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spark plug replacement on `03 GT 4.6 ?

I'm not ready to change plugs yet... got 60k miles to go before then.... however, I was just looking under the hood the other day and realized that I could not find the plugs and ignition wires! I checked out a few manuals and they were of no help. My best guess is that the plugs are on "top" with some small thin wires running to them. Are these them? I see nothing down below the valve covers. Where are the big thick ignition wires like on every other engine I've ever seen? Where exactly are the spark plugs.... I see TWO sets of "plugs" on the top side of the heads, over each bank. Are the spark plugs difficult to change? This is the first time I ever looked under a hood and could not "find" the spark plugs!

Reply to
GT-Vert-03
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The 4.6 in your car is a COP (Coil On Plug) engine. Beside each fuel injector (on the top side of the heaad) you will see a plastic piece with two small wires going to each one. These are held down by a cap screw (7mm wrench).... undo the screw and pull gently while twisting the coil. Be sure to blow out the spark plug wells with compressed air before removing the plugs.

Additionally, when you wash the motor, take extreme care to avoid forcing water into the spark plug wells.... This water can wreak havoc and cause damage as well....

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

I'm a wrench monkey myself, but when I looked in the engine bay and saw the mess of everything under the hood, I said that I would pay the dealership (I know, I know) to change them for me.

Reply to
Ralph Snart

Ralph...it's really simple. Instead of pulling a spark plug wire, you have to unbolt what amounts to the end of a spark plug wire (the COP). Tug it out and change the plug like any other engine. The passenger side will require you to remove the air inlet tube, but that's a screwdriver's worth of work. Of course, I swapped my engine in the garage, so it could all be relative. : )

Reply to
Keith

Interesting. Thanks. But, I see these "chrome rails" right above the COPs. I guess these are the fuel rails for the fuel injectors...??? They are right above the COPs, very little clearance. Can the COPs and plugs be pulled without having to touch the fuel system at all? If the COPs need to be pulled straight up by more than about 1/2" to get them off, those chrome rails may need to come out.... or...? If so, that makes the job much bigger I would guess. Thanks.

Reply to
GT-Vert-03

Are the plugs really that close to the injectors? Are you perhaps confusing the injectors with the COP/plug assembly?

Take it to a shop :-)

Dana

Reply to
Dana H. Myers

Yes, the chrome pieces are the fuel rails..... I can't speak for the Mustang, but the 4.6 in the pick-ups will let you remove the COPs without bothering the fuel rails. It looks like a real close fit but the end of the COP you can't see is pretty flexible.

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

I felt the same way when I opened the hood of my 2001 GT. I said to my friend "I don't seem to have a distributor on this car - is that a problem?"

Robert A. Hedeen Saratoga Spr>I'm not ready to change plugs yet... got 60k miles to go before then....

Reply to
Robert A. Hedeen

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