How do you change spark plugs on a for econoline van?

Answer 1

This is how you change the plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor on a 1990 Ford Econoline Van with a 350, V-8, 5.8 liter engine.

First of all, you should be warned that this is a very difficult task, even for an experienced shade tree mechanic like myself. The reason why it is so difficult is because of spark plugs 1 and 2 on the passenger side of the engine. They are very difficult to access. However, I am living proof that it is possible to change the plugs and wires yourself and save a few hundred dollars! In fact, I finished about an hour ago and am enjoying a cold Miller, trying to ignore my cut and bruised hands.

If you dare attempt this task, and if you have reasonable mechanical skills, it should take you about six to ten hours to complete--allowing cool down time for walks and rethinking of the various problems you'll encounter. Hopefully, though, if I explain things well enough, I'll save you a measure of time and frustration.

You'll need the following tools. Most are conventional, but a few might make you scratch your head:

5/8 spark pluck socket

spark plug pliers

3/4 socket wrench (regular)

3/4 socket wrench (with adjustable head)

3/4 socket universal joint

3/4 by 3 in. socket extender

long, 10 - 12 in need nose pliers

2 foot crowbar

leather gloves

six-pack of Miller in the fridge

The first thing you'll want to do is remove the plastic cowl on the inside of the van in order to access the engine compartment. The cowl is attached with a clip on each side as well as by two 1/2 in floor bolts. After you wrestle that thing out, you will gain access to the engine chamber. It is also helpful to open the hood, since it will let in a bit of useful light.

Next, it is time to change the spark plug wires. Work on the driver's side first. It is quite easy to remove the spark plug wire boots with a spark plug plier on the driver's side. (These can be purchased at any auto parts store for about ten bucks.) The plugs on the driver's side correspond to the following cylinders (closest to you and moving away): 8 - 7 - 6 - 5. The spark plug gap is about .44. You can remove the spark plugs with a 5/8 spark plug socket, the adjustable head wrench, and the 2 in. extender. Replace each plug as you remove them to avoid foreign matter falling into the combustion chamber. This task will take about thirty minutes to an hour. Most of the work can be accomplished by working on your knees on the running board on the driver's side or by reaching in under the steering wheel. All of this bending and contorting will limber you up for the next, more difficult task.

It is not very fun to remove the spark wire boots on the passenger side of the engine. The cylinders (closest to you and moving away) are 4 - 3- 2 -1. Cylinders 2 and especially 1 are very troublesome, though I have a few tips I'll share as we go move along.

Remove plug boots and plugs for cylinders 4 and 3--just like you did on the driver's side. All should go smoothly.

You will discover, though, that it won't be possible to use the spark plug wire puller on plug 2. There not enough room for you to get at it, and your hands will likely not be strong enough to pull it off. I used a pair of long needle-nose pliers to wrestle the wire boot off. No, this is a time of ultimate commitment, for the wire will likely be damaged as you take it off, thus not allowing you to drive the vehicle to a mechanic. I was able to successfully remove the spark plug wire boot, but it took me about an hour with much cursing to do so. I also cracked the plug using the ratchet wrench and the universal joint and extender, but that was not big deal since I was removing the plug anyway. Inserting the new plug was not nearly very difficult. As with this entire process, getting the spark plug wire boot off and the plug our are the tricky parts.

If you are able to install spark plug 2, consider stopping and bringing your Econoline to a mechanic to the complete the job. Spark plug 1 (the farthest away from you) separates not only the men from the boys, but the crazy from the insane, for you will have to be slightly crazy to attempt this task. I was, and succeeded, but just be aware of what you are getting into.

By now you have realized there is very little space and no way to get leverage for spark plug 1. If you have a large hand like mine, you will discover that it barely can fit back there, and you will bruise and confine and perhaps cut your wrist a little bit has you wiggle it back there to locate the angle. You'll also notice you will have to work blind--by sense of feel alone--since you hand will block out any view of the plug wire or plug.

The first problem to tackle is the removal of the spark plug wire boot. There's no way to do it (at first) from inside the van. Your spark plug wires won't do you any good and your hand, from that angle, won't be able to budge the wire boot from the plug. You'll have to remove it using a couple of steps. Here's where the crowbar comes in handy. You have to crawl under the van on the passenger side. Directly under the plug and the plug wire boot, cut into the frame of the vehicle, is a 2 in. circular hole. Peering up through it, you should be able to see the spark plug wire boot for plug 1. Carefully fish your crowbar (hopefully you have one about 2 feet long for a really long one won't do you any good) and begin to pry at the spark plug wire boot. I was not able to pop the boot off completely, but I was able to loosen it a bit from under the van. After you do this for a while, return to the interior of the van and reach in with your hand to access spark plug wire boot 1. After loosening the boot with the crowbar, I was easily able to separate the boot from the plug with my fingers. I felt as if a miracle had taken place when this happened.

With the spark plug wire boot removed, your next task will be to remove the plug itself. This task is equally as difficult as removing the boot, but I have a tip that might save you some time and effort.

As you will notice, there is very little wiggle room by plug 1. There are some a/c pipes, hoses, etc. Still, you will notice that you can slip the 5/8 spark plug socket back there by hand, no problem. The problem is--how to attach the wrench to the socket, since there is no room to do so? The secret is to, prior to inserting the 5/8 socket, remove the small rubber plug gasket from inside the 5/8 socket. The rubber gasket helps hold a spark plug in place when you are screwing it into its home. It keeps the plug from falling out. But it also take up about 1/2 in. of space. With the rubber gasket removed (with a pair of needlenose pliers), you will gain the room you need to first insert the 5/8 socket and then attach the wrench to the socket. With both in place, you should be able to loosen the spark plug enough to remove it completely by hand.

You will then have to install the new plug. This, too, you'll have to do "blind," but it is not nearly as tough as removing that pesky spark plug wire boot. Insert the 1 plug by hand and screw it in as far as you can. Then, fit the 5/8 spark plug socket without the rubber insert over the plug. Attach the wrench to the plug and tighten. Hopefully, you were able to screw the plug in by hand almost to the point of tighness and only need to use the wrench to secure it snugly.

*

If you decided to change the plugs, then you also probably decided to change the cap, rotor, and wires. There are only two fairly problematic steps, and the rest are fairly straight forward. The first problematic step is to seat the new spark plug wire boot to spark plug 1 and the last and most frustrating is how to reclip the distributor cap in place.

But let us begin. . .

First of all, I like to remove the old distributor cap with all the old spark plug wires attached to it. To do this, use a long flat head screw driver to pop the clips. This is fairly easy to do. To return the clips into place is a million times harder and will test your patience.

With the distributor cap free, locate all the little clips that secrue the old spark plug wires to each other and to the engine, itself. Most of them can be removed using a flathead screwdriver to "cam" or pry them open. Then, carefully pull the cap with the wires out of the engine area. You can't really yank the thing out by force, for the passenger-side wires need to wiggle through a virtually inaccessible space. If you get hung up, a clip that holds the wires next to each other probably needs to be removed. Eventually, you'll remove what looks like an octopus--the distributor cap with the 8 spark plug wires and the ignition coil wire.

Set that beast aside and reach in and gently remove the rotor. It comes out very easily--wa-la. Put the new rotor in. It slides right onto the distributor--no problem.

At this point, you should install the new distributor cap. Take careful note of the Number 1 imprited upon the cap. (Compare the new distributor cap to the old distributor cap. They should look virtually identical.) The 1 on the cap is wear spark plug wire 1 should go.

You should now attempt to clip the new cap to the distributor. The driver's side clip is relatively easy to clip. The passenger side clip is almost impossible to access. Be forewarned, it took me two hours to figure out how to clip the passenger side clip and I almost gave up or put a bullet in my head--I was so frustrated. I basically became a van contortionist, trying any way possible to gain some leverage so that my already weakened hands to put enough pressure on the clip to pop it into place. When I finally succeeded, I was shocked, and I cannot exactly remember how I did it, since I tried so many different angles. I believe I wrapped my left hand all the way around the distributor cap as i around a big can--but with my thumb down instead of up--in a sort of reverse grip. In this way, I was able to use my left thumb--sliding from the bottom of the clip upward, and it clicked right on as if it was all no big deal, the simplest thing to do in the world. With the driver's side clip secured, I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But it was a rather dim light. . . At least at first.

Now, there are probably many techniques when it comes to placing the new spark plug wires upon the distributor cap in the right order so as not to wreck your engine when you start it up. I look at the old cap, taking careful note of the 1 imprint on the cap. I also remember that the order proceeds like this:

Driver's side cylinders, nearest to you: 8 - 7 - 6 - 5

Passenger side cylinders, nearest to you: 4 - 3 - 2 - 1

My old wires were numbered, so that made it easy for me to restore the sequence. If yours don't have the cylinder numbers on them, then refer to your (next to useless for this job) repair book. It will give you the proper fireing order.

Restore the driver's side spark plug wires first. This is a nice break after all the hell of the distributor cap and plugs 2 and 1. When you finish, you know you are halfway there. Then, move over to the passenger side.

It is probably best to tackle spark plug 1. With your hand, try to secure the spark plug wire boot as best you can to the plug. You will note that you won't be able to get much leverage. Next, with your crowbar, creep under the van. If you look carefully, you will see way up there the new spark plug wire boot. Using the crowbar, gently (and the a bit more firmly) press the boot closer to the plug. I was able to perfectly seat the boot to the plug in this manner and eaven heard a satisfying "click" when the spark plug boot seated properly. After doing that, fish the new spark plug wire up toward the distributor cap. I do this by inserting a firm wire (Romex) down through and then tape the new spark plug wire to the firm wire and pull it through. Secure the spark plug wire to the distributor cap.

You should be able to seat spark plug wire 2 by hand, though it is a bit tight. Be certain you seat it all the way--which is tough to do--and hopefully you will hear or feel a "click" when the plug seats. Again, fish the new wire through the engine space and secure it to the correct place on the distributor cap.

Spark plug wires 3 and 4 are "normal"--a nice relief after all the insane work of installing 1 and 2. You should have free access to plugs 3 and 4. Then (you are almost there), install the ingition coil wire. Try to replace as many of the spark plug wire organizing clips as you can to keep the wires from flopping around while you drive--away from the intense engine heat. Make a final check to make sure the spark plug wire boots are secture and that the distributor cap clips are secured.

Finally, get your key and turn it. The engine should fire right up--much smoother and quieter than before. Let it run for about ten minutes, listening carefully. If the engine is running rough, a spark plug wire boot might not be securely in place or the spark plug wires on the distributor cap might be loose. Turn off the engine and let it cool prior to checking the connections.

If all seems ok and the engine is running smoothely, return the engine compartment cover to its proper place--careful not to tear your seats or scratch the dashboard too badly. Take the van for a spin. You should enjoy a quieter rides, smoother acceleration, less engine vibration, and better gas mileage.

I hope these instructions helped. I had the wonderful opportunity of completing this task twice--since the dupes at Auto Zone sold me the wrong size wires for an Econoline 150 instead of 250. You might be wise to double-check the wires at the autopart store, too. . .

I'm going to fire the van up in the driveway--completely shattered by my day-long ordeal, and sip a beer. (No drinking and driving. Just drinking in the driveway!) My hands are a little black and blue, but I bask in the fact that I learned how to do something new (that I never want to do again) and saved a bundle of money.

Good luck with your van! It is possible to do this job--with the right sized hands, the right tools, patience, and true grit.

Scott

Scott,

I really appreciate the good info in your answer. I just finished doing the plugs in my 1988 E150. However, after reading your post and starting the job, I discovered an easier way to get at the "hardest" plug. There is an access gap in the wheel well area. Its almost a straight shot from the plug to the gap. Removing the old plug was a breeze. Installing the new one looked easy and felt easy but for some reason I had some trouble getting the treads to line up (even easier if you remove the tire first).

I also "invented" a way to remove stubborn plug wires. I take some nylon chord and tie a loop around the wire. Then slid the loop down until it hooks around the bottom of the wire. Next you can pull or pry on the loop with whatever works to pry the wire off. The wire is undamaged.

John