_karu_ Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I just re-read the whole thread again and I noticed one guy (post #95) who said he did everything with 6" extension. Wowza, how the heck did he manage to do that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 From what I remember I think it's possible to just use a 6" extension, I think I ended up doing that myself on the rear passenger side plug. You just can't snap the extension on the ratchet, you just put the tip of the ratchet into the 6" extension, if you snap the extension on it won't reach. Also, on my car subaru lists the gap at .039"-.043". I'd shoot for the low end of that range since the gap could possibly get slightly bigger as the plugs get older and more worn. I think my oem subaru plugs came pregapped at .041" or so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheelbuilder_25 Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Thanks for the write-up. I'm doing plugs today, but I too am going with the iridiums. I like to use a short piece of vaccum hose to start the plugs to prevent cross threading them. Thanks again ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_karu_ Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 I finally got around on doing it. All set now. I had to follow OP's instruction to and lift the fuse box up around 90°. I used a short bungee cord to hold it by hooking it up to the wheel. The front two definitely requires nothing but 6" extension. The driver rear, since I lifted the fuse box, I was able to slide it the 6" extension from right where the fuse would normally sit. The only one that requires combination of extension would be the passenger rear plug. I had to insert the spark plug socket and 3" extension, followed by another 3" extension. I used by handy Craftsman torque wrench and tighten each plug to 15.5 ft/lb. I took me around 3 hours to do everything. Probably 2+ hours for the plugs and the rest to take out and put back the air box, battery and fuse box. I got slowed down when replacing the plugs because I found traces of engine oil around the neck of the hole that leads to the plug. I had to carefully clean them up and also use a lot of paper towel to clean the cylinder from any traces of oil. I hope the presence of oil there won't be a sign of bigger problem to come (i.e. head gasket). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 The traces of oil as shown in the attached picture means your spark plug tube seals are leaking. I had the same problem, and ended up replacing the spark plug tube seals and valve cover gaskets. Subaru redesigned the spark plug tube seals, and I haven't had any problems with the new ones leaking. I posted some pictures of the tube seals in the link below http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/felpro-50561-vc-gasket-advance-auto-202755.html?t=202755 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_karu_ Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 ^That's exactly what it was. Thanks for the link to your thread, one sentence definitely stood out: I regret doing this myself, and in hindsight I would've gladly paid the dealer $530 to do the job, keeping in mind $70 of that is for parts. Yeah, I'll definitely not make any attempt to do this myself. The amount of oil wasn't that bad. I made sure I cleaned it up nicely before putting the new plugs in. I hope it won't get any worse in the next couple years or so. I was thinking, maybe I should do this along with changing the timing belt and water pump. By making it a combo, probably will incur less labor charged by the local shop that specializes on Subaru. But, that's still 40,000 miles away. I just hit 60K miles on my 2005 2.5i 4 EAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEE-OTTO Posted June 15, 2013 Author Share Posted June 15, 2013 ^That's exactly what it was. I was thinking, maybe I should do this along with changing the timing belt and water pump. By making it a combo, probably will incur less labor charged by the local shop that specializes on Subaru. But, that's still 40,000 miles away. I just hit 60K miles on my 2005 2.5i 4 EAT. It can wait till then my tube seals were spotty around 40K and at 70K they were pretty much gone I replaced them just recently and never had a problem with premature spark plug failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanchitosonria Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Just ordered my plugs today. Having this for reference is mega valuable. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanchitosonria Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Plugs in and she started up the first time! My tube seals looked like they had a little leakage too. 47k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_dogg Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Looking at the tutorials, valve cover gaskets/tube seals are fairly easy job to tackle. I just hit 60K miles, time to take a look whats happening down there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnvl Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Thanks for this tutorial.After I replaced my plugs, my rpm was dropping to 400-500 when coming to a halt or on an incline and the car would stall, or was about to, unless I gave it some gas. Replaced the cables as I thought I may have damaged them but the same problem occurred. Finally, reset the ecu following this procedure found elsewhere- 1 Disconnect the battery negative 2. Pump brakes for 1 minute 3 Reconnect cable 4.Start up and let idle for 15 minutes ( no less) without touching the gas during the time 5. Took it for a drive and everything is back to normal The car is a 2009 legacy 2.5i. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moral hazard Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Great reference, followed it last Sunday. I only had a basic socket set and just a 6" extension. Went with PFR5B-11 plugs for my 2008 2.5i which had just over 81000 Kms on the clock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turk56 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Thanks for the great tutorial. Since I found this site a few weeks ago it seems that all I've been doing is putting tutorials like this to good use on my 08 Legacy! I plan on doing plugs and wires tomorrow, and have the NGK-FR5AP-11 plugs and a new NGK wire set. My only question is if the NGK plugs are pre-gapped - Last time I used NGK plugs (toyota tacoma) the plugs were pregapped. Anyone know if the NGK plugs come .044 out of the box? Thanks and thanks for all the great info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I just measured 4 NGK FR5AP-11's I have on hand, and all four measured .040". I have no plans to regap them since the subaru factory service manual says to have a gap between .039"-.043". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turk56 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Thanks! I just measured 4 NGK FR5AP-11's I have on hand, and all four measured .040". I have no plans to regap them since the subaru factory service manual says to have a gap between .039"-.043". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turk56 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Also, while I have the hood up - should I take the time to clean the throttle body with some seafoam (before I replace the plugs) and replace the PCV valve? Here is a little more info on my Legacy - '08 2.5 Special Edition, MT, non-turbo. 120k miles - and no regular maintenance beyond oil changes up to this point - (was my wife's before we met). Just had the timing belt, water pump, and thermostat changed last week. Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEE-OTTO Posted May 13, 2014 Author Share Posted May 13, 2014 I would wipe the residue out of the TB if it is present and use carb or brake cleaner to clean the PCV if you find that it is sticking. When get to the plugs if they are covered in oil dont panic but plan on a valve cover and tube seal replacement in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kujito Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 A buddy of mine asked me for help with his plugs, so I made him buy me one of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/http-www-harborfreight-com-3-8-eighth-inch-drive-speed-socket-wrench-4432-html.html You won't regret buying one It's a 3/8" drive socket with a tee handle. The tee can spin the ratchet without having to swing the handle. AWESOME tool to have for this job, or anywhere space for a normal ratchet or wrench is tight. $30 before coupon (never pay full price for anything @HF, coupons are everywhere). It saved so much time, that we had time to go play 9 holes afterwards! The road to the course is great for a test drive anyway (fast and curvy:)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turk56 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 First off, THANKS for the tutorial, with this, I was able to complete the whole thing in under 2 hours from start to finish. Think it needed it? Yikes!! Also, there was quite a bit of oil in every cylinder, especially #2 (see pic) - my question is, how much is too much?! Do I need to do a valve cover and tube seal replacement now? Or can it wait? Thanks again for all the help with this!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Wow, I've never seen a spark plug that worn. Do you know if the car was driving and idling ok with those old plugs? As far as spark plug tube seals go, to me it's one of those things you should do, but definitely don't have to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turk56 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Wow, I've never seen a spark plug that worn. Do you know if the car was driving and idling ok with those old plugs? As far as spark plug tube seals go, to me it's one of those things you should do, but definitely don't have to do. Yes, actually the car was driving and idling just fine. That was the worst of the 4, but they were all bad. She was getting about 24mpg according to the on board computer. The wires were just as bad, two of them basically fell apart in my hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEE-OTTO Posted May 16, 2014 Author Share Posted May 16, 2014 Good thing you got those plugs changed, goes to show how little one can maintain the car and she'll still purr like a kitten! I changed my plugs on my GT on both cars the same plug is an ASS HOLE lol that rear driver side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowSWP2.5 Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I just changed my plugs and wires at 122,000 miles.My check engine light came on and it was hesitating in first gear. I changed the plugs to an autolite .44 gap. Now the check engine is off but car almost stalls when taking off from a dead stop, or backing up. I know NGK come stock I wanted to save some money. Do I need to swap these plugs out for NGK to make it run like normal? We pushed in all the wires, we heard it click and if you tug on the wires they don't budge. My car is a 2007 Subaru legacy 2.5i. Also not sure if it is a SOHC or DOHC. I tried looking it up by vin it didn't answer my question. Does it make a difference? Tomorrow if I need to I will buy the NGK's. Thank you for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Did you disconnect either of the battery cables before replacing the spark plugs and wires? If so, stalling and almost stalling is completely normal. The car should slowly start to get better day by day, and be back to normal in 4-7 days, depending on how much driving you do. I've found that if I let the car sit, and idle for around 5-10 minutes after I reconnect the battery, this accelerates the process a bit. Basically the car/ecu has to relearn and perfect the air/fuel ratio at various rpm's. You should be fine with the autolite plugs, and our non-turbo cars are SOHC, turbo's are DOHC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowSWP2.5 Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Thank you Apexi. That is a load of my shoulders. Yes I disconnected the battery to replace the plugs & wires. I do a lot of driving so hopefully it gets better sooner. Thank you for your help! And info... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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