winhansse

^^^Totallly agree with Gabru... Please someone confirm.
I check on Amazon and it fit to Tl-s too but just want to make sure whoever install recently please come up with model No. will be great.

fsttyms1

5s are for the TL-P, 6's are for the S. Both will fit, but they dont have the same heat range. Stick with the 6s

winhansse

Thanks. Finally I got it what different between them.

For the TL-P
The Normal NGK Platinum is: ZFR5F-11
The IX Iridium just Adds (IX) To the equation: ZFR5FIX-11

For the Type-S
NGK Platinum: ZFR6F-11
NGK Iridium IX: ZFR6FIX-11
from Skirmich at other spark plug thread.

Skirmich

^ Yup only the Heat Range is the difference....
But is very Important as you Saw in my Thread, Wrong heat Temperature will get your plugs Dirty in no Time...

Larry1030

This is getting to be a long thread and I admit I only read about the first 20 posts but I do have a few small suggestions to add. But first and most importantly, I also want to thank the OP for a GREAT writeup.

I just did the plugs on my 99 TL with 113K miles. No problems except for the infamous passenger side rear plug which is in a space tighter than a virgin's hoo hoo, and is harder to reach than the legendary city of Eldorado. Some tips:

1. Definitely remove the clamp on the PS hose as other posters have noted. You won't be able to reach that difficult plug without it unless your name is Rubberman.

2. Working on the rear is a bit of an agility test for an older gentleman like myself. I found it easiest to work from the driver's side and reach across, but your mileage may vary.

3. Getting the connector off that infernal plug's coil was the hardest part of all, but don't be discouraged. I recommend doing the others first so you have a good feel for how to unlock, grasp and pull the connector before attempting the toughest one.

4. You will definitely need a 6" extension, especially for the back where a 3" would be too short and a 12" would be too long.

5. A 5/8" spark plug socket (with a rubber or magnetic insert to hold the plug when you pull out the socket) would definitely be a good investment. I used a 5/8" deep socket because I didn't have one, and while it fits fine it was difficult to extract the plugs from the coil wells with it. I ended up using a combination of a magnetic probe and a rubber hose which fit snugly over the terminal on the end of the plug but if I had to do it over again I would definitely make sure I had the spark plug socket on hand.

6. As with most things, it was much more difficult to get it apart than to put it back together. Getting the new plugs in was no problem with the 5/8" deep socket - you won't need the special spark plug socket for that.

7. I definitely recommend coating the threads of everything but especially the plugs with anti-seize compound before reassembly. After 113K miles the original plug threads had some rust on them and were so hard to loosen I was afraid I was going to snap one off or strip the threads (but didn't).

8. My old plugs had some carbon on the metal electrodes but the ceramic insulator was clean with a slightly greyish/brownish discoloration. Perfectly normal which is a happy thing to see after 113K miles.

9. My oil seals were not leaking and the coils looked good. I reused them.

10. There isn't really a 10, but every list has to have 10 things, doesn't it?

Larry1030

OK, there really was a 10 :

10. I meant to post a link to a page showing how to tell stuff about your engine by the way the old plugs look. If you're a newbie this is really useful stuff to know:

http://www.spark-plugs.co.uk/pages/t.../diagnosis.htm

01tl4tl

NOTE:
use plug anti sieze on the threads = SPARINGLY = on the 3-5th threads up from the active tip of the plug, dont get any on the end of the plug !!

Too much on the threads gets pushed into the cylinder and onto the piston, where heat will sear it to the piston causing uneven combustion,,requires seafoam or similar to clean off, along with normal carbon buildup

You want to have that small amount on the threads for ease of install- and prevents the corrosion bond that developes between different metals

Torque/tightness on plugs is very important too- too much and you can break a plug, or it will break on removal later.
Too little torque and the plugs can leak compression past them. Makes it run really strange

passenger rear plug is easier to get the tools in with a 3 and 6 inch extension- lowering socket and extensions in pieces into the well
Notice the indent on the firewall, your hand fits right there when on top of ratchet

For install- use a piece of vac tube slipped over the top end of plug- allows you to lower plug gently and start the threads with fingertip control.
You can tell if its starting right or cross-threading better than with socket on plug

then tighten with normal socket or special plug socket if you have one

Its very important the plug end is not banged around, changing the electrode distance and firing ability of the plug,,8 bucks each,, I want to take care of them

DO NOT DROP the plug in by hand --then stick the socket in and try to find the thread starting point.

Coils: treat them like Grandmas fine china, set down gently, handle with care
Or in a month you will experience a coil failure

never hurt to clean every electrical connection with CRC contact cleaner or similar
Spray in and dirt runs out

Larry1030

Good point about using the anti-seize sparingly. When I was a kid there was a commercial for a hair product called Brylcream. Their slogan was "a little dab'll do ya" - that applies here as well. I actually rub a small amount from the tube directly onto the threads, just one stripe on each side, not all the way around. That's plenty. If you use that little it will not squeeze into the cylinder. If anything, it will get pushed to the outside of the head wall by the act of threading in the plug.

YeuEmMaiMai

When I did my plugs at 90K i just used a dab on the threads and let it spread by it's self when I put the new plugs in. that rear plug was a pita but i got it done

YeuEmMaiMai

i changed my plugs at 90K and the car was not pinging at all it just ran a little smother due to the new plugs having the correct gap

01tl4tl

Thats correct, a stripe of anti-sieze is a very good way to apply it down one side

I dont suggest bare fingers with this stuff, as anyone who has touched it will know why.

with the small tube of it, no prob to dab some, somehow, onto the plug
the distribution will take care of itself
does not need to be wrapped around perfectly or at all,,as long as a little is on the threads the job is done

oneluckymex

this made my day go very smooth.

Larry1030

That's a curious thing. Pinging is caused by the flame front in the cylinder expanding too rapidly and early. Higher octane gas helps because it doesn't burn as rapidly. The octane rating was originally the percentage of octane (C8H18) in the gasoline, as opposed to the lighter heptane (C7H16) which burns more rapidly. Sounds like your plugs were too hot so was causing spontaneous combustion prior the spark occurring. That's the only reason I can think of that changing the plugs would fix it. I wonder if for some reason your car did not have the original factory plugs?

01tl4tl

because someone changed them around 80,000 miles, now he has 138

octane is an imaginary number - additives are used to `boost octane` = delay the fuels desire to ignite from compressed molecules temp increase,,before top dead center of the piston

carbon buildup causes pinging and poor running- its real,,
as proven by ziner pics of heads removed (the cars not theirs) and severe carbon on the piston tops

wowzer

I can't get to any of the rear plugs in my TL-S. There is a metal bar in the way. This bar looks like it's bolted in the the front and riveted (?) in the back. How do I remove it to get at the plugs?

Larry1030

They all have that bar. You squeeze your arm in behind it.

Black Tire

I was at my auto Parts store (Canadian Tire) and one of the guys behind the parts counter said you can just put little motor oil on the thread which would be better than the anti-sieze grease. Is this ok?

Larry1030

I wouldn't think that would help very much but I'd like to hear what the professional auto techs think.

Larry1030

Octane is not an imaginary number. It is the name of the alkane (compound consisting of only carbon and hydrogen) with eight carbons. As you go from methane (1 carbon) up through the series with more and more carbons the alkanes go from gas at room temperature to liquids to heavy liquids (the basis of motor oil) to tar. Gasoline is made by refining crude oil which is a natural mixture of various alkanes, and consists primarily of heptane (7 carbons) and octane (8). Also the heavier alkanes burn more slowly thus octane burns more slowly than heptane.

What I was saying earlier is that originally, the octane rating of a fuel was based on the percentage of octane in the refined blend, from 0 to 100. As you have alluded to, today's fuels are now more sophisticated blends of natural hydrocarbons and synthetic additives some of which vary the octane rating. All the details are here in case anyone is interested.

totaledTL

Larry- You seem pretty versed on fuels. What's your take on fuel octane ratings, i. e. reg. (87) & premium grades, & their respective use in a typical modern auto?

01tl4tl

I would NOT use motor oil on the plug threads

you do not want to lubricate them, oil might allow them to loosen--that would be very bad,
any excess can drip directly onto the piston and flash fry itself on there or backsplash onto the new plug tip and foul it = requires seafoam

the intent is to provide a material that will stay in place with high heat,
provide a barrier between the metals, and ease installion

they make this special stuff for a reason, and its not just marketing,
spend the few loons for a tube- that 1-2 oz tube will do more cars than you ever change plugs on in 1 lifetime

Why didnt it come on the stock plugs? probably because they dont care how much a pita
the replacement job is 7 years from then,,
a machine inserts and tightens all the plugs to spec torque
and it would have cost a fraction of a cent per plug, plus another machine to apply it....or they could not do it and save all that money over millions of plugs

I meant octane isnt what most people think. not imaginary it is a real measure of something

The TL is made for 94 and will run on 91,,thats why it says minimum 91 octane
At the fuel shipping plant, additives are put into the lower octane fuel to boost its detonation resistance,,starts as 87,,,some booster makes it 89, more and its 91, more and now you get 94,,the highest normally available at regular gas stations in the usa

Larry1030

Well I don't mean to come across as an expert on this subject because I am not by any means, but engine design is the determinate of what octane rating you should use. The main variable is compression ratio, but there are also secondary considerations such as the surface temperatures of the spark plug and the various other surfaces inside the cylinder. The issue is that with a given fuel air ratio, temperature and fuel octane rating, there is a given pressure at which that fuel air mixture will ignite spontaneously (without ignition) causing a premature detonation or explosion. This means the explosion will come _before_ the spark and (because it occurs too early in the compression-power cycle transition, e.g. before top dead center) will result in a mechanical backlash which you hear as engine knock or ping. The higher the compression ratio of the engine, the higher the pressure the fuel-air mixture will be at a given point in the compression cycle and the earlier in the cycle it will spontaneously ignite, all other things being equal. Higher octane rating fuels will withstand a higher pressure before spontaneously igniting and thus higher compression ratio engines require higher octane fuels.

So the bottom line is that higher octane rated fuels do not contain more energy or produce more power, they can just be used in higher compression ratio engines without premature detonation. So the old rule of thumb is to use the lowest octane rating fuel (= cheapest) that your engine will run on without knocking.

Modern cars including our TLs have computer controlled engines which can vary such things as fuel air ratio and ignition timing and thus can trade off octane rating vs other variables to a small extent. That's why Acura recommends 91 octane but says the car will run on 89 albeit with somewhat lower performance. I can't say I understand exactly what they are varying but that should at least give you a basic understanding of what's involved.

wowzer

Maybe my hands are bigger than everyone else's, but I can't get them into the space to change the rear plugs. I've changed the front, but the hex wrench wont even budge the rear plugs. Also, are there any wire holders (like the front) for the ignition coils? It'd be helpful to know before trying to get into that space.

Why in the world did acura put that bar in there without the ability to remove it? It's bolted on the side, but the back mount looks like it is riveted. Is there no way to remove this bar?

GujuTL

Hey so i actually changed my spark plugs today....there are wire holders in the back the same as the front. There are two 10mm bolts attached to the engine and one 12mm bolt on the side...in any case...this is not really necessary to remove. You can unplug the coil packs from the wires to remove just the coil pack. The spark located leftmost is probably the hardest but you just have to put ur hand in the back with ur wrench. The bar was kinda in the way for me but i was able to get around it.

It is possible my friend...then again I dont have a type-s so idk if its different under the hood. Hope that helps!

J.L

Thank you

Black Tire

The only thng that concerns me about doing this work is what if the socket used in tightening/lossing the sparkplug doesn't come off? I haven't done it yet due to this.

Like you tighten the sparkplug and then when you bring up the socket. But it stays in there?

webmastir

It just takes a little wiggling & it'll come off the plug

soria

That has probably never happened in the history of spark plugs.

Just use a spark plug socket and don't over tighten; you'll be fine.

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

If you're using the correct socket (5/8", I believe), you have nothing to worry about. They're not going to be super tight on the plugs. And if you want to be certain of it, clean the socket of any grease or grime.

HondaProtegeX2.3

I did my sparkplugs to i got the NGK V Power they were like 2.50 each 15.00 total. the stock plugs that we took out look exactly like the ones you just changed had a R on them.

pickler

From my experience i recommend he ngk laser platinum. The iridium IX come pre-gapped to 0.44" which is not the correct gap size right? And Iridium plugs should NOT be gapped. The laser plats can be gapped and are just as good performance wise but may not last as long.

wowzer

So I went at it again. I was able to get the rear driver plug. But when I got to the middle and passenger plugs, the wires wont come out/off of the plastic wire holder. Is there a trick to open the plastic wire holder? I didn't want to break the wires by forcing the plastic holder open.

BTW- I got a longer torque wrench and man is that so much easier to use than a small wrench.

As it stands with 4 of the 6 plugs changed after seafoaming the car, I'm getting about 23 miles per gallon nowadays (up from about 14-15 mpg). I should have done this years ago.

Larry1030

The wire connectors have a latch-type locking mechanism. Going from memory, you need to squeeze the top to release the latch, and at the same time pull the (free) connector off the connector which is molded into the coil housing. I suggest you carefully study one of the front ones until you thoroughly understand the latch design before you try to get the rear ones off. If the others came off without releasing the latch you were just lucky - either they weren't fully seated so the latch didn't engage, or someone in the past broke the latching mechanism on those. In any event, the rear passenger connector is difficult to get at especially with two hands (you will need to use one hand to disengage the latch and the other to pull off the connector) but if you keep at it (and wiggle it slightly) you will get it.

Good luck.

soria

Do the fronts first to get a feel for it, then move to the rear.

sammy95

Good suggestions, I might add, when reinstalling the connectors, insert connector till you hear a click, meaning the latch is engaged.
Cheers!

soria

The entire line of NGK Plugs for the J32A1/J32A2 engine are pre-gapped to 0.044", including the Laser Platinum. According to the service manual, Platinum tip plugs should not be adjusted. Our cars original equipment part is the Laser Platinum with a 0.044" gap.

The typical gap for a new plug should be be 0.039" - 0.043" (1.0 - 1.1mm) , the service limit being 0.051" (1.3mm). Once the electrode gap reaches 0.051", its time for new ones.

soria

shiznut123

I changed my plugs today and noticed that my exhaust smells stronger. Car runs fine otherwise.

hondakid23

great write up bro. when do you have to change the coils though?

totaledTL

If any fail.