Spark plugs, what are they? Spark plugs are the devices used in your car’s engine that send electrical currents from the ignition system to the combustion chamber. They are essential in ensuring that your engine is running smoothly so it is important that you keep them clean.
Cleaning your spark plug hole is actually quite easy and quick, but it is important to understand why you do actually need to clean your spark plugs regularly.
When a car owner spots a bit of oil or dirt in their spark plug tube, they may want to get it out straight away, which isn’t the right thing to do.
In order to clean your spark plug hole, there are some essential tools that you will need such as sandpaper, an air gun, a giant screwdriver, etc.
Then it is just a matter of disconnecting the negative battery terminal, finding your spark plug, and using your air gun to remove any dirt. But these are just the first steps read on for a full step-by-step guide.
If you are checking your spark plug and can see oil in the plug wells, you will want to get rid of that as soon as possible because if it’s left there for too long, it will cause issues with your engine or even your engine to misfire which is something we want to avoid.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to get rid of that oil and any other debris that may be present
I would recommend gathering all these tools before you start this project, so you can get the job done quickly without having to be looking around for the tools needed.
First of all, you need to disconnect the negative battery terminal which can be located either in your car’s engine bay or the trunk. If you can’t find it, check in your owner’s manual. It should look like a rectangular plastic box with two terminals.
You take off the negative terminal by loosening the bolt holding the cable onto the terminal, and then you can pull it off.
You now need to identify the ignition coils or high tension lead cables, they are usually thick wires that come from the distributor, and trace them back down the spark plug tubes.
There will be a corresponding coil/cable and spark plug for each cylinder. Again, if you have any issues identifying or tracking your wires, go to your car’s owner or service manual.
Once the spark plug holes have been identified, you want to start to clean all the dirt and debris out of them to help prevent them from falling into the tubes.
Before starting this make sure you put on your safety goggles and then continue to use your air gun/can of air to remove all the dirt and debris.
It’s important to note that you need to remove the ignition coils one at a time to prevent adding more debris into the spark plug holes. You want to grip the ignition coil firmly and by turning and pulling gently pull it off.
This may be where it gets a bit more technical. You need to fix the spark plug socket to an extension, and then fix your ratchet onto the extension.
Now, put the socket on the spark plug tube and break free the spark plug by turning it counter-clockwise. Once broken free, you can take off the ratchet and start unscrewing it by hand.
Now it’s time to use your trusty air gun or can of air, whichever you have or prefer. Using this tool is the most effective way to clear out dirt and debris from the spark plug holes and tubes.
You need to fix the tip of the air gun into the spark plug hole so it can blow out any debris or gunk. Many air guns come with several different tip sizes, it is advised that you use a long tip that will get you to the bottom to maximize how much gunk is removed.
Another option for cleaning the spark plug holes and tubes. If you have taken the spark plug out of the hole and you can see oil on it, it may indicate that you have oil in the tubes.
To remove the oil from the spark plug holes, you need to spray carb cleaner onto a clean rag and then wrap said rag around the tip of a giant screwdriver. Then dip the rag-wrapped screwdriver into the spark plug wells to clean off all the oil.
Repeat this step to make sure all the oil is removed.
Now that the spark plug holes have been cleaned you can move on to cleaning the spark plugs with a special spark plug cleaning tool, a wire brush, or sandpaper if the other two are not available.
But make sure that with whichever option you choose, you are ensuring that the spark plugs are cleaned well. Make sure to look at your owner’s booklet to see the recommended measurement for your spark plug gap.
To make it easier to fix the spark plugs back without closing the gap, the spark plug wrench has a rubber grommet inside which will hold the plug. Then, you will have to carefully place the spark plug back into its original place by hand.
Put the spark plug back by hand using a socket and extension. Once back in place, connect the ratchet handle to tighten the spark plug accurately and securely. It is to be noted to not over tighten it and use moderate pressure when tightening, as it may cause the spark plug to break.
Now it’s time for you to fit everything back together. Grabbing the ignition coil or plug wires, you want to start installing them using the opposite method you used before to get them uninstalled.
You need to make sure everything is fitted back into the correct places and they are fitted correctly and tightly. This includes the battery terminals. Now, you can turn the ignition to start the engine. Whilst the engine is running for a while, you can check your work and look for any errors.
The answer to that is no, there shouldn’t be oil in the spark plug well. It indicates that there is a faulty valve cover gasket. To prevent this from happening again you will need to replace the bad valve gasket with a new one.
This can be a little more tricky than just cleaning the spark plug itself. You will need to spray carb cleaner or engine degreaser onto it and leave it for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes is up, using the air gun, blow it out.
Yes, you can. You spray it in to dissolve hardened dirt and materials and then use the air gun to blow them out after. However, I advise spraying the carb cleaner on a clean rag and dipping it into the spark plug holes, instead of pouring/spraying it directly into the holes.
When you remove the spark plug, if you haven’t cleaned around the area beforehand you run the risk of getting dirt and debris into the spark plug tubes. The best way to remove all this loose material and dirt is using an air gun or canned air.
Many car owners are surprised to discover that their spark plug tubes may require some maintenance. After all your car can do hundreds of miles before you are aware that there is a problem, so regular maintenance is a better option than a potentially expensive mechanics bill.
Cleaning your spark plugs is important to ensure that your engine is running smoothly. It may surprise you that you don’t really need any special equipment, all you need is an air gun, a clean rag, and a carb cleaner to clean oil, dirt, and debris from the spark plugs.
But cleaning them regularly will prevent possible spark plug seizures, making them easier to remove when replacing them in the future. Although there are quite a few steps to our guide do not be put off by this. If you do have any doubts though do seek the help of a qualified mechanic.
I hope this step-by-step of how to clean spark plugs helped and you are now aware of how to clean them effectively.
