Hey All,
Been lurking here for a while and got some great info for my '03 CL, including sanding/polishing my headlights. Awesome DIY that saved me a ton of money. Thanks.

So I was talking to my mechanic yesterday during an oil change and he recommended new spark plugs now that I'm almost at 100k miles. Then he told me it was $100 just for parts and $100 for labor and I nearly choked on my breakfast Skoal. After searching the forums and my owners manual I decided I could change them myself.

But my question is, what do I need to know for choosing a spark plug? Is there a difference between the $2 and the $8 plug?
Any input is appreciated.
Thanks.

 

I know a lot of folks disagree, but I use the OEM plugs from the dealer. As they last 100k or so I'd say they work pretty good.

The plugs are expensive, but if you look at the cost per mile compared to the days when we changed $2 plugs every 20 k the price is about right.

 

Yeah, he told me the platinum plugs were so much more because of their longevity over the copper style. So among the platinum plugs, does one perform better than the other?
And some that I see have non-adjustable gaps. Is that safer for a non-mechanic like me?

 

You don't use platinum plugs. You use...
NGK PZFR5F-11
or
DENSO PKJ20CR-M11
Iridium plug not platinum.
They should also come pre-gapped to 0.044" = 1.1mm

 

Word. Iridium plugs are essentially maintenance free once they're installed. At least for the next 100,000 miles.

 

Whelp,

As others have posted, the NGK OE Ir/Pt plugs are the best for a stock engine. It took me all of 30 minutes to change plugs on a warm motor. (It's best to change high-service plugs in aluminum heads on a warm motor, lessens possible thread galling). The passenger side rear two are the most inconvenient. Get some wobbler extensions and a magnetic plug socket and you'll be golden. It wouldn't be a bad idea to put a little anti-seize on the new plug threads either.

Being a Lightning owner, which is about the second most worse vehicle to change plugs on; Camaro with an LT-1 being the worst, the job was a piece of cake. Save your money for something else, like curing your inevitable mouth cancer from chewing redneck cud.

 

Im sure the NGK iridium IX plugs will last you 100k also. many members on here use them and they are almost the only kind we use.
Plugs from the dealership are about 20 bucks a piece while the NGK are about 8. The ones from the dealership are Denso though i think but they should both last equally as long. go with the NGK

 

Not to confuse the matter for the OP, there are 2 types of Iridium plugs from NGK. One of them is OE, the other is not.

The OE version is called Laser Iridium while the other is called Iridium IX.
- Laser Iridium cost > Iridium IX
- Laser Iridium appears to have thin iridium discs on both the center and ground electrode.
- Iridium IX appears to have only iridium on the center electrode. I suspect this will not last as long as the OE versions as without the second disc on the ground electrode, some pitting is bound to occur over time. However, "not last as long" here could well mean 50k miles instead of 100k. Certainly not 5k.

Also, I believe the 01s came with OE Laser Platinum while sometime in 02-03, there was a change to OE Laser Iridium.

I have a 01 CLS and was changing plugs after about 80k miles. (The ones that came out were NGK Laser Plat.) There was a deal for the Iridium IX at the local store (and they did not have any of the OE ones in stock anyway.) I swapped them in and so far so good. Who knows if I'll be driving this for another 50k miles, much less 100k.

In terms of the labor, one of the other threads suggest removing the strut tower brace before working on the rear plugs. Good advice and saves a lot of time and scrapes on the wrists.

Cheers.

 

hmm i didnt know that. Ill check the prices but if its not much difference, then im going with OE for that 100k mile change

 

According to NGK's website, the 01-02 CLS takes lazer Platnium (PZFR6E-11). they can be upgraded to lazer iridium (IZFR6F11).

But the NGK site states that the 03 CLS only takes lazer iridium but has a different part number than the lazer iridiums for the 01-02 CLS (IZFR6K11).

according to acura, all the 01-03 CLS use lazer platnium.

I will be contacting NGK to find out the differences in these part numbers for the lazer iridiums. This information is good for people who plan to change their plugs again near 210k. For the plugs to last that long, you have to use at least lazer platnium if not lazer iridium.

 

The difference between the F and K plugs is the shape of the electrodes according to NGK's numbering system (follow the "Manufacturer's Numbering System" link at the very bottom left).

I found some pictures and can see no obvious difference. It's probably something like a chamfer along one of the edges or something.

 

What I referenced came direct from page 4-18 of the 01-03 Acura factory service manual.

 

dont go by the websites or the companies, go by the acura manual. i made a thread awhile back, 99% of all websites recommend the same spark plug for the Type S as they do the Premium. Obviously there is something wrong there.

Btw - Do the install yourself, i can do it in 30 mins or less. It's not hard at all.

 

oh here is the thread i made with a bunch of part #s for spark plugs:
https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/equal-pay-equal-work-175776/

 

according to NGK, "The only difference is that the laser iridium plug used in the 2003
models (IZFR6K11) has a trapezoid cut ground electrode which helps improve ignitability. This plug could also be used in the 2001 models as well."

and while NGK says the 03 plugs are better than the plugs used in 01-02, "The improvement on the ground electrode would not be very noticeable if at all. I’m sure the design was made for a reduction in emissions or fuel economy but we are talking a very small percent improvement. They are virtually identical."

kinda sounds like when acura switched from 5W-30/10W-30 to 5W-20 in the J32A2

 

Hell yeah, I nailed that one.

 

lol, yes, you did

 

I am getting ready to do this, but I have never removed the strut bar before. Do you just unbold the six or so nuts (lets see who the mature members are) w/ the proper ratchet and then throw them back on afterward? Do you have to worry about the bolt itself falling into the engine bay?

 

You don't have to remove the strut bar. I don't have bitch ass hands and I got the rear two pulled easily. Just plan your attack and be patient.

 

Matt,
I'm no mechanic. In fact the only thing I've ever done prior to this was change an air filter and wiper blades. But I didn't remove the strut bar and it went just fine by following the owners manual guide.

I did unbolt some sort of bracket that held some sort of hose on the rear passenger side so I was able to push the hose aside and that gave me better access to that rear plug. I'm sure somebody will tell us what that hose is.
Either way, if I could do it anyone can.
Now if I only knew if I did it correctly..........

 

yeah the bolts can fall down into the bay so take care not to let that happen. The strut bar if you just make sure you support it when you unbolt the last bolt should not fall. One thing to keep in mind is that by virtue and intention of design, it might be difficult to remove the strut bar while the wheels are on the ground - jacking up the front of the car might make it easier.

 

go to www.sparkplugs.com

good site for info and prices,, just input your car

 

they list the same part # for the cl-s and the cl-p when they are not the same.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, its too cold to give this a shot now, but I will hopefully get around to it this weekend when its supposed to be up in the 50's. Any other tips to make this process easier, feel free to add. I was just taking a look the other day and the rear 2 closest to the passenger side look like fun...

 

i did it w/ the strut bar on, just unbolted the IMRC and unbolted the bracket that holds the power steering hose in place (or whatever hose that is)

 

Just finished changing my plugs... used the NGK IX iridium 6441 ZFR6FIX-11...that rear passenger side plug is in a crazy spot!!!!...the car sounds and runs much smoother... will hollar back about the mpg...

....Thanks alot to all of you that helped point me in the right direction...