I’ve Delayed Long Enough — Changing the Spark Plugs

December 20, 2018.

People often assume that everything is easy for me. That I just go about doing things, and usually doing them well. That’s sort of the case, since I’ve had a lot of experience doing different things in my life and I tend to pick things up quickly, but I think it’s important to recognize that even for people who seem “good at everything,” not everything is easy. Getting in there and trying things can still be both hard and rewarding, no matter who you are…

I don’t know why, but I’ve been super nervous about changing my spark plugs and wires. So nervous in fact, that I’ve had the plugs and wires in the for eight months (since April) gathering dust and taunting me to install them.

Now, I know I shouldn’t have been nervous — after all, I’ve changed my timing belt, water pump, and associated components. I’ve completely overhauled my suspension multiple times. Heck, I’ve even welded on the truck a handful of times.

But still, for some reason, pulling the plugs out of the engine and making sure the new ones were inserted correctly was daunting for me. But with winter here, and another 35K miles on the truck this year, it was time to suck it up and git ‘er done.

The parts I’d gathered were relatively straight forward. The 5VZFE uses dual electrode plugs, so I picked up six new Denso 3194 K16TR11 plugs, and a new set of OEM spark plug wires (19037–62050 ).

And of course, the only tools necessary for the job were a 12mm socket, a 5/8" spark plug socket, a plethora of extensions, and my ratchet.

To see where I went from there, check out Changing the Spark Plugs at adventuretaco.com.

Originally published at adventuretaco.com.