuum Hose and a Screwdriver to pull and start the Plugs. Flexible and Aimable. Not Everyone has Spark Plug Sockets that retain. It's faster and easier. Cool Vid. I'm much in agreement.

Question regarding anti seize: why copper as opposed to aluminum? Especially with the aluminum heads….dissimilar metals isn’t an issue??

Hi Folks, any chance you have a part no for your gap gauge? Really like the looks of it compared to the other styles but struggling to find the same style over here in the UK. Keep up the good work! I’ve been sending most of your content out to my technicians because it’s so clear, educational and just the right way to do things.

I have been using aluminum Anti seize for spark plugs. I am curious why it is a good practice to use copper. Does using aluminum grease react with the metals? Look forward to your response.

If that ram is a 13 or newer it’s 100k interval or 10 years. Older ones are 30k Good vid guys keep it up.

That's good stuff right there. This video could have been an hour long.

NGK specifically says do not use anti-seize.

Does a little anti seize go on wheel nuts?

You have a link or a part number for that gapping tool I love it

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the threads are coated on todays spark plugs and is not recommended to use anti seize on them. NGK spark plugs feature a trivalent plating and states not to use anti seize because it can be detrimental.

I have a 2016 5.7 how many miles does the truck need to have to change the spark out

Push pull connector Sherwood

I wish I could learn how to be this type of tech

The torque (23Nm) for Mercedes plugs Direct Injection (GDI) engines is to correctly clock or align the OPEN side of the ground strap toward the fuel injector (+/-45°). Not sure that 's the case for all GDI engines. Maybe make a follow-up video about that.

I watch these guys not because idk how to do it but more as to why I am doing it.

In May 2024 I will have 40 years as a certified mechanic,33 years as a Master. I also have master tech with Toyota,Nissan,Chrysler/Dodge and BMW. But who cares about that. I do know that during Chrysler factory training in Ontario California we would joke that someone from Champion plug’s took someone from Chrysler to some nice dinners and probably (other places) My point is that as a Master mechanic I wouldn’t even put a “ Champion “ plug in my lawnmower , that was the general consensus among us factory mechanics.

I really like how you explain even the simple things! 👌 15:46 Don’t some spark plugs come pre-greased or coated from the factory? Doesn’t putting anti-cease on the plugs change the torque setting? (I’m just curious. Greetings from The Netherlands 🇳🇱)

Why not the aluminum anti-seize ( grey ) on spark plug threads?

What is your thinking on not using aluminum anti-seize on spark plugs? What is different from the copper stuff? FYI, I like to think I follow the five or so best mechanics on KZfaq, and most of you agree about using anti-seize on plugs, but at least one of the others uses aluminum. I'd really appreciate your insights (and that of any others who may read this). Thanks!

Shouldn't you reduce torque when applying anti-seize to the threads?

Here comes the anti-seize on spark plugs debate.....

One should also take into account the fact that Auto Manufactures stretch the truth about how long a Spark Plug will Really Last to keep the Maintenace Cost Figure low, just like they do when saying an Oil Change only needs to be done every 10,000 Miles. Of course they say under Ideal Driving Conditions to cover Their Lower Back Side. I'll give an Example. An Auto Manufacture says the engine comes equipped with Iridium Spark Plugs and therefore they only need to be replaced every One Hundred Thousand Miles. I don't care if the Spark Plug look like new when you take one out. The resistance to fire that plug can be much more than it was when the Spark Plug was new. That makes the Ignition Coils have to work that much harder to fire them. Replacing the Spark Plugs Twenty Five Thousand Miles sooner perhaps would make more sense because by doing so you might prevent the Ignition Coils from failing. On certain Vehicles an Ignition Coil could over heat and perhaps even melt and could also cause the failure of the ECM. At One Hundred Thousand Miles the Vehicles Warranty has long since Expired and the Vehicle Owner is now responsible to pay the Bill. If you do find a faulty Coil and just replace one Coil and then 3 Months later the car comes back because another coil has failed the Customer might ask why the Heck didn't you tell me about that Coil being on it's way out at the time? I say replace all the Coils when one goes bad, just like you would if one Headlight burns out. If it's for your own car OK fine, but for Customers Car?! All Denso Oxygen Sensors come with Copper Never Seize. It makes great sense to use it on Spark Plugs for the reason you stated on Spark Plugs also. Once Again, Another Great Video!!!

Oh, I see you've touched on a very controversial topic for professionally installing spark plugs. That being the use of anti-seize. I was under the impression , and will continue to abide by, that it shouldn't be used on today's nickel coated plugs. NGK specifically states that anti-seize or lubricant on NGK spark plugs is unnecessary and can be detrimental. Autolite would indicate that anti-sieze can alter the tightening torque up to 20%, increasing the rise of breakage. Some habits are hard to break.

As stated multiple times anti- seize is not recommended. The video states this a a 2016 Ram 1500 with a 5.7 l engine. The plugs being installed are clearly champion 9055 . If you look up the spec for these plugs they come pre-gapped to 0.054. they make it sound like some how they came gapped incorrectly or have been damaged in shipping.. This clearly not the case. Champion states when using these plugs in this application they need to be gapped down to 0.044". . Tech tip here. just because you buy a spark plug for a certain vehicle does not mean they are drop in.. al;ways look up the specifications of the part being installed. These guys cleanly did not do this

Good video, but I don’t agree on the use of copper grease. Zinc & nickel plated spark plugs you really shouldn’t put copper grease on. The copper can cause galvanic corrosion with aluminium heads. This is a minor issue. Major issue is torque. You can offset the torque up to 20% (usually too tight) Also most big manufacturers (NGK - Champion - Denso etcetera) recommend not using any type of anti-seize other than the galvanic coating which they come with from factory. You can use anti-seize on black metal spark plugs, I can’t remember what metal alloy that is. I personally never saw this type installed in a modern car.

Here are the methods that applies to most cars and light trucks made in the last 15 years. Always use OEM spark plugs in modern engines. Do not use anti-seize in modern engines. No manufacture uses anti-seize and most plug manufactures have coatings that can be ruined by anti-seize. Also can affect torque values. If you have to gap a modern spark plug it may be the wrong spark plug. Double check the number and always compare to the old spark plug. Do not gap exotic tipped (iridium, etc.) spark plugs or you can damage the spark plug. Only use dielectric grease when a manufacture used it and very little. Dielectric can attract contaminates and not allow a rubber boot to seal properly on the spark plug. Always clean around the area and in a recessed spark plug hole BEFORE removing the spark plug to prevent debris going into the cylinder. Always follow manufacture service information.

About to watch the video these guys are great but no anti seize just hand tight with a ratchet and of course the material and gap has to be correct. With die electric grease on bottom of coil and connector that's it that's all.

NGK states that using anti seize can affect the torque spec on the plugs, but I have always used a little regardless.

I always use original spark plugs from the dealer. I don’t like using other brands that are better and longer lasting. Because the longer a spark plug sits in your engine the more likely it will seize and get stuck from corrosion. Besides it’s better to change them more often as to inspect the condition of how your engine is running. Lazy way is buy long lasting. & cross your fingers they will come out with no problems

The car care nut says if you torque your spark plugs to spec you don’t have to use anti-seize and I never had an issue on my Toyota..

In regards to the never using Never Seize debate on Spark Plugs: Some of us are so old that we remember the old Mazda Rotary Engines having 2 Spark Plugs Per Rotar and not being able to get them out or on a VW Air Cooled Engine back in the day. I could be wrong in one way, but correct in the other?

I'm trying to learn an possibly do my spark plugs for the very first time. So I watch your videos. A few weeks back I changed my breaks with the help of your videos. Its especially hard for me cuz my back after 2 car wrecks but I'm trying...

That snap-on Torque wrench tho

SHERWOOD him just lil guy, I know the feeling brother, have guy that helps me like 8ft tall never needs step.

Antisieze applied affects the torque

Why only use copper anti-seize and not aluminum on spark plug threads?

Should use nickel high temperature anti seize!

Champions belong in Mopars and lawnmowers, autolite in Fords and AC in GM. That's my story and I'm sticking to it cuz it's always worked. lol

He never blows out around the plug after he cracks it😮

I wish you’d mentioned why you don’t use aluminum anti-seize.

I will never put a Bosch part in anything automotive related. That being said, their servo valves which are really Rexroth are the best.

Why not the sliver anti-seize??