Subaru Spark Plug Removal Made Easy

[@youngplagued]

Best video on how to pull the plugs and coil packs. Every other video I've found is sloppily filmed.

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thank you, im glad you liked it!!!

[@kenGPT]

HOW TO NOT CROSSTHREAD Turn the plugs COUNTER- clockwise until you feel a tiny click. That's the thread lining up. Then you go clockwise.👍

[@duncanportal3033]

Perfect! That's the way I've been preventing crossthreads for 15 years! Thanks for saying it to everyone.

[@kevinmcewen1760]

Thanks for the video. I’m going to be doing them on my fathers outback. Dealership quoted $600 for new plugs. I know they’re tight in there but like anything the right tools for the job make everything better. Really appreciate the step by step.

[@ChamsAndStuff]

hey man just wanna say this video helped me out a shit ton i only ended up doing a cold test and got decent numbers (in my unprofessional opinion) but i couldn’t have done it without a thorough walk through like this. awesome video and thanks again

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thank you. I'm glad it helped you out

[@JonathanGonzalez-ob7th]

@@SWSpeedCo I used this method works great but run into a problem. 3&4 cylinder the coil pack isn’t seating I can’t thread in bolt. Any ideas Did you have this problem???

[@SWSpeedCo]

Sometimes the rubber bit that goes over the plug gets pushed to the side. So just pull it off and make sure it's centered when you put it in. That's the only thing I can think of.

[@JonathanGonzalez-ob7th]

@@SWSpeedCo I was guessing that too and you were right. Got the problem fixed 30 mins later after I wrote my first comment, thanks for the reply back 😁

[@SWSpeedCo]

No problem, glad to hear it

[@burnerloco4138]

I know this is a old video, but next time be sure that your battery is fully charged ( yours sounded a little weak) it will make a difference. Also use a piece of vacuum line and put it over the end of plug to help start the plug into the hole. Good video

[@goodienough]

Brilliant!

[@simonbergfors1440]

Really informative video without any guessing. When you dont know why stuff turn out the way they do you state it or look it up. Kudos to you! Some critique is due though, improve the sound by doing a voice over if the sond levels are too low or get a mic that attach to you. Lighting can also be better when filming the coils and all removing plugs, but i think this is a great video over all.

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thanks for watching and thanks for the constructive criticism! I have since gotten better video gear so hopefully some of those issues are fixed, and I like to think I'm getting better at editing with every video lol.

[@KentuckyRanger]

The H 4 isn't bad. I just replaced the plugs in my 2015 Outback H 6. It was a nightmare, but I got it done, LOL!

[@SWSpeedCo]

You got it done, that's all that matters haha

[@KentuckyRanger]

@@SWSpeedCo YEP! Saved myself a lot of money too! Plus, I know it was done properly.

[@adam1885282]

Yeah the h6 has half the clearance, half the job has to be done by feel you can’t see a damn thing

[@KentuckyRanger]

@@adam1885282 There's also 2 bolts for the battery box, that will stay in my toolbox, LOL! I'd say the other 4 will hold it OK...

[@harryburford6629]

thanks mate i thought it could be age and miles i suppose heat as well . do you no if they have made better coil packs or not. i have a e j 2.0 legecy subaru 1990 goes well but had to change 2 coils and the 3rd one is playing up and missing also they are $180 each where i am from( n z)

[@SWSpeedCo]

Delicious tuning makes some upgraded coils, but they are about twice the price and you really only need them if you are making like 400 horsepower and up. I would just stick with the oem ones

[@stvnswld]

Great vid. Very helpful, thanks! Thought I was going to have to lift engine 3-4 inches according to some other guys.

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thanks, those guys are dumb lol

[@stvnswld]

@@SWSpeedCo Did it end up being rings? What was the conclusion that you came up with?

[@SWSpeedCo]

Ringland failure, it's got a new long block in it now

[@stvnswld]

@@SWSpeedCo I see. I just bought an ‘05 LGT and I’m just beginning diagnostics. May end up going down a similar road after checking compression and plugs etc

[@ghostofjackfimple5746]

I always do dry then wet and compare the readings...warm engine, pedals to the floor.

[@kenGPT]

And thanks for the video. I wish I had the 1 in extension and that wobly spark plug tool. I did cyl3 because of a misfire but eventually cursing at it enough with the tools I had, she's all happy now. I'll have to get those tools for next time!

[@rodherrera7301]

Dude it looks so easy. F***king dealership want to charge me $1148. Thanks for the video

[@deanrock4331]

Nice info. What length is the 5/8 spark plug swivel tool? 4" in total? And then you need the 1" extension on top of that?

[@SWSpeedCo]

I think the spark plug something is around 3 inches but yes you need the 1 inch extension on top of that

[@harryburford6629]

why do these coil packs have to be changed is it the heat or something would you get back to me thanks good video

[@SWSpeedCo]

I'm not sure I'm reading the question right. Just like any electrical component, coils go bad and get weak and won't supply proper voltage to create a strong spark to ignite the air fuel mixture. Its just age and miles that make coils die. If that was not what you are asking, you can clarify and ill answer to the best of my abilities

[@jimssawsnstuff8903]

Good video for plug change.😉👍 Hope things worked out for your compression issue.

[@GabrielBeal-uj8gk]

Brother I have bugeye subie been sitting for days and cannot get a grip on the back plug with a 3 inch snd 5/8” deep socket, the swivel combo one along with a one inch extension i do not have, do you think this is my issue? The thing just spins and spins constantly, then with adapters i am sooo banginging the frame i hate it this looked nice. I will buy tomorrow but i’m seriously hoping cause its been sitting for 3 days as i try and try to get grip on back plugs.

[@SWSpeedCo]

If I remember correctly, the 1 inch extension is crucial to get a grip on the spark plug. Without it it's not long enough to reach

[@GabrielBeal-uj8gk]

@@SWSpeedCook all i could find is a 1-1/2” extension but amazon has 1 inches, do you think i’ll be able to reach it yet still have clearance from banging the frame?

[@SWSpeedCo]

The 1.5 could work but I can't guarantee

[@joshacollins84]

Aww, you don't have a secondary air pump and ducting to deal with! 🥺 Lol, I was hoping to find a trick to avoid messing with them. Oh well, I'll get back to work. I have an FSM guiding me along.

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thankfully I didn't have to deal with that haha. The FSM is a great resource, good luck!

[@Mike_44]

Not a difficult job, just not a lot of clearance to remove some of the spark plugs. Seems the biggest challenge is doing it fast enough before the internals have shrunk back to its cold size. Great video btw!

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thank you! Having the right tools makes the job alot easier

[@Mike_44]

@@SWSpeedCo Your car stopped miss firing when you put good gas. Mine stalls when I fill it up, even with good gas lol

[@SWSpeedCo]

Yeah I think it was just a flook though lol

[@Mike_44]

@@SWSpeedCo I take back what I said man. Those spark plugs are a bitch to remove. I didn’t realize how little clearance I had till I tried this job myself. You make it look easy. To make matters worse I ended up removing #2 coil and its grommet got stuck inside around the spark plug, had to fish it out. But now ended up with the engine trembling, like a misfire, even though I was never able to remove #2 spark plug.. maybe from wiggling the grommet to remove it the spark plug got a bit lose..

[@SWSpeedCo]

It is a bitch but if it makes you feel better when I made this video I had already done it like 5 times already. I would investigate cylinder 2, and also check to see if the plugs are plugged in correctly. The black plugs go on the back two coils. If that is correct I would pull the spark plugs and make sure the gap is correct

[@mightymotors2074]

Hey man I wanted to ask you if f you have the cobb stage 2 older maps I bought my cobb accessport just after they made the change and I’ve been wanted to get their old maps no clue how to get them

[@SWSpeedCo]

I dont, unfortunately. I have never had an access port I've always done open-source reflash tuning. I would make a post on the subaru forums to see if anyone has that tune they can send you

[@mightymotors2074]

I will look to see! Thank you bro

[@stickman-1]

I guess it all depends on your perspective. I used to change all 8 plugs in a big block 67 Mustang in about 45 minutes. That's twice the plugs in 1/3 the time and big block Ford Mustangs used to be considered a "b*tch" to change plugs in. A SBF in an old Mustang was 15 minutes max for all 8. And probably most of that time was pulling off the plug wires. ;-)

[@SWSpeedCo]

It definitely is all about perspective, I would say that subarus are the hardest cars to do spark plugs on but it still isn't as hard as everyone makes it out to be. You can still do it without pulling the engine or unbolting motor mounts.

[@stickman-1]

@@SWSpeedCo My wifes V6 Rav4 has a sideways V6. The front plugs are 5 minutes each. And that's drinking beer. The rear? Well one of them you can get w/o pulling the engine. It's about an hour. The other 2? You have to pull or at least undo the motor mounts. The dealer charges $600 to do the job. We paid it. I figure it's $10 for the front 3, $150 for the 1st one in the back and the other two $240 each. ;-) And yes, I'd rather do all 4 in the 'ru then all 6 in her Rav4.

[@SWSpeedCo]

Never new that, that sounds alot worse. Funny thing is a lot of people say they would never own a subaru because of the sparkplugs, but I've never heard anyone say that about a rav4 and it seems worse lol

[@stickman-1]

@@SWSpeedCo I think most people buy the 4 cylinder in the Rav and that's an easy job. But the 6.... we tow from time to time and need the power. It's got great "get up and go" but those plugs and ignitors in the back are a real pain. Thankfully they last nearly forever. The rears never really died. They had 140,000 miles on them and I only had the dealer replace them because they had to pull the engine to replace the waterpump or timing belt... I don't recall. But they gave us a deal on them so we had them do it. Now the fronts, they die all the time. 100K for the originals and about 50K for the replacments. However they are easy to get to and I found the reason they die: heat. The engine has one of those plastic covers over it to make it look all pretty for the girls. But that thing traps heat under and it and that's what kills the ignitors. So I tossed that into the attic and we've not replaced a single one since doing so. The Rav is a great car. 200K miles on it and it runs like the day it was new. No smoke. Reasonable gas mileage, holds 5 plus a bunch of junk, been all over the place with that thing. Offroad, onroad, in the snow, etc. It's AWD and I even pulled a Ryder moving van fully loaded out of the snow with it. I pulled our forklift (9K#s) out of the mud with it. I know this is a Suby vid. Sorry. But the Rav has a lot going for it. At least the older ones. ;-)

[@buqwik525]

Did you have ALL the spark plugs out and the throttle body WIDE open? That is the most accurate readings. If not, you may want to retest readings.

[@SWSpeedCo]

Yeah I had all the plugs out and throttle wide open. The engine had ring land failure. It's got a built engine now so it's all good 👍

[@timbeeler6336]

Would you happen to know where the fuel fitter is on a 2005 outback Thanks

[@SWSpeedCo]

The only fuel filter I can think of is on the bottom of the fuel pump in the gas tank. It's not too hard to get to. If you look up 2005 subaru outback fuel pump replacement on KZbin there should be a few videos.

[@mikey.1205]

Man awesome video. Thanks for this! Also, is it easier accessing these from underneath the car at all?

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thank you, not any easier from the bottom, I do it 100% from the top

[@timm7088]

I have a front mount intercooler, so I got tubes blocking the top. Could this be done from the bottom of the car?

[@SWSpeedCo]

It may be possible to do it from the bottom, but I feel like it would be easier to just remove your intercooler piping and do it from the top

[@timm7088]

@@SWSpeedCo I see, thanks.

[@stickman-1]

Yes, if you have a lift or something where you can get the car up and work comfortable, that's usually how it do it.

[@frankcasarelli9140]

Best video on plugs. Thanks

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it

[@jaleq5781]

Hey Gracia por tu video, haré lo mismo para cambiar mis spark plugs

[@pitbullzombie7001]

What year is your subaru?

[@SWSpeedCo]

2005

[@dhruvpais6549]

What was the problem finally?

[@SWSpeedCo]

Ended up being ringland failure, needed a new engine

[@aussiecoop.5399]

Great video mate, mine is a EZ30R and I have a misfire when I first start it ( cold start ) and it goes back to normal after about 30 seconds, Do you know if this is the same procedure in the 3.0 ltr, 6 cylinder ?? Cheers mate from Australia.

[@SWSpeedCo]

I'm not 100% sure on how similar the procedure is but I would guess it's close since both engines are DOHC.

[@aussiecoop.5399]

@@SWSpeedCo yeah everyone has an opinion about which way to go ( jack the engine up or don't jack it up ) I might do what you were going to do and hit the forums, Cheers mate, thanks for your reply. 👍 So, what was the final diagnosis ?? Rings or valves ?? Either way it's still a pain in arse.

[@SWSpeedCo]

It ended up being ringland failure, I had low compression on a couple cylinders. It was like 50 on one and 80 on another if I remember correctly. Now I have a fully built engine though so it all worked out it the end lol! Thanks for watching!

[@aussiecoop.5399]

@@SWSpeedCo as I said before, it's still a pain in the arse, good luck with it mate, I've just ordered a OBD scanner and see if any fault codes are stored in the ECU regarding my misfire. Cheers mate 👍 I'm glad you got to the bottom of it.

[@kennethparker2483]

Same for the 2008 model?

[@SWSpeedCo]

As long as it is a turbo legacy or outback Then yes

[@harryburford6629]

thankyou. and for getting back to me ..

[@SWSpeedCo]

No problem

[@StayInCourage]

07 subaru legacy 2.5i...is the same procedure?

[@SWSpeedCo]

Spark plugs on the 2.5 I are actually alot easier, since they are singal cam the spark plug hole is towards the top of the head so they are alot easier to get tools in there since the frame rail is not in the way. Other than that it's the same procedure

[@billolsen5401]

Thanks for the vid man,appreciate sharing the knowledge 👍

[@SWSpeedCo]

Glad you liked it, thanks for watching!

[@drivechannelyt]

On my 05 legacy the #3 cylinder plug is the only hard one.

[@SWSpeedCo]

Yup that's the tightest one

[@parkinson1963]

I start with that one.

[@sasthrikatwaroo8421]

Keep doing more u explain great now like them others

[@SWSpeedCo]

Thank you, I appreciate it!!

[@Subieej20]

One question how tight should the spark plugs be? NGK advises a specific torque range is this really necessary?

[@SWSpeedCo]

Well you want to tighten it enough to compress the crush washer which I think is what ngk specifies. If I'm re using them and the crush washer is already crushed I usually just get them snug because you don't want to strip those threads.

[@Subieej20]

@@SWSpeedCo ok thanks someone told me 21nm should I proceed with that? And also is there a chance you could miss align the threads as you can't see what Ur doing down there?

[@SWSpeedCo]

I would just follow the instructions for tightening on the ngk box. It would be hard to mis align the treads as long as you don't force it. I usually get them started by hand so I can feel it tread in, to make sure I'm not cross threading it.

[@Subieej20]

@@SWSpeedCo ok thanks a lot.👍

[@tankster_749]

Thank you !For the video it helped so much !!!

[@JungleLoveOeOeO]

2020+ they definitely made it harder

[@damagecase138]

Dealership is trying to hose me for $400 to get this done on my Impreza. Maybe I can do it myself

[@jibzz4749]

You skipped the hardest part, trying to get the sparkplug socket out after its tightened...

[@SWSpeedCo]

That part does suck haha, If you have the rubber grommet style spark plug socket you can put dielectric grease on the grommet and they still hold the sparkplug but come off much easier. Idk of any way to make the magnetic ones easier.

[@jibzz4749]

Yeah, had a magnetic socket but I just used a regular one to get it on and the special one to get it off

[@SWSpeedCo]

That works too haha

[@helbertdannymoscosotorres9337]

excelente video .. muy buen aporte

[@YumYumGetchaSum]

Thank you!

[@mrpsd590]

Easily a 45 min job. In and out

[@kennyomega6795]

thanks bro! nice and easy!

[@Fatboy53]

Thanks

[@danielzamudio2568]

Thank you very much!

[@flickedoff]

Thank you!!!

[@seuksavanhvongsipraseuth5153]

Good tips!

[@joannasalvatori7862]

Your gas was dirty so you said.After filling up with new gas ,it worked better.

[@SWSpeedCo]

I think that may have been a coincidence. It ended up being ringland failure.

[@richardhahn6178]

Thanks for the information

[@df4630]

soooo....many.....ads....

[@daubinks]

carbon on the valves kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2W4mYKbjr6Ld6M

[@SWSpeedCo]

Lol, pretty much sums up owning a subaru

[@timelessbynoratang9642]

Liked. But this looks like a pain.. lol

[@SWSpeedCo]

It's not too bad with the correct tools

[@ianelmquist8642]

Thank you brother 🙏

[@comrades73]

wonder if they are same engine with 2019 outback ... thanks

[@SWSpeedCo]

I dont think it is exactly the same, but similar. If it has sohc it should be even easier but I'm not to sure exactly how the 2019's are laid out.

[@whome5810]

Thanks dude!