How to replace the spark plugs - Mercedes S550 - m278 | 2014 - 2017 | change spark plugs

[@chrisUSA]

I own a S550 W222 and this is the BEST, most comprehensive and detailed video I've seen on how to change the spark plugs. GREAT job Jose. You are to be highly commended. Your attention to detail is outstanding. This video was / is very helpful. A big thank you!

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much ChrisUSA. Good luck with your car. Hope all my videos keep helping more and more people.

[@sporkeh90]

About to do this next week so same!

[@josecitomarin]

@@sporkeh90let me know how it goes

[@trevorchilders479]

Very helpful - just changed coil pack causing misfire on my S550 with your instructions. Thank You!

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. I am glad my video was helpful

[@juniordace1347]

Should I change both coil pack and spark plug for engine misfire code? I have code p0304 cylinder 4 misfire detected.

[@GG-mm9hf]

@@juniordace1347wonder the same thing my w222 s550 threw same code. Reply on here when u get answer plz

[@IKhanNot]

Great video. I'm looking at getting a used S550 to replace my C300. I'm used to the older M272/M273 motors so videos like this help me understand the newer M278 better. Thanks.

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. M278 is awesome. Just take good care of it and will will be nice back. 2017 is a great year. It’s the last of its generation. Take a look at my video buying a Mercedes.

[@anthonyfriendy3596]

thank you sooooo much for attention to detail. i really like you taking your time, explaining what your doing and do's and don't along the way. great job. will be watching more of ur videos.

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much. I’m glad you like the videos

[@Rmayrap]

youre a great teacher, very detailed and easy to understand. i will attempt this soon. thank you

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much. Let me know how it goes

[@NickeryNelson]

Best video I have found on KZbin covering this process. I have an E550 but it has the same engine...

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much. I’m glad it’s helping many. What other maintenance items are doing on your car?

[@NickeryNelson]

@@josecitomarin I have upgraded to ceramic brake pads. I only drive the car on weekends mainly and I hated that every time I drove it, the wheels would be full of brake dust. The ceramic pads took care of that! I have also changed the rear differential fluid to Redline Synthetic. I also do my own oil changes. I use the Henght filter and am trying out this oil that I found called Triax 0w40. The specs seem to be extremely good and the price is reasonable. Perhaps you could try it and do a review. Thanks!

[@josecitomarin]

@@NickeryNelson I will definitely look into it. I just did the oil change. Working on the video editing. Thanks for sharing.

[@NickeryNelson]

@@josecitomarin This will be very helpful and I'm sure lots of folks will be very thankful!

[@samburnell4972]

Thanks so much for this! Very detailed and easy to follow. You should get an award!

[@josecitomarin]

I appreciate your comment. Glad to help!

[@johnjoyce1748]

Great video! Do you have a cylinder diagram for the w222?

[@josecitomarin]

It’s easy. If you are looking at the engine you start counting on the front. On the left side is 1 and on the right is 5

[@gregbaugher333]

Thank you. Very easy to follow you. I have a 2014 e550. Looks just like my engine.

[@josecitomarin]

They are very similar. If I’m not mistaking you have a 7speed trans with it

[@MrBenzNYC]

Working on my 16' C217 550. Very informative DIY vid, thank you & keep up the great work!

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much

[@armanamirov1070]

Jose, some mechaniks make big deal about indexing direction of those plugs. What you think about ? Thank You .

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. As long as you get Bosch spark plugs for this engine you don’t have to worry about indexing. Plus, it’s almost impossible to do it. If you buy NKGs then worry about indexing. That is the example they have online of an engine blowing, they put NKGs in the engine and the engine got damage. So, for this application, M278 use Bosch and torque to specs.

[@armanamirov1070]

Thank you Jose. I will use only Bosch@@josecitomarin

[@nathaliamurillo5609]

You make it look so easy!

[@josecitomarin]

It takes a little bit of time and patience but it is not difficult. Thanks for your comment

[@mikimiki195]

Great video What kind of dressing you use on your engine covers they look clean

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much. My secret recipe is Mobil 1. Same oil that is in the engine is on my covers. Very little though. First I put it on with a rag and then I wipe it off a little with a clean/dry rag. Works great and it lasts many months

[@mikimiki195]

@@josecitomarin damn never taught about that I will have to give it a shot Thanks

[@josecitomarin]

@@mikimiki195 no problem. I didn’t think of making a video when I cleaned the engine ( I don’t know why) but the next time I do, I will definitely make a video about it. I just use 2 spray bottles, one with dish soap, then dress it up with Mercedes recommended motor oil, lol. Please share my videos, even if people don’t have an S550 can use some of my ideas in other cars as well

[@mikimiki195]

@@josecitomarin sounds great

[@darnelldabachelor9605]

How do you know which number spark plug is which? Like if I have a misfire for coil number 8, which one would it be?

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. From the front. On the passenger side 1-4 and on the driver side 5-8. So 8 would be the back on the driver side

[@cd8431]

At what mileage do you change spark plugs? Good video. Thanks for sharing

[@josecitomarin]

Tha k you so much for your comment. You change the spark plugs at least at every 60k mikes. I changed them at 50k because is don’t know how the car was treated before me. I’m the second owner

[@taher1973]

Hi Do you have a video on how to clean the throttle body for the same car? Thank you

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. I do not have a video on that. Sorry

[@patrickoates6193]

Excellent presentation

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much.

[@juniordace1347]

Great video, will be trying to do it myself. Do you recommend a 9/16in or 5/8 magnet extension plug? Thanks!

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. I would go with 5/8

[@juniordace1347]

@@josecitomarin Thanks, I saw that mercedes has a special tool for it is that required? or can I use any magnet extension plug like from auto zone? Also, having trouble removing the pulling off the last connected, any suggestions? Thanks again!

[@josecitomarin]

@@juniordace1347 no you don’t need any special Mercedes tool. For the last spark plug you just need to use a couple of small extensions and put them in one at the time. Make sure they lock to each other

[@juniordace1347]

@@josecitomarin thanks, what size is for the spark plugs? Also cylinder 4 is the front of the car left side closest to the grille correct?

[@josecitomarin]

@@juniordace1347 the spark plugs is 14mm as I mentioned on the video. Cylinder 4 is the passenger side close to the windshield

[@TheAviam]

Hello Jose. I see others doing the bi turbo sparkplugs indexing? That means 45 angle of front of spark plugs facing the fuel injector? Not sure how important that is? another video where the guy marks the plug & socket w sharpie then torques it to face front of injector. He actually had to sand sparkplug washer a little to make plug line up w injector?

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. It’s actually Jose. I would like to see that video. Please send it to me. It is not necessary to do the indexing as long as you used the correct plugs. I did my plugs almost 1 year and a half ago and the car runs like a champ.

[@TheAviam]

@@josecitomarin i did mine your way & torqued it correctly. Thats it. My car runs great. I haven't tried fully turbo boosting yet. I believe its Mercedes trying to discourage people from doing the job themselves & discourage buying ngk or other plugs. I think its a money issue Mercedes is jumping on saying dont use ngk & even show a image of NGK plug pointed away. Instead of facing injector say between 10 & 2 o'clock is the direction they show Mercedes plug points.

[@TheAviam]

@@josecitomarin kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnusapSdl9SXjaMsi=w23PwP7O9IqT42uL

[@josecitomarin]

@@TheAviam I’m glad my video helped you. I used Bosch plugs, but they are not Mercedes plugs, even though Mercedes uses Bosch. That sounds funny but yeah

[@TheAviam]

@@josecitomarin they're the same thing. I bought the same ones. ZR6SII3320 Bosch double iridium. I was surprised after about 95k miles plugs were still good. I bought the car at 50k miles. I don't think anyone did them that Early. I need to keep my eye out for leaking camshaft positioning sensors. Oil goes up the wires & cxn go all the way to ECU. They say its the rubber \ seal ring? Id replaced sensors & added wire\clip extensions because mine misfired. Not sure how far oil got . It was in wires Overall 2014 CL550 is a beast. Nice twin turbo coupe. God bless. TY

[@ThE4EvRPs3GaMeR]

How bad is it if there is slight oil on the spark or in the cylinder? On my old 09 s550 there was one cylinder that had some oil bit it never gave any issues. I have now at 13 s550 and Ill be doing the plugs shorty as they are due. Cars has 65k miles. Im got the bosch triple plats plugs since that is the last set I got for the old 550 and had no issues.

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. If it’s just a little bit of oil is not a big deal. Just keep an eye on the. Some gasket/seal is going. Mine has a bit of oil as well and no issues. We can start by checking the valve cover seals

[@ThE4EvRPs3GaMeR]

@@josecitomarin gotcha! Thanks for the info! I appreciate it!

[@josecitomarin]

@@ThE4EvRPs3GaMeR no problem

[@yellowcon8726]

Great video

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much

[@nathaliamurillo5609]

Wow gracias por tu ayuda😮

[@josecitomarin]

Con mucho gusto!

[@D04137]

Hey man just a heads up the w221 12/13’ have the M278. I know you put 2014-2017 . But don’t forget about us man 😂 it’s a great engine I will upgrade but I won’t go to a 223, only a 2017 222

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much. I’ll add it. How could I?

[@TheBstegold]

2015 Mercedes Benz S550 4 Matic- So I am changing the spark plugs, air filters and batteries. So far the batteries and the air filters are great. Thanks for your detailed instructions. However, the spark plugs are a different story. First, I have to use two different size E8 sockets to remove the coils due to the limited area to work in. Secondly you need a 14mm 12 point spark plug remover that is only available online. The regular spark plug socket will not work! Thirdly, the light colored grey latch lever that you have to pull out and press down to remove the electrical connector housing from the ignition coil is very delicate. Maybe mine was dry rotted (my car is 9 years old). Two of them broke, but I was able to still press down and push back on the housing to take it off. Upon inspection of the housing that grey latch only make the housing easier to be removed. They all were very difficult to get off and leave you with sore finger tips, lol. I am still waiting on the spark plug socket from Amazon 😊Thank you for the instructions though.

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. Make sure you register the main battery. You are correct on the spark plug socket. I’ll correct that in my description

[@TheBstegold]

@@josecitomarin thank you for informing me about the registering of the main battery

[@TheBstegold]

My scanner was not able to reset the new installed main battery. So I took it to the dealer to do something else and asked them to reset the battery. The dealer said my car does not need that. I own a 2015 S550 4Matic. Per the VIN etc. thought I would follow up with that .Why these cars are soooo different- even for the same year and motor series

[@josecitomarin]

@@TheBstegold that is bizarre

[@TheBstegold]

@@josecitomarinI agree… my scanner listed other Mercedes series that could be reset but not mine 2015 S550 4Matic etc…. I wasted my money adding the software to my scanner!

[@staceyrizzo311]

Great video very helpful thank you

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. I’m glad it helps

[@BenjaminMinor]

I have a 2015 s 550 it says cylinder 1 misfire. Should I change cylinder 1 or all eight plugs and coils

[@josecitomarin]

If it’s time to do the plugs. You should change them all. Have you checked the cylinder yet? That cylinder is right in front so is not too bad. If you want you can start doing that one to see if just changing the plug and coil will do.

[@werekief29]

@@josecitomarin Which side is cylinder 1? Driver or passenger?

[@josecitomarin]

@@werekief29it’s the passenger side

[@orgundeveci1613]

Perfect job! Please keep sharing other maintenance/repairs with us. There not many videos of M278 out there. At what kilometers you have changed spark plugs?

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much. I am going to be working in a couple more videos soon. I changed my spark plugs at 50k miles

[@orgundeveci1613]

@@josecitomarin Thanks a lot for your respond. I am very scare about removing those metal turbo pipes. Eventually, they will be needed to removed for water pump replacement for example. It would be great if you would share about how to removing them and how to replacing,

[@josecitomarin]

@@orgundeveci1613 you are welcome. I did remove those for the replacement of the belt and pulleys and for the camshaft solenoids. Make sure you see all of my videos. I had my wife help me do that work and it wasn’t that bad. It may looks scary, but it’s not.

[@orgundeveci1613]

@@josecitomarin Thank you for your encouragement. Mine is e550 and it is really tight. I am not sure if I can put bottom side back after I remove it. I will watch all your videos. I am glad that you are sharing. Thanks a million.

[@josecitomarin]

@@orgundeveci1613 hope my videos help

[@werekief29]

What sockets did you use for the coils?

[@josecitomarin]

Tha k you so much for your comment. That would be an E8 socket

[@djveeplay1417]

How much time does the change take?

[@josecitomarin]

Tha k you so much for your comment. I would say about 1 hour

[@TheAviam]

Mercedes says swap around 100k - 120k. I do feel car a little sluggish but when i pulled a plug out it looked fine? Should i still replace at 85k. Not sure if anyone did it before me. I bought car at 55k now im at 85k.

[@josecitomarin]

You can only assume that nobody did any maintenance before you, unless you have paperwork. You are almost exactly we’re I was when I changed mine. And yeah the dealer says 100k kilometers or around 60k miles. If I were in your place I would just do it.

[@TheAviam]

@@josecitomarin Your video shows a bit more hands on and tips making the Job possible. I might try it myself. Last time i tried a boot was melted onto plug and i got held up peeling away boot. Thank you. I also have the twin turbo 4.7 and car feels a bit sluggish? Great video & insight. Very useful when attempting this job on Mercedes engine. 2013 CL550

[@josecitomarin]

@@TheAviam I’m so glad it’s helping. The job is easy. Just need to have the right tools. A couple of different size extensions help a lot. Good lock

[@davisbrewer6136]

My car is 2012 E550, and very similar to your 2016 S. I made big mistake of washing the engine which was very dusty. Apparently, water settled around the spark plugs and caused a major random misfiring problem. After following easiest procedures to isolate the problem, I am now in the process of removing the coils and spark plugs which are showing corrosion effects of the water settling around the plugs from the washing of the engine. I had extreme difficulty removing the plug connectors from every one of the 8 plugs. Actually had to destroy each one in order to break them loose from the plugs. I even made the mistake of trying to spray a lube into the spark plug hole to hopefully cause the boot to break loose. That only further complicated my problem by causing the boot to separate into multiple sections. Two lessons learned with this design engine. Never spray water on it to wash and never spray liquid lube into spark plug hole to help rubber connector boot to release. I haven’t owned this particular car for very long and don’t know the maintenance history. I realize that I took a big gamble purchasing this 2012 E550 showing 180,000 miles and no maintenance history, but the unusual impressive condition inside and out along with the performance of the drive chain persuaded me to gamble and purchase it. Yes, I have learned much negative about this engine that’s kinda scary, but so far, I’ve got an open mind about learning everything out there about how to properly maintain the engine, hopefully for many more miles. I totally appreciate your detailed video of changing the spark plugs on your S series and anxious to learn from any other videos that you provide about the M278 engine.

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. Too bad about what happened to your car. I’m glad you like my videos I’m working on a new one. I also have the one in how to clean the engine if you still need it. Are you all done repairing it?

[@davisbrewer6136]

Not yet. Waiting for delivery of coil to spark plug connectors and spark plugs. I will update you after job completed. Thanks for sharing your knowledge about this particular engine.

[@josecitomarin]

@@davisbrewer6136 I’m glad I can help. Yes please share your experience with it when you are done.

[@flawlessautooptions8333]

Hello my scan tool says cylinder 7 misfire we’re is number 7 Then the 2and code says ignition coil G primary secondary circuit can you let me know where these are? Thank you

[@josecitomarin]

Cylinder number 7 is the third one counting from the front of the engine, if you are looking at it standing in front of your car. In the US, the driver side. I don’t understand the second code. What code is it?

[@kamogwap8835]

So the Order from the Front is Passenger side 1-4 and Driver 5-8?

[@josecitomarin]

@@kamogwap8835 that is correct

[@robertstern6117]

@@josecitomarin From my experience with 3 bad coils and the icarsoft scan tool, coil codes come up with letters A-H, with A being cyl #1 and H being cyl #8. SO, G would be the coil on cyl #7, and it's showing both coil circuits - primary & secondary. That's either a bad coil, or the harness connector is not fully seated (could be a bad harness, but it;s much less likely that all 4 wires for coil G are open.) Quick diagnosis is to swap G (#7) with any other (F or #6) is easy. If code moves to F, coil is bad. If code returns on G, harness/connector is open. If it doesn't return, it was an open or poorly connected harness connector to the coil and swapping & reconnecting fixed the issue. Then no need to swap them back either.

[@BathProductReviews]

where did you get the fender protectors

[@josecitomarin]

I got it on Amazon. Joiify 3-Piece Automotive Magnetic Fender Covers for Mechanics, 25 Strong Magnets, Microfiber Leather Car Fender Protector Mats for SUV or Light Trucks - Size L a.co/d/2t8Vuxf

[@MercedesMechanic]

@@josecitomarin do you like them? I'm looking for another set.

[@josecitomarin]

@@MercedesMechanic I do. They are really good. They are easy to clean

[@MercedesMechanic]

@@josecitomarin Thank you, I'll get a set. Good job on the plug replacements, your video was amazing.

[@josecitomarin]

@@MercedesMechanic thank you so much

[@CharlesAdkins-le8we]

Where are you located?

[@josecitomarin]

Hi. I’m in NJ

[@Nebras262]

Excellent

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much

[@ThatS550guy]

So many missed opportunities by MB to put a supercharger in the middle 😂

[@josecitomarin]

It would certainly look nice lol

[@hotdog4442]

Way easier the doing spark plugs on a m276 2013 e350 ima trade this in for a e550

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for your comment. Good choice

[@quegosenove9432]

😎👍

[@ՀովսեփԽաշունի]

Absolute hell. I can’t reach the backmost screws to loosen the coils. On top of that, whoever worked on my spark plugs last, stripped one of my screws. Absolute disaster.

[@josecitomarin]

Don’t get frustrated. Just try different tools. You have to have the right tools. Same thing with the spark plugs. You have to have the right extensions to be able to reach in there. The striped screw can still be fixed.

[@francotozzi1778]

You better read this: The W222 engine is worst engine ever built by Mercedes Benz MY2013 - MY 2016 or 2013 to 2020 S class V 8 “The exhaust valve assembly might not work properly etc. this means you need a new Cylinder head or both! The Water thermostat open at 217 Fahrenheit, Water Boil at 212 Fahrenheit you must remove the coolant to clean the coolant back flow. The temperature reading in the car display never goes aver 200 Fahrenheit I check the engine temperature was 217 to 225 Fahrenheit without any fan coming on (Back flow) the manual warning on page 295 if the coolant temperature is above 257 Fahrenheit do not drive. The rigged the software “wrote a CALL” like they did in the Mercedes Benz Diesel Engine. The exhaust valve problem trigger “Fuel system monitor not completed” 17 states in the USA DO NOT PASS inspection to drive the car “Done” and you cannot do anything about.

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you for your comment Franco

[@barry9030]

I own a 2015... W222 motor. Reading this is 😢😮I only have 69K on this thing. I am in the process of changing the plugs/coils after a misfire and a corroded/weak main and auxiliary battery. The plugs were all very dirty but oil free etc. So far it has been pretty good vehicle...but I will keep my eye out for the issues you mentioned. Thanks. If it fails I have my f150 to back me up 😅

[@josecitomarin]

@@barry9030 thank you so much for your comment. Everybody has different experiences with different cars. So far my car has been amazing. Just keep up with your maintenance and always check your car.

[@alekseysazhin7556]

You have to mark spark plugs an make sure they point right direction. Fail to do so will damage your engine. Research Mercedes spark plugs indexing. All Mercedes turbo engines spark plugs have to point directly to injectors. This video is misleading.

[@josecitomarin]

Hey thank you so much for your comment. When you put the original spark plug, you torque it and it seats in the correct position, it is engineered to do that. For this application, Bosch is the manufacture of the spark plugs and that is what I used. So it is the same exact spark plug. If you use any other brand then yeah you have to worry about indexing. There are many brands that make spark plugs for Mercedes Benz, like NKG or Valeo or ZF. But for the direct injected engines like my M278 the manufacturer is Bosch

[@glasser2819]

​@@josecitomarin you are exactly right: these Bosch plugs ARE INDEED threaded with precision so they index properly when torqued to 23Nm. It really is idiot proof. Only old plugs or junk counterfits are threaded randomly. MB stealers or FCP-Euro have the exact plugs necessary... simple!

[@josecitomarin]

@@glasser2819 thank you so much for your comment. It is very simple. A lot of the big car manufacturers want to get the consumer afraid so they can keep bringing their cars back to them.

[@glasser2819]

@@josecitomarin you're right, lots of ignorant idiots out there! You just need to be detail oriented when working on any modern cars. These money pits are great cars regardless of high maintenance: good parts are cheap, sky high labor racket is the killer... $800 oil change with free carwash LOL mucho gusto 🙏

[@TheAviam]

Yes i remember reading about directions of plug towards injectors, but if u use Bosch it should be aligned correctly. Sales pitch by Mercedes & bosch? Id stick to original plugs for my CL63 bi turbo 4.7. Great job. Very insightful. Thank you

[@sergeycruz9170]

nothing special

[@josecitomarin]

Thank you so much for watching my video. I agree, there is nothing special about doing this job. That is why car owners should do their car maintenance them selfs. After all, doing maintenance on your car is as easy as it looks on my videos. Some people are afraid of opening their hood, specially on high end cars. But there is nothing to be afraid of.

[@dakotakohler5955]

This was the best video I’ve seen. I appreciate all the helpful tips you throw in with every other part under the hood. Only people who can afford these cars will appreciate knowing about them.