2008 Nissan Versa coil pack and spark plug change pt 1

[@MegaHollywood1971]

You do not need nor want to use RTV in addition to the manifold gasket. The rubber is sufficient as long as the mating surface is clean. Whenever something else needs to be fixed and the manifold is removed, you're going to have a mess to clean up and need to replace the gasket (if you use RTV).

[@Sandhill1988]

This is true but there's an old adage "better to have and not need then to need and not have". This is just an extra level or layer of insurance if you will, if there is some kind of unseen surface imperfection. I agree that in most circumstances all that is needed is the replacement rubber gasket. It will not hurt anything to put a very thin layer (not messy) just for Peace of mind especially if you're reusing the original gasket so long as it is in very good condition. But like you said if you're mating surfaces are perfect and you are using a brand new gasket that should be sufficient. .

[@DANIELREYES-mc5wl]

Watched and watched all parts of your videos in the sparks plug change for the Nissan Versa. I’ve never done any type of repair work myself and when I decided to do this first car maintenance project your videos were the best. You showed all the steps begining to end. Yes it was a task having to disconnect all those parts to get to the coils and plugs, but no problems thanks to you. 👍🏼

[@Sandhill1988]

Sorry for the late reply. I'm so glad it was helpful to you. I recorded and posted this to help people so they would not get taken advantage of from the dealerships. IMO it's a crime Nissan intentionally designed this engine like this. Cheers!

[@nosajsamaniego4512]

@@Sandhill1988 Planned obsolescence; 😢

[@GS-rw9og]

Please post more,, anything, especially your opinions on current days, times! etc. 11/10/22 tell us of your travels and experiences on various continents! love your Patriotism!!! We need to hear what you have to share! THANKYOU! SIR!

[@Sandhill1988]

Just going through my old threads and I saw your comment. I really appreciate your commentary.Glad you are enjoying the content. I thought about doing exactly as you said but everyone's gotten opinion in no one really cares. I figured I would just entertain and inform try to share some knowledge and not get political. If I wanted to peel off into that realm I would literally have to start another channel in dedicate myself to it. I think I'll just take all those experiences.Write a book maybe make a movie instead...

[@Purplegt22]

This is the best tutorial yet. Thank you so much!!! I swear when they assemble these cars they are thinking of ways to rip people off when parts need replaced. Thank you my friend!!!

[@Sandhill1988]

Thank you, and sure they do. Can you imagine having to remove an air intake to change plugs... o wait 😉.

[@PatrickRalston]

Thanks for this terrific series. I replaced plugs and coils on my 2008 Versa in an afternoon, and it purrs like a kitten. Your tips and technique are top notch.

[@Sandhill1988]

Patrick Ralston thanks and your very welcome, I'm just glad it's helping so many people.

[@elrodclyde3003]

Thank you for this video series, which enabled me to do this job in two hours for $78 without tearing anything up instead of a lot longer with probably a broken bit here and there. (Not to mention what the dealer, or even an independent shop, would have charged.) God bless you sir!

[@Sandhill1988]

Your very welcome sir, I'm so glad it helped you so much and saved you a bundle of cash. 3 years latter and I am so surprised at how many people not only this has helped but how many views it still gets... Thanks all 😊.

[@nathanalexander5148]

Thank you for the tutorial. It saved me a lot of time and money.

[@Sandhill1988]

@@nathanalexander5148 I'm really happy to hear that you're very welcome. Six years on in this video , still helping people :)

[@rachel6991]

Thank you so much for posting these videos! Between my dad and I we were able to replace all four coils and spark plugs on my car within a few hours thanks to how detailed your videos were, you really saved us! 👍🏼

[@Sandhill1988]

Your very welcome Rachel, I'm glad to have helped and saved you some cash and aggregation . I felt compelled to post the process after finding out the cost to have the job done, which I think is INANE. How dare Nissan design a vehicle in such a manner. Thanks again for the compliment, glad it helped.

[@EdgarFlotte]

do you have the part numbers you used and where did you buy them? thx

[@sandrab7364]

You go girl! I'm wondering if I can do this myself. Unfortunately I don't have any tools. Lol

[@stevevonkrosigk5887]

David - GREAT video. Step by step which was easy to follow. Just finished the job today, quoted over $700 at mechanics cost me $78 for the plugs, coils, gaskets and anti - seize lubricant. Took me about 3 days. Broken up of course, but I am a very slow worker with minimal knowledge of cars. THANK YOU a million times for the videos.

[@Sandhill1988]

Steve, Thanks a million... I have the advantage of being trained in various mechanical trades, one being automotive. I'm just glad my video helped somebody. The point is just take a deep breath do your homework and most of all take your time. BTW I was quoted $1,200.00 for the same job. Then decided to get my butt back under the hood take matters into my own hands and record it for other people so they didn't get taken advantage of. One more for the people!

[@charlesalbert9723]

What a great set of videos! I needed to replace the plugs/coil packs and the starter on my 2010 Nissan Versa 1.8l, and using only these videos and some old fashioned "Shade Tree" mechanic skills, I did all of this work in just under 3 hours. The car now starts and runs MUCH better. Thanks so much for all your work in creating these instructions.

[@Sandhill1988]

Your very welcome sir, thank you for the kind words. I'm very happy they were of help to you .

[@jhogan1960]

Probably the best vid on this subject I have come across.

[@Sandhill1988]

Thanks for the compliment. , I tried to explain each step to make it as easy for anyone to duplicate. I'm glad it was helpful to you.

[@GS-rw9og]

Thanku, info absolutely awesome and helful to many! 11/10/22

[@leinad23ec]

Wow, so many thanks! Just did this for a friend. I managed to break the "EVAP canister solenoid valve" thingy when trying to remove the hose at 6:15. That hose was so stuck to the EVAP solenoid that when I used the players like you did, it just broke. Also broke one of those pesky ignition coil screws. Still cheaper to do it yourself, and we bought expensive parts. Just to let you know, When I took the 5 screws from the Manifold intake gasket thing, none of them were short. They were all the same size.

[@Sandhill1988]

Thanks for the kind words, glad the video was of some help yo you. Yea you have to be super carful when using pliers on fragile parts. And as far as yhe manifold bolts being all the same size on your vehicle it could be a design variance between modles and model years, but thank you for sharing your experience 👍.

[@Esuper1]

This step by step is very good. If you guys want more videos like this try looking at Nissan Cube vids which is basically same damn engine design. Had to do one for my nephew and its doable. New NGK spark plugs and the thing runs better and stronger.

[@Sandhill1988]

Thank you .

[@system2thinker659]

Amazing demonstration my friend, thank you very much, saved a lot of money.

[@Sandhill1988]

Thank you, so glad it helped you out, thanks for the kind words ☺.

[@thienhoang3667]

THANK FOR YOUR WORKING HARD ON THIS NISSAN VERSA 2008 .

[@Sandhill1988]

Your welcome. I just wanted to share the process with people, especially after getting the quote from the Nissan dealership to do the job. If memory serves me it was $1,200.00.

[@xgreatnwcomicsx]

2008 Nissan Versa Hatchback SL. 112K. When I pulled the air manifold off and removed the plugs, the two on the right had oil on them. I removed the valve cover and replaced the gasket. Easy to do. After reassembly, The check engine light was on (P0123?) but I couldn’t figure out the code. I reset the ecu to learn mode and the check engine soon light turned off. Runs great and quite. The E-bay purchased coils were $36, Nissan Advantage spark plugs were $30 (E-Bay), gaskets (air manifold&valve cover) about $20. Liquid gasket $9, 14 m spark plug socket $7. Just under $100 and took about 3 hours.

[@Sandhill1988]

xGreatNWx good for you I'm glad it all worked out. Much better than spending $1,200. And the best part is you did the work you know it's done right no doubts in your mind.

[@ajsen2144]

How did you get to see the check engine code?

[@peterleone1050]

Outstanding video and a great help. My car was misfiring and the dealer wanted $850. Did it for parts and took me about 2 hours. Thanks man.

[@Sandhill1988]

You're very welcome I'm glad It helped you out.

[@kingkoko8602]

they told me $1300. knew instantly that was NOT happening lol

[@jhogan1960]

I got 350K miles on mine, with a 6 speed manual. Great little cars.

[@Sandhill1988]

Wow 350K... you surely got your money's worth out of it. I agree, other than the obvious unnecessary difficulty of what IMO considered routeen maintenance they are great little automobiles, very utilitarian especially if you have the hatchback like I did.

[@TubeandYouJ]

Warning: The throttle body should not be cleaned on the versa. If you do, you may experience high rpm idle issues. You will need to set the ecu to learn mode to fix. Otherwise great video.

[@Sandhill1988]

TubeandYouJ I didn't encounter any idle issues after the repair, it's been over 6 months and she is running like a champ, RPM's are rock solid with no fluctuations whatsoever.

[@xgreatnwcomicsx]

TubeandYouJ I had a check engine soon light on after I changed the plugs, coil, cleaned the throttle body and valve cover gasket. I reset the ecu and the light went off. Thanks for the tip

[@michaelgrifoni2160]

TubeandYouJ, I ran into the higher idle rpm, how did you reset the ecu to re-learn idle. I’ve heard it can be done with certain key on off, gas pedal depress sequences but do not know for 08 versa correct procedure. Need to do this on our versa. Thanks!

[@onenikkione]

@@michaelgrifoni2160 did you ever find out how to do it?

[@michaelgrifoni2160]

onenikkione found it pretty easy online, just searched Nissan Versa idle re-learn 2008 (I think 2007-2010 or 11 are all the same sequence)

[@patrickroy462]

Great job! Thank you so much for leading us through this in such a helpful way!

[@Sandhill1988]

Thank you for the kind words I'm glad it was of help to you.

[@marshalmagooo3899]

Good video, helped with the side bolts, but baffled by your dedication for bolt pattern fo the protective coil pack cover. It doesn't matter... just do 1 at a time when you replace plugs, coil packs

[@Sandhill1988]

Yes, just take your time and do one at a time. However when reinstalling the air plenum you need to tighten the bolts according to the service manuals specifications. It is alternating.

[@breaddrinker]

Finally got to this after a misfire on cylinder 3.. Perfect fix in roughly 2 hours. Roughly 80 dollars in partsfrom Amazon, that the local parts place wanted over 300 for.. My Versa eats a hell of a lot of oil though.. The top tubes seem to leak through the manifold, though there isn't any apparent overheating issue.. Just can't figure it out. Thanks again. This was beyond helpful.. The number of people you saved from 1000 dollar plus fixes. The same fix on my 06 sentra took about 20 minutes :D Insane design on this car.

[@Sandhill1988]

I'm happy you were able to remedy your issue and the video was helpful. You know when I shot this short series of videos a few years back I had no idea it was going to help so many people. Glad I did it. And yes I agree it is an absolutely terrible design. Cheers!

[@breaddrinker]

I just can't believe how intentionally they closed off all ports of entry on this car. You can barely get to the headlight bulbs in this design.. Even my 06 sentra is fully accessible. In a situation where you have an issue and just want to check the plugs, this is unacceptable. I'm never going to buy another Nissan. They knew exactly what they were doing.

[@Sandhill1988]

I agree.

[@GA-tl4iy]

Thanks a lot for a GREAT and Educated VIDEO, I love to watch and learned a lot of. Thanks again and god bless, Mike

[@Sandhill1988]

Your welcome Mike, glad it helped.

[@jhogan1960]

Good video. Just did this job. What a PIA. Love the Boston (?) accent.

[@Sandhill1988]

Thanks, I agree this is one of the most complex / routeen maintenance procedures I personally have ever encountered.... yes you nailed it, origional Bostonian 👍.

[@GerardoMartinez-nu3pw]

I had the time of my life doing the same coil pack and spark plug removal 😂

[@Sandhill1988]

Yea because it's so much fun 😁. Thanks for watching and comnenting.

[@kayakdream]

You are a lifesaver

[@Sandhill1988]

Glad you figured it out.

[@gottosahani7571]

Thanks for the video

[@Sandhill1988]

Your welcome, i hope they helped.

[@kayla5973]

I plan on doing this, but I have a few questions. Do I change fuel injectors as well when doing this? I have a misfire and the mechanic only replaced one coil pack so it caused all the spark plugs to go bad again. It has a new manifold gasket, and radiator is brand new because that had a leak. What else do I need to replace to get rid of the misfire?

[@Sandhill1988]

H Kayla, no you shouldn't have to change your fuel injectors, that is unless they need to be. Meaning not working correctly and or so fouled that it can not be remedied with some kind of fuel injection cleaner. My problem was the coil packs solely causing the misfiring. All I required for my job to correct the problem was 4 new coil packs, 4 new iridium spark plugs, new spark plug wires (not absolutely necessary but you may as well replace them as long as you're going through all of this) and a replacement intake manifold gasket. You should also have a tube of permatex RTV black silicone gasket sealer. That is just for extra insurance. RTV black silicone gasket sealer is not absolutely necessary but like said with the spark plug wires as long as you're in there you might as well take the extra precaution since you have to remove the plenum (air intake manifold) to access your coil packs and spark plugs. I do recommend going with original equipment coil packs if you can acquire them because a lot of the aftermarket ones are of dubious quality, and also replacing all of them at once since this job does entail removing the intake to access them. I don't really see whereas your spark plugs got ruined but while doing this job all of the spark plugs should also be replaced with OEM recommended iridium spark plugs that's very important. Most of the time the fowling on a spark plug can be cleaned and the spark plug can be regapped and reused but for the relative low cost of a spark plug why take the chance since like said before you have to remove the entire intake to access these parts. I wish you the best of luck and would like to hear your results posted later on.

[@kayla5973]

@@Sandhill1988 thank you so much! Does the manifold gasket need to be redone it was brand new when the one coil pack got changed and 4 new spark plugs

[@Sandhill1988]

@@kayla5973 if I recall they are made of rubber so you may be able to reuse it. But... and here's the buttttt. When the intake is reinstalled it has to be torqued down in sequence. There is always a chance that this could cause an air leak because the gasket was pre compressed. I don't believe the gaskets are that expensive and I don't know what condition your gaskets in so maybe you should just get your hands on a new one just to be on the safe side.

[@kayla5973]

@@Sandhill1988 okay thank you so much!

[@jetsetscorpio1]

Any chance that you have (or will) post a list of parts?

[@Sandhill1988]

It's been so long since I did the video I don't have exact part numbers or anything like that. But I can let you know what you would need to do the job. 4 new coil packs, 4 new iridium spark plugs a new air plenum gasket And it wouldn't hurt to have some RTV black silicone sealer. Other than that it's all time and labor.

[@onenikkione]

Excellent video, will help.

[@dougwalton753]

Thank you!

[@Sandhill1988]

Your welcome.

[@stephenbeecher7545]

Not sure why you went out of order on the removal of the 5 bolts on the front of the intake manifold. You started with 5; then 1, ... Should have been 5,4,3.2.1.

[@Sandhill1988]

Well I actually followed the Nissan shop manual. I looked the procedure up online before hand. It's possible I got some poor information but to the best of my knowledge it looked official.

[@zeus-io3hn]

hi james bond, good video. i own the same engine it is a real a pain in the back replacing it. could you give me the link where u get your coil from ebay?

[@Rob-fx2dw]

Good video but I suggest you might as well clean the throttle body accelerator throttle flap at the same time to clear out any dirt.

[@medranolopez3853]

Nice tutorial thank..

[@Sandhill1988]

Your very welcome, I'm glad it was of some help 😊.

[@nnop15]

Hi, what are all the tools you used ?

[@Sandhill1988]

Wow, that was over 5 years ago. In general... a socket set, a torque wrench, Gasket scrapers, pliers And other assorted hand tools. I'm sorry I don't remember exact list and sizes of the sockets it's been a long time. You are going to need general hand tools to get the job done.You're gonna have to have a halfway decent toolbox or access to one.

[@holyfreeholy2329]

My father in law changed did mine . The rpm started to go low again. He is really good w cars. Rpm at stop starts to weaken under 1 . Any idea what could be wrong .. I did have oil in my spark plugs We replaced sparks . Gaskets but not the coils ... machine error code said cylinder 1 misfire. Any solutions for this that you guys might have us look at or take care off?

[@Sandhill1988]

I would pressure test the cylinder, you could have a worn piston ring, is the car high mileage? Did it smoke at all when it started up or ran at all? That or a worn valve seat could be causing oil to get into the cylinder and fouling the plug.

[@holyfreeholy2329]

My car is 154k miles. Hope it’s not a worn piston ring. He said it might be a bad fuel injector. I ordered one. But I’ll ask him to pressure test it. Thank you.

[@holyfreeholy2329]

The car however did not smoke at all . Just rpm below 1 and lightly shaky.

[@Sandhill1988]

@@holyfreeholy2329 could be a sticky injector? But you may also want to check the TPS (throttle positioning sensor) and throttle body while your in there. Please keep us up to date. Best of luck.

[@ricowilson5]

Hey man your video is awesome. I want to try to fix my spark plugs and coil this weekend. My service engine light just came on and i just got notified from the mechanic i need them changed. Do you think I’m able to drive on it for a few more days until this weekend?

[@Sandhill1988]

Rico Wilson thanks... as long as you're not getting any misfiring I don't see a problem. But if you are getting misfiring then you could cause damage to the catalytic converter if you drive it extensively. If it's just a check engine light and you don't notice any performance issues no drop in power or RPM like the engine revving higher or lower on its own I really wouldn't worry about it shouldn't be a problem.

[@sandrab7364]

Is a cylinder misfire corrected by changing the spark plugs? My 2008 nissan is jerking a lot in gears 1-4 it has 80,400 miles. Is this common at this mileage? Thanks for the video

[@Sandhill1988]

No Sandra it's not common. If your vehicle is not skipping and or misfiring throughout the entire RPM range, it sounds as if you may have another issue. I would suggest having someone hooking up a scanner to download the infomation from the vehicles computer. At that point you will have codes that will point you in the right direction. It will either read misfiring on a specific cylinder, or it could be an entirely different code and different issues. For a first free and inexpensive step take your car to a local auto zone if you have them in your area. They will download your cars codes for free. That will give you at least a rough idea of what direction to go in. Please keep us updated. Best of luck.

[@sandrab7364]

@@Sandhill1988 great! Thanks for tip. I'll do that. I'll keep you posted.

[@hardtobelieve4753]

Hi thanks for the help, i have a 2005 nissan tiida with 120000km on the clock, and just before lockdown here in nz about 10 days ago the engine cut out a few times, so i went and bought spark plugs before lockdown in the hope that would probly fix my problem. They didnt have any coil packs in stock. Is it worth just changing the plugs alone without doing the coil pack at the same time?

[@Sandhill1988]

Well I would say not in your situation. You would still at least get a misfire if your coil packs were actually firing the spark plugs, in your situation as seems as if the electronic spark is not even getting to the plug there for no fire no combustion. Unfortunately with the situation at hand you may have to hunker down until it's all over. In any normal situation I would suggest if you're going to remove the intake manifold do it correctly replace all the spark plugs replace all of coil packs replace all of the gaskets in do-it-all to specifications. Remember according to the Nissan technical manual this is not required until every hundred thousand mile interval. Best of luck my friend.

[@Sandhill1988]

Keep in mind this could also be a fuel delivery issue check that check your filters and check your fuel lines. There's a few basic things with the internal combustion engine are fuel, Fire and air. Without any of those you have no internal combustion, henceforth no running vehicle.

[@hardtobelieve4753]

@@Sandhill1988 Cheers mate, i just checked the air filter and it is filthy, luckily i have a new air filter as well, so i will change that. I found 2 of those plastic bolts/tabs laying in the air filter box, dont know why theyre in there? Any particular process i should follow when changing air filter? I can see a few leaves in there so am going to vaccuum them out first

[@Sandhill1988]

@@hardtobelieve4753 no particular process as far as changing out the air filter. Just remove and replace with a new filter. Plus clean out the air box of any foriegn debris. Using a vacuum is a good idea.

[@hardtobelieve4753]

@@Sandhill1988 I changed the air filter and went for a quick drive, engine started dieing on me, i managed to get back home and up the driveway just. There are no engine check lights. Any idea what the problem may be? Any advice is appreciated mate

[@medranolopez3853]

No have gasket between intek and head ?

[@Sandhill1988]

Yes there is a rubber gasket that fits into a groove in the intake manifold. The factory says it's reusable but I replaced mine to be on the safe side.

[@jaimiecamacho6052]

Good job!!! I just use your video !!!!

[@Sandhill1988]

Thank you, glad it was of use to you. 🙂

[@EasyMoneyTv]

What size did you use for the 5 bolts on the manifold

[@Sandhill1988]

Justin My apologies. I honestly don't recall. It's somewhere in between 10 mm and 14 mm if my memory serves me, correct. It's been a long time since I've done it. So I apologize for my long term memory loss 😉.

[@daniel5749]

Anyone have a link to purchase exact spark plugs and coil needed for this job?

[@Sandhill1988]

No sorry. Do a search on your specific vehicle type and you should be able to cross reference the required replacement parts. I sourced mine out on e bay.

[@greggjarvis133]

I have experienced the aftermarket coils failing within a year's time. They are a fraction of the price of the Nissan's looking for a better quality aftermarket

[@Sandhill1988]

I have also had this happen. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Bottom line if your going to go through all of this trouble make sure you are getting quality parts. Thanks for the comment.

[@Sandhill1988]

To continue go to pt 2.

[@arunakhan2343]

I got a 200i Nissan versa do you think its a good idea to change me spark plugs now?

[@Sandhill1988]

aruna khan only if you need to. Depending on the mileage and running condition of the vehicle. If it's running tough and you have poor gas mileage might be a good idea.

[@arunakhan2343]

David Swenson I am having hesitation and poor gas Mileage also there is a fuel smell from the exhaust during start up

[@ahyungrocks5509]

The $16/piece NGK Iridium are laser ones. The cheap set you got for $25 (spark plugs) are fake/China knock offs. Be sure to buy plugs from authorized dealers or atleast learn to confirm if it is real.

[@Sandhill1988]

Agreed, confirm you are getting quality parts. Remember you have to take the entire intake manifold off to do this job so it would really be lousy to have to do a do-over because you didn't have decent parts that will fail.

[@josph209]

Sounds like your from BOSTON

[@Sandhill1988]

That obvious huh 😁. Originally yes currently no I escaped to the United States of America 😉.

[@JesusGonzalez-ol5yo]

I THOUGHT HE SAID CONVENIENT ?

[@arunakhan2343]

2008

[@arunakhan2343]

I am having hesitation and poor gas mileage also there is fuel smell from the exhaust

[@Sandhill1988]

aruna khan then changing the plugs at the least would be a place to start, it won't hurt and will be a step in the right Direction. It could also be a coil pack related problem not enough power getting to the plugs to ignite the Complete air fuel mixture, another thing you might want to have diagnosed if your emissions control system and catalytic converter, if it is under efficient and not with an efficiency guidelines then it could be partially clogged and causing a performance problems. It's hard to say for sure what your issues are but those are places to look. Just take the time and have it diagnosed correctly before you spend a lot of money unnecessary. Best of luck.

[@arunakhan2343]

Turns out it was a rotten exhaust that caused my problem

[@rodolfotapia1731]

This guy is taking forever

[@embwee]

so what?! better to be cautious rather than lose a bolt into the engine ether...saving much more than the time it took, and teaching others along the way.

[@mikegarcia2349]

He’s doing a good job Only issue I see there was no need to remove the throttle boady

[@ndb_1982]

Good grief that's a lot of junk to remove. I'm not very thrilled to do this project anymore. I might have to check prices on having it done. 🤔

[@Sandhill1988]

It's not for everyone that's for sure. When I performed this job the going rate for this repair was around $1,200.00 at Nissan 🤪😖

[@AJ3000_]

James Bond in Hawaii it’s 1600

[@Sandhill1988]

@@AJ3000_ good grief 😲