What screwdriver do I need to get to spark plugs?

[Gavran]

Hello everybody!

Wanted to change spark plugs on my 2006 Mazda5 and could not unscrew those very first screws. They have very long pins no screwdriver could cover it.
Could somebody please give me a hint what screwdriver should I buy? I need one with a deep cylinder but I don't know how exactly this calls. English is not my mother tongue and I don't even know how to explain what I need in an auto store

Please no advice about go to dealership, their prices are ridiculous.

Thanks in advance!

 

[loosenut]

Uhm, no screwdriver needed. Step 1. Remove plastic engine cover by pulling up from the front to back. Step 2. Locate four black ignition coils. There may be plastic ball studs on a couple of the ignition coil retaining bolts to hold the engine cover but yours may not. If it does a 15mm socket/wrench will remove those. The 4 ignition coils are held in by 8mm bolts. A deepwell socket may be needed. Remove those (1 per coil) and the coils (coils do not have to be disconnected from wiring harness, just lift them all up together with wiring harness). Step 3. Use a 5/8" spark plug socket and remove spark plugs. Reinstallation notes: reassembly is reverse, of course, but a very small amount of anti-sieze compound can be added to spark plug threads. Also, I usually add a small amount of die-electric grease inside the boot of the ignition coil.

 

[Gavran]

I called it "screwdriver", you called it "deepwell socket". My bad English ))) Thank you, Loosenut, now I know what I need.

 

[Indelibility]

I called it "screwdriver", you called it "deepwell socket". My bad English ))) Thank you, Loosenut, now I know what I need.

Don't forget to gap them too.

 

[Davebert]

If you have not done stuff like this before, be sure to remove and replace one spark plug and coil pack at a time. This will reduce the chances of you mixing up the order of the coil packs. Also, DO NOT OVER TORQUE the spark plugs, thread the spark plug in by hand via an extension with the spark plug socket and only tighten about 1/8 to max of 1/4 turn once the spark plug is finger tight. the head is aluminum and it is very easy to damage or strip the thread of the spark plug.

Good luck.

 

[thaxman]

Remember, these are steel-threaded spark plugs going into an aluminum head. When anything threads into aluminum, it tends to bind over the course of hundreds of heat cycles, so be sure to get some anti-seize (spark plug grease) to apply to the threads. It is silver and metallic. Just a little bit on the threads, but NOT on the gap end that goes into the combustion chamber.

I also carefully drop the plugs into the socket, then back them in reverse for a few spins before beginning to drive them in to ensure that the threads line up and they don't get cross-threaded going in. LAST thing you want to do is have a plug seize in there. They have to drill them out and rethread, if it is not too damaged.

And +1, only do 1 at a time. Take the coil off, change the plug, replace the coil, move to the next one.

 

[Swenny]

Torque on those should be about 10 ft-lbs. Don't need a lot

 

[loosenut]

Davebert, actually coil orientation itself is unimportant, only coil electrical connector orientation. A great test for finding a faulty coil for a misfire that is setting the check engine light (with corresponding cylinder specific misfire code) is to swap one coil from a non-misfiring cylinder to the effected cylinder and after driving/running vehicle long enough seeing if the other cylinder misfire code is present. It would be very difficult to get the connectors onto the wrong coil without disassembling the wiring harness loom. The coils themselves are identical on all four cylinders.
I second everyone else's concern about overtightening the spark plugs.

 

[Davebert]

Have a look at this video posted by skyhawk a couple years ago.