[razz]

I have a 2005 Forester X A/T with 35000 miles. I plan to change the sparkplugs soon. For the driver's side, I should remove the battery and the windshield washer reservoir, right? What about the passenger side?

Also, do I just pull out the thing that's in the picture?

Are there any how-to with pics?

 

[Peaty]

Yes but don't pull on just the wire.
I have a how to here:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3017

 

[2.5x_sleeper]

^^ Is there a torque specified for the sparkplugs?

Bobby...

 

[neoshi]

oh dang i forgot to order my plugs. gotta do this myself soon too..

 

[Peaty]

15 ft lbs but to be honest I could never get a torque wrench in there so I do it by feel. consider there is a crush washer so after contact you need to crush the washer then you will feel more resistance. I go just a little past that.

 

[2.5x_sleeper]

^^ Thanks for the information! I've looked around & never found the torque. With a bit over 22K on MY03, I've got a bit more to go before the change.

Bobby...

 

[razz]

Thanks Peaty! I have another question.
Should I work on a cold engine or a warm engine when changing the spark plugs?

 

[Peaty]

You should work on a cold motor. You also are gonna have your arms around spots that are going to be hot if you run it. I let it sit over night so it's stone cold.

 

[2.5x_sleeper]

^^ I like your idea of removing the battery & washer bottle. I was looking at the engine today & it's pretty tight with those items in place.

Bobby

 

[The Rookie]

I did the batt/washer side from below as with the tray off there is plenty of clearance, the other side is easier form above with the airbox removed.

Simon

 

[razz]

I did this about two weeks ago and it was easier than I thought. I removed the battery, air box and the windshield washer reservoir. I didn't have to disconnect the hose that was connected to the reservoir. I just put it sideways. I was able to use a torque wrench on all four plugs. Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[gandapanda]

It's about that time for me too... it's encouraging to hear that it's simpler than expected, and those directions don't look all that bad either.

 

[NAEJ25]

With the right tools you dont need to pull the battery ... I just pull the washer bottle, not removing the hoses, just lay it off to the side on top of the battery ...

 

[Albino83]

I just used a extension and didn't bother pulling the battery either, probably a little more difficult then with it removed, but I personally was fine.

 

[neoshi]

my washer bottle's tubes seemed caught on the wires around it so i pulled the battery and rotated the bottle so i could place it where the battery was. made things a helluva lot easier. not to mention my torque wrench (the one i usually use for my lugs) is massive so i had more space to pull on that sucker.

 

[TSivhar]

Not a very hard job to do...

I just swapped plugs on '01 Forester n/a with 90k which I bought a year ago. May have been original plugs -- electrodes vaporized to a pin point! Anyhow I'd put off the job due to negative forum chatter. But it's not hard, should be 20 to 30 minutes per side -- faster for gear heads. Only added tasks are: pull the resonator assembly (as one piece) on passenger side by removing 3 bolts ; pull the washer reservoir on driver side by removing 2 bolts. That's the added work. I chose to just pull off the 2 washer hoses and lose a few drops of fluid in the process. And I disconnected the 2 electric sends to the pumps. For the actual job I recommend a 5" socket extension plus a 2 or 3" extension. The 5" reaches the plug and sticks out about an inch or two... perfect. NOTE: you must pull on the boot 'tabs' pretty hard to release from the plug (hence the advice about using dielectric grease in the boots), and in fact I tore one boot in the process. Therefore, it MIGHT BE worth it to spray a little silicone in there before pulling with all your might, however that may not affect the problem which is likely at boot/plug interface.... therefore some GENTLE TWISTING may be more appropriate. Only regret: wish I hadn't been so spooked by those posters ! No worries.

 

[stoopid]

2007 X non-turbo - about 30 minutes. Only second time I've ever changed plugs on a car (prior was a 10 minute job thanks to inline 4). Only item removed was the air box. Using a long extension (6 inches? it was part of a kit I had) and 5/8 Plug socket I was able to do all 4 with relative ease, just being careful when working near the wiring around the engine. It's a little tight, but frankly the atmosphere of complexity in this thread had me loathing the job. If you have poor eye sight or are clumsy you probably shouldn't be working on your car, but for everyone else a little common sense goes a long way doing this job.

I also used NGK BKR5EIX-11 Iridium plugs recommended in another thread.

I was noticing a slightly rough idle, but not any more!

 

[Peaty]

Do the swap with coil on plug then come back

Actually you are right it's not that hard. If you go into it expecting it to be as simple a as an in-line 4 you are in for a rude awakening though.

 

[medtec]

I found removing the washer res. and batt was not a bad idea. After removing the batt I found all sorts of crap that would have only traped water. So it was worth the effort just to give the sheet metal a good cleaning that may only happen every 30k miles.

 

[stoopid]

I found removing the washer res. and batt... was worth the effort just to give the sheet metal a good cleaning that may only happen every 30k miles.

Not if you use Iridium plugs. People have pulled their's out after 60k and still looked like new. I'm only going 60k on mine though. :icon_cool: