I tried to change the spark plugs today on my 2006 Fabia mk1 1.2 12v (BME) but couldn't for the life of me remove the friggin ignition coils! Can anyone give me any tips? I know it shouldn't be that hard but for some reason they dont come up.

 

Thanks

They are a very tight fit, try wiggling and twisting slightly as you pull them.

Lever them up using 2 broad flat screwdrivers on opposite sides of the coil top simultaneously. Once enough is up, grab it and pull out by hand.

I'll add in, just in case you are not thinking straight - "insert the screwdrivers as close to the centre line of the spark plug as possible" so as not to cause any damage.

 

Edit:- there was someone on another Fabia/Polo/Ibiza motoring forum that reported having trouble getting the coils up, he had the correct style of coil extractor but ended up removing the handle and fabricating a puller/presser plate to bolt the tool claw to and had a couple of jacking bolts to act down onto the cylinder head to get lots of extra pulling force!  That worked but left the shroud with rubber still down on the plug - but that was easily yanked out with pliers - they should never get that difficult to remove, though changing plugs every 4 years probably stops these parts getting stuck together.

Edited 8 April, 20197 yr by rum4mo

Thanks for the replies guys much appreciated. Im just want to confirm, am i okay to remove the ignition coils like this guy on a AZQ polo in this video? Im guessing its the same setup as my BME engine.

 

Thanks again

  

 

  

I have the exact same engine and used this video in February of this year as a guide to change my plugs and everything went to plan.

 

I am an amateur on mechanical things but wanted to change the plugs myself, so using the video as a guide really helped. Just lever them up gently and you will feel them free themselves, just be gentle but firm.

 

Martin

Well the YouTube bloke certainly made it very complicated by unnecessarily stripping down the top end electrics of the engine. Plenty of unplugging connectors, unscrewing connections, trays etc

 

No need for all that 

 

Just carefully lever up the coilpak using two screwdrivers a few mm at a time and when high enough, pull it out.

3 hours ago, xman said:

Well the YouTube bloke certainly made it very complicated by unnecessarily stripping down the top end electrics of the engine. Plenty of unplugging connectors, unscrewing connections, trays etc

 

No need for all that 

 

Just carefully lever up the coilpak using two screwdrivers a few mm at a time and when high enough, pull it out.

 

I haven't tried it 'youtube bloke's' way, but I plan to next time I have a look.  I'm not sure his way is much more complicated. 

In my experience the wiring to the individual coilpacks is too tight to completely remove them with loom still connected, unless you defeat the awkward plastic clips that pin the loom down in two or three places. One could prize them up a little and then disconnect each individual coil connector instead of freeing the loom, but then there's always the chance of breaking the latches off.  One in particular of the loom clips is always a right pain, I forget which one.

 

I use a homemade puller tool, but I reckon this youtube method might actually be easier.  (Certainly if the puller isn't in the car that I'm driving at the time of need). Will feed back when I've tried it.

 

I've got a set of coil pullers, but as you say Wino, these nasty cable management clips live very dangerously - still just as nasty on my daughter's later 2009 Ibiza. My original method of easing them up was to use 2 smallish longish screwdrivers but that relied on the cable management plastic tolerating being slightly abused by these 2 screwdrivers pressing down on them.

 

Anyone look at his idea for replacing the rear brake shoes, I've always had what I considered to be a healthy respect for brake pipes and only ever removed them if they either needed replacing or a cylinder/calliper needed replacing, although maybe the level of corrosion I've been used to finding is due to my Northern location (road salt and lots of it).

Thanks for the help guys. I've ordered some pullers (hopefully their the right size) if not i will defo be trying the 'youtube blokes' way.

17 hours ago, mealmond said:

I have the exact same engine and used this video in February of this year as a guide to change my plugs and everything went to plan.

 

I am an amateur on mechanical things but wanted to change the plugs myself, so using the video as a guide really helped. Just lever them up gently and you will feel them free themselves, just be gentle but firm.

 

Martin

 

Cheers for the help mate. Do you have a BME or AZQ engine?

Hi

Same engine and same year.

The video was really helpful, I was not aware of any other way of doing the plugs, so followed the video and it worked for me.

 

All the coil packs came out as one, just put gently to one side as the wires are still connected, and then change the plugs.

 

I even did it outside of Halfords incase I needed any bits or ran into trouble but it was fine and did not take long. Even remembered to use copper grease as advised.

 

I've not changed plugs on a car since the days of dizzy packs and rotor arms and the coil packs were but something I had dealt with before.

 

Martin

Edited 10 April, 20197 yr by mealmond

Copper grease was the bit of that vid which I didn't like the look of, now that you remind me.

I skim-watched it with the sound off, will have another look later.

 

Cleaning any grit out of the bottom of the plug wells is quite a good idea, but will need ingenuity with a custom/DIY vacuum cleaner nozzle.

The 6-valve engines are much worse for grit though, as their plugs/recesses are much more exposed, being on the front of the head.

It was how far down the threads and round about the electrodes that concerned me, I've always agitated the area at the base of the spark plug holes counter bores with a long slim screwdriver then either blasted them with a air duster of vac'd them out before removing plugs.

It's not so good with the sound on TBH.

The 'knock sensor' that he disconnects is the cam sensor, and the 'coolant temperature sensor' that he disconnects must be the oil pressure switch judging by where his hand went.

 

No need for any copper grease on spark plugs or the rubber seal of the TB connection. If spark plugs are difficult to remove, the reason tends to be that the last installation failed to seal, and let combustion gases leak up the threads and out; likely due to grit on the sealing face of the head causing the plug washer to not bed down properly. Adding copper grease won't solve this if the grit is still there.

 

 

I forgot about the TB rubber getting copper greased as well!  Now here's a thing, after being very generous with lubrication on that engine job, he made it clear, on his next you tube video on replacing rear shoes, that no lubrication was used/needed at all I can see where he was coming form wrt braking systems as lubrication can and will end up with brake dust etc building up where it is best for it not to, but in my mind needs must so brake dust will stick more than it should but in general the mechanism remains free to move - so nothing that a 24 monthly brake service can't put right.

 

Lubricating plug threads on engines with an alloy head, or even an iron head does seem to be a yes/no activity, I agree that just whacking on a minimal layer of copper grease without first making sure that the threads in the head are clean, is not the best idea - I did once convert an old spark plug into a plug hole cleaning tool by cutting maybe 4 vertical slots in it, but I don't remember ever needing to use it, certainly with plugs that use a washer, making sure that the top sealing surface is clean and clear of debris is the best plan. On that note, the new plugs that I have bought for my wife's 2015 1.2TSI Polo have a flat thick copper sealing washer - and a changed design of top contact which is probably more suitable for use with COPs.

Interesting to know about the copper grease, I only put a little on the thread of the plug, will look at this again the next time I change the plugs.

 

I suppose not knowing another way to change the plugs this seemed ok.

 

It's running ok anyway.

 

 

Martin

24 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

certainly with plugs that use a washer

 

Is there a type that doesn't? How do they seal?

Taper seats, a bit nasty and prone to snapping off in some people's hands it seemed!  Certainly the old iron 1.1 and 1.3 OHV engines that Ford fitted to Fiestas and Escorts had taper plugs and so no sealing washer, I never ever had any trouble over the time my wife had a couple of them, but I heard that some people did, and certainly an old neighbour needed to get his maybe a Hyundai (1980ish time) dragged out of his garage and onto a flatbed for taking back to the dealer for rectification after he attempted to replace the plugs.

Blimey this is all getting a bit 'nit picky', I agree that copper grease is not required on spark plug threads, never was, never will be.

Unlike the lambda probe which will always seize no matter how much you slather on!

13 hours ago, rum4mo said:

Anyone look at his idea for replacing the rear brake shoes, I've always had what I considered to be a healthy respect for brake pipes and only ever removed them if they either needed replacing or a cylinder/calliper needed replacing, although maybe the level of corrosion I've been used to finding is due to my Northern location (road salt and lots of it).

 

I watched that. He said that it's best to bleed the rear brakes after changing the shoes even if you haven't opened the hydraulic system, which is utter rubbish.

Edited 10 April, 20197 yr by TMB

Hmmm......

 

Copper / aluminium alloy head with some added moisture can lead to severe electrolytic corrosion, pitted seats/threads.

 

Grease means using dry torque setting could lead to gross over tightening and pulled threads in the head.

 

Grease, even with copper dust is basically an electrical insulator, spark plug threads are part of an electrical circuit.

 

Grease interferes with thermal transfer, so does incorrectly tightened plugs, so can lead to overheating plugs.

 

Plugs are snug fit threads so excess grease will be squeezed into the combustion chamber end and/or up around the seat.

 

 

 

 

Just now, xman said:

Hmmm......

 

Copper / aluminium alloy head with some added moisture can lead to severe electrolytic corrosion, pitted seats/threads.

 

Grease means using dry torque setting could lead to gross over tightening and pulled threads in the head.

 

Grease, even with copper dust is basically an electrical insulator, spark plug threads are part of an electrical circuit.

 

Grease interferes with thermal transfer, so does incorrectly tightened plugs, so can lead to overheating plugs.

 

Plugs are snug fit threads so excess grease will be squeezed into the combustion chamber end and/or up around the seat.

 

 

 

 

 

I agree. Copper grease on plug threads is completely unnecessary.

The method of tightening shown in the video (hand tight plus 90° angle) shouldn't cause the plugs to be overtightened, even if copper grease has been added unnecessarily.  OK hand tight might be a teeny bit tighter than otherwise, but not enough to strip anything.  If a torque wrench was being used things might be different and worse.

@mealmond The copper grease you've applied will not cause any problems, it just won't have helped anything. Just in case you were worried by all the negative comments about it.

 

Thanks Wino, I suppose there is not I can do now other than change the plugs again, but I have read further on it and it seems some people do use copper grease, some don't, so I will leave it as it is and I won't use it next time.

 

Martin