B190 Enthusiasts

Ok - getting ready to undertake the tune-up on the beast. 3 of these plugs look quite difficult to get to! This is my first foray into this experience - not just on the van, but in general - so any tips are appreciated!

Most forward on driver's side looks like it can be gotten to from under the hood
The two forward plugs on the passenger side look pretty buried though! Especially the last one. I'm assuming I'm going to have to remove stuff to get to it - any suggestions?!?!

Here's some instructions from an online forum:

1. remove front seats (not required, but worth it)
2. remove engine cover (center console inside the van)
3. i remember there was something, maybe air duct or a bracket or something thats in teh way of the middle plugs on the left head, the fuel rail does not have to be moved, just work around it
4. remove coil units from above each spark plug (one at a time is ok), an assortment of extensions and universal joints will be required.
5. use compressed air to blow any dirt or foreign matter from spark plug holes before removing them
6. apply a small amount of your favorite penetrating oil to each spark plug, if desired, to reduce the risk of plugs grabbing onto the heads. the one i did had the rear plug on the right head grab (the most accessible plug), and with large amounts of BP blaster and back-and-forth action, i safely removed it. i used a harbor-freight air ratchet for removing most of the plugs, saves time but doesn't have enough torque to get you in trouble if one sticks.
7. find an assortment of universal joints, extensions, spark plug sockets, regular deep sockets, etc. and use them as required to remove spark plugs
8. apply anti-seize to threads of new spark plugs and install in normal way
9. install coils. you're likely to experience the hold-down screw of at least one of them cross-thread into its hole. when this happens, remove the screw and either cut off 1/4" (or as needed) from the end, or replace it with a shorter screw of the same size (and wrench size)
10. install remaining components, in order of removal
11. start engine and test-run until you're confident that it won't throw a misfire code
12. enjoy a good beer



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If you're talking about the 460, the worst one is the driver's side, far front plug. The others range from very easy to not too bad.

Shoulda mentioned! It is the 460.

slapthecat wrote:Shoulda mentioned! It is the 460.

Okay, yeah, that plug I mentioned is a bear - we probably spent more time on that one than any four of the others. In the end, I was able to just barely squeeze my hand between the firewall and the engine and get it out. It's not very accessible from the front, either.

slapthecat wrote:Ok - getting ready to undertake the tune-up on the beast. 3 of these plugs look quite difficult to get to! This is my first foray into this experience - not just on the van, but in general - so any tips are appreciated!

Most forward on driver's side looks like it can be gotten to from under the hood
The two forward plugs on the passenger side look pretty buried though! Especially the last one. I'm assuming I'm going to have to remove stuff to get to it - any suggestions?!?!

'94 460. Take your time on the front two.

The drivers side (#5?) I reach easiest from underneath the van. For removal, I used a variety of short extensions, and maybe a wobble one (can't remember). Use tight nitrile gloves to rethread the new plug. It helps you "feel" your way to avoid cross-threading.

For passenger side front plug (#1?), I stand on a chair and access from above the engine. Be careful not to snap any of the vacuum lines that run down that side of the block. They may be brittle.

I think I removed the other plug (#2?) with a long wobble extension from the passenger wheel well.

Good luck, and invest in a good extension/ wobble kit!

Oh, I did not have to remove anything to change the plugs on my '94 460. The passenger seat is an easy removal if you don't have any electric adjustments. I remove it everytime I need to get at something not directly in front of me.

Just noticed you have a 1990 model. I hope some of my '94 advice still helps you!

All the advice has helped! Thanks all.

I removed an air vent behind the battery, and that opened up a bunch of space on the passenger side. Should be able to get my hands on those. The driver's side is gonna be the bear...

Sprayed some PB Blaster to help loosen them up. Got my plugs and parts - weather permitting, I'm going to attack this in the morning!

Update:
Complete Success!
And thanks all for the suggestions. The wheel well access was crucial for plug #2.
The most difficult was #5 - front driver's side. As Skater said, just had to jam my hand down there and do it. The skin will grow back...

And she's running great!

Any pictures of tools/extension used would be helpful. My mission is on a 1993 460- five out of eight done so far.

May need to "tool up" to compensate for arthritis in the hands.

Thanks to all.

I finally got brave enough to tackle replacing the cap, rotor, wires and plugs. I bought everything last Fall and put it off till just last week, not wanting to leave the van disabled before winter trip. It was as hard as described in previous posts but it is done and runs. There weren't pictures posted previously so as a bit of payback to all the wonderful advice I've received from this site over the years I decided to add my pics and steps.

I removed passenger seat and can't imagine not doing it . I could see two plugs on passenger side (1&2) would be easy but 3 & 4 were going to be a challenge. On the driver's side 3 were going to be okay, 8, 7, and 6. But I knew 5 would be my biggest challenge. I bought a can of air spray and blaster and did all plugs.

I removed the van battery, air cleaner assembly and a fresh air dam and could see the distributor. I first worked on loosening the plugs and got seven, number 3 being the bear. I had to take the passengers side wheel off and thread an extension and wobbly in. I could not get to number 5, front driver's side and took the rest of the day off. I decided to thread the new wires. I unhooked from each plug one at a time, tied a long string on the end and pulled it back up to the distributer. These were original 1990 wires and marked 1990 and the plug number. I measured the length against my new ones, selected one close and marked both ends with the number and the spot on the new cap. this took quite a lot of time but I wanted to get it right the first time.

(note: I apparently ran out of picture space so I'll add pictures in new post.)

I then went about removing and replacing plugs. Number 4 (front passenger) I could reach from a stool in front of the van. I was surprised it came out so easy. Number 3 through the wheel well took a lot of fooling around and when I put the new plug in, the socket(spark plug type) stuck on the plug. I finally was able to get it off but it took at least 2 hours of poking and wiggling. No way could I get my fingers anywhere near it. That was it for the day.

I stared at number 5 from all angles and tried a number of different sockets with no luck. I bought a 3/8 drive socket wrench with a universal head and a handle extension feature which allowed me to get the plug loose in tiny turns. But the wrench, socket and plug would not come out together, there just wasn't room. I popped the socket off poking a screwdriver in and stared for a while, went into my cellar to see if anything caught my eye, and finally settled on a very powerful ball magnet (about the size of an eyeball) on the end of a 1/2" diameter pipe. It slammed against the firewall a few times threading it in but I was finally able to get it on the socket and both came out slick. No one was around to admire my ingenuity so I had to pat myself on the back. I threaded the new plug inside a socket the same way and was surprised that with a little fooling around it seated and went tight. Two days had passed since working on number 3 so I forgot that the socket stuck firmly to the plug. My hand would not reach through so My wife came out to help. she could get her fingers on it but couldn't get it to budge. Back to stare at items in the cellar, and I finally decided on screwing a hose clamp on the little bit of socket I could see sticking out. It worked, and I was able to get a screwdriver on it to pry it out.
And it runs. Actually seems like it is more responsive to the gas pedal so I am interested in seeing whether all this made any difference, other than being preventative medicine.

I'll add more pics to my previous post.

a few more. I'll take a pic of the tools I used and add to the post.

Great work and great photos! A big help to all of us.