DIY 2005 Civic: Change Spark Plugs

I use to think my Civic was indesctrutible.  This car is going to last me at least 15 years.  Those thoughts quicky vanished when my check engine light or malfuntion indicator light came on.  The car started to stutter or stumble during acceleration.  I plugged in the OBDII scanner and it showed random engine misfires in all cylinders.  "What?!?!" I thought.  The car is only 4-5 years old, and it has only 120k on it.
So I decided to change the spark plugs since it was way past time.

WHY?: Simply put, spark plugs ignite the air/fuel mixture inside the engine, causing the cylinders to move and hence the car to move.  It is the heart of the ignition system.  Keeping spark plugs in good working order allows for better efficiency and power in many cases.

WHEN?:  Most mechanics, experienced car owners, and parts sales people have told me to change spark plugs at 100,000 km.  Honda Civic maintenance manual says to change spark plugs at 176,000 km.  Since I was having problems, I started with the spark plugs first since they were cheap. ($20 for the NGK ones I got)

HOW?: 

1.  On the 2005 Civic Si, the spark plugs live inside those four coils.  This Civic engine uses a COP (coil on plug) system.  No more wires to the spark plug.

2.  First you will need to remove the plastic cover using a flat head screw driver.  Turn the two screws about 90 degrees and lift off the plastic cover.

3.  Next, disconnect the connector to the coil.  Press the sides to remove the connector.  It is best to replace one spark plug at a time. I started with the rightmost one.

4.  With the connector removed, using a 10mm socket, remove the nut holding the coil in place.  Carefully slide the coil out of the engine.You will now see where the spark plug is located.

 

5.  Take your 5/8" socket with nylon insert (it makes life easier) and carefully loosen the spark plug.  I ran my engine a couple minutes to get it warm.  If you are not careful with removing and installing the spark plug, you can cross thread it, and then you're going to be in some deep trouble.  Once you have the spark plug loosened, I continued to hand loosen them.  After removing the spark plug, also be careful not to get any dirt or debris into the engine.  Here's what my spark plug looked like.   Spark plugs are a window of your engine's health.  They can give you an indication of any engine troubles you may be having.

 

 6. Now take your new spark plug and put it back into the engine.  Finger tighten the spark plug and then torque them to 33 lbs.  (I think that's what it is).  Put the coil back into place, bolt it back down and connect the electrical head to the coil.

7.  Continue the same steps for the next three spark plugs.

8.  Once you are done, put the plastic cover back onto the engine, double check the area for any left over parts, and then fire the engine up.  Should sound and feel great now.  Take the car for a spin, and take notice of any strange noises and how the car feels.

For about $20 bucks, you've just saved yourself some cash by changing your own spark plugs and it only took about 30 minutes.  The best part is, knowing it was done versus someone telling you it was done.  Hope this DIY helped. 

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