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S197 Spark Plugs

7K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  Beechkid 
#1 ·
What are the best plugs to replace the crappy factory ones with?
 
#6 ·
What are the best plugs to replace the crappy factory ones with?
If your car was built before 30th November 2007, it'll have the break-prone two piece plugs and you can replace them with the Champion 7989 one piece units.
Ah yes that's right. My wife's expedition had the two piece plugs. Be careful removing them that's when they'll mostly likely break..
 
#7 ·
If you have a pre 2008-1/2 model year car and the plugs have been in there for a long time, do your homework before you attempt to remove them. There are lots of threads on here and other forums about it. If you do it right, you can probably get them out without breaking them; but if they break off in the head it can be a major pain to remove them.
 
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#14 ·
IMHO, I would be very resistant to use Seafoam......




Seafoam is a "Highly Corrosive" product and isclearly spelled out in the MSDS....something I would not have any desire toexpose to fuel injectors, sensors (including O2) & hoses of any type. Thereare those that will state "Used it for years & no problem", andvery true, but it simply violates every basic OEM specified maintenance/repairprocedure & law of chemistry in the books.....


No mfg including domestic & imports (including BMW,MB, Porsche) advises using any product like this (or similar) for any servicework on a fuel injected system. Documented damage goes back decades. There is lot of things that many people do to their engines,that is well document "Not to do"..............like I said, it'sbasic chemistry........that which we were all taught......with any product likethis, always read the MSDS.....


Seafoam contains


1. Paleoil......cheap refinery distillate (Why somebody would fog their cat and o2sensors with plumes of lubricant is beyond me.)


2. Napthalene......whichis dry cleaning fluid, an Aromatic which means it is a "toxin"affecting directly the liver, kidneys, spleen, etc.


3. Isopropylalcohol......not good for an engine (a small percentage of alcohol typically) andthe rest water


Sea Foam Sales Company - SDS


As listed under "Other important hazards", It alsohas "teratogenic" properties......Meaning there is an effect uponyour DNA...meaning you are ok but you future kids come out "screwedup", cell structure abnormalities, cancers, etc....and yes, you aresucking this in when it dumps out your exhaust pipe....or if you are drivingdown the road to clear it out, to your neighbor whose behind you....and thereis "no cure" for this.


Listed under "Hazardous Combustion Products"(meaning when its burning), it produces sulpher oxides (just what youwant....feeding sulpher particulates into the cats) & phosphoruscompounds.....this is not even close to being "good" for any plastic,o-ring, metal (like pistons, piston rings, residual that might bypass thepiston rings and make it into the oil, e-sensor, the honey-combs inside thecat's. While the MSDS does not spec the ph of the product, if you measure theexhaust at the point of discharge, you'll crap in your pants when you see theph change…..and for those who may think that the engine combustion will burnall this up....remember, poisons are destroyed at 1,800 degrees and toxins aredestroyed at 2,500 degrees F......not even the cats are close to this.


Using the right oilwith the right compounds in it is much better and safer!
 
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#10 ·
That has the break-away spark plugs for sure (unless they have already been changed). Try some searches in this section and the "2005-2010 Talk" section to find the existing threads that go into this in detail, including the procedure to remove and the details of the special tool in case you break one.
 
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#13 ·
When I decided it was time tochange the plugs (2006 Mark LT 5.4, 35,000 miles) with the Motorcraft SP515’s. Although I knew about the carbonbuild-up/plug removal issue, I decided not to change the plugs until there wasa replacement plug that I was comfortable with…meaning I knew it was a goodquality plug in terms of component design and construction. Although I did follow the most recent TSB, Ialso relied on my experience back in the 1970’s when aluminum heads &intake manifolds were just entering the street scene and never-seize did notexist. Here are the exceptions to theTSB that I did…
  • I ran Lucas fuel injection cleaner, mixed at 3 times their recommendation in 1 full tank of gasoline. Purpose…if I was lucky, it would dissolve or loosen any carbon buildup (although many do a real fuel injection cleaning also- and it is probably a best practice to do if you have more than 45-50,000 miles on the plugs)
  • Although I am a fan of PB Blaster, I used a product called ChemSearch “Yield”. The issue I have with using carb cleaner is the lack of lubrication…..in the old days of removing steel plugs from aluminum heads, we use to mix up acetone & ATF…or of we needed more lubrication, kerosene & ATF, “Yield” provides this lubrication- much better IMHO than even PB Blaster.
  • Yes, I put anti-seize on the plug threads (I know the TSB says not to)
  • Of course…a lot of patience, I really doubt if I ever put more than 20-25 lbs of force during removal (purposefully)
The end result, only one plugeven “squeaked” coming out (but it basically unscrewed like a regular plug-literally). Plug #4 was initially alittle stubborn, but after the second try, then waiting about 30 minutes, itcame out with very little effort…just kept wiggling the plugs(tightening/loosening) by 1/8th or even less of a turn- and they allcame out without a single one breaking or any issue really. Another techniquethat can definitely be used is to loosen the plugs about 1/8 to ¼ of a turn,start the engine for about 1 minute- this allows the flame to travel up aroundthe plug to burn off the carbon, let cool, then remove with the process Ipreviously described.
As far as using an air ratchet,I can understand the theory of “shocking” the carbon loose, but I have alsoseen and experienced in my younger days some real disasters.
Actual working time: 2 hours…..including washing my hands, totaltime was 5 hours.
FYI- Why I choose Motorcraft.
In the 1970’s I ran (like many)Champion’s in just about everything (even had the gold palladiums), but stoppedin the early 1980’s when they changed their copper-core design and theresulting quality problems that IMHO still exist today. Since then I have run Splitfire(non-platinum) in my old world (1960’s) cars, Bosch in my late 1990’s vehicles(both because the cylinder head design really prefers these types of plugs),but I really had hesitation because of the construction/component quality ofthe non-Motorcraft plugs and really questioned the durability in thisapplication about the Motorcraft SP508 or SP 509’s which are single platinum. Given the types of loads and burn/flamepromulgation rates in the chambers, I really had doubts about the style of theplug with single platinum having the ability to “survive” as long as theyengineers said. What do ya know…the SP515’s are double platinum.
 
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#15 ·
The MSDS is there for occupational health and safety. If you're not going to huff it or drink it, you'll be fine. And sticking in a can or three or four every 100,000 miles isn't going to hurt anything. As far as BMW goes....they don't recommend *any* product that they don't make. For example, their fuel additive. Which is/was Techron under a different name. There was a time that Castrol was the oil they said you should use, even though Mobil 1 met all their specs. (They had a deal with Castrol, now, it's Shell)
 
#16 ·
I put factory plugs back in. Car runs great.
Soaked the plug well with seafoam deep creep overnight then took my time cracking them and working them back and forth. None broke. Not sure if that did it or the fact that I run B-12 Chemtool in small amounts of gas, a few times every year.
 
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