REPLACING YOUR SPARK PLUGS
Replacing your spark plugs is easy. Save your cash and do it yourself!
WHAT TYPE OF PLUGS SHOULD I GET?
I asked this question to my fellow Maxima enthusiasts. Quite simply, the platinum tipped NGK plugs
that come stock with the Maxima are great plugs. You can try those other aftermarket plugs, but
you may be asking for trouble. I know of someone directly who put those Bosch +4 plugs in their
car and caused some serious damage. So stick with the NGKs. If you're looking to squeeze every
drop of horsepower, then try the cold type NGK spark plug. (NGKs come in standard, hot, and cold types).
The cold plug, as the name implies, is used for cold weather conditions so has a stronger spark.
I use cold plugs myself. They're about $10 each from my nearby Nissan dealer.
WHAT TOOLS WILL I NEED?
A 5/8 spark plug socket.
An 10" socket extension
A universal joint for the extension and socket
Anti-seize
metric sockets
4mm allen wrench
You may also find that a stick with a magnetic tip can come in handy.
Dielectric Tune-up Grease
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Using a 4mm allen wrench, remove the cover by unscrewing four allen screws
as shown by the red arrows.
2. You'll now see the exposed coils. Disconnect the wires to them. The connections are shown by
the green arrows. The far right is already unhooked.
3. Using the above picture, unscrew the two bolts holding each of the ignition coils in place.
(Shown by the red arrow).
4. With the bolts removed, pull out the coil.
5. With the coil removed, you can see the spark plug:
Using your extension, spark plug socket, and universal joint, unscrew and pull out the spark plug.
6. Do this for all 6 spark plugs. Here's the rear bank of 3, shown with the green arrows.
7. That rear spark plug towards the middle of the engine bay is tough to get to. Make it easy on
yourself and remove the two objects blocking it (shown by the blue arrows above.)
Removing them is easy. The plastic ring is held by a single bolt and the EVAP canister purge
volume control valve further up is held by two bolts. Unbolt both and just move them aside, no
need to remove/disconnect wires or tubing.
8. Coat the threads of each spark plug with anti-seize and insert it back in. For my 96 Maxima,
the torque specs for the spark plugs are 14-22 ft-lbs.
9. Coat the inside of the coil where it makes contact with spark plug with a thin layer of dielectric
tune-up grease. This helps minimize corrosion.
10. Reinsert the ignition coil. Secure it with the 2 bolts.
11. Repeat this procedure for all the ignition coils.
12. Don't forget to put back the EVAP valve and the plastic ring.
13. Reconnect the coils.
14. Put the cover back on the front 3 coils.
15. Start the car and test the engine.
16. GREAT! You're DONE!
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