I am thinking about changing the plugs at 67k on my 00/EB/4x4/5.4 - everyone seems to suggest removing the fuel rails is the best idea. What's the best proceedure for this and what is involved? I looked at the areas around the cops/plugs and it's pretty crowded in there, especially in the back passenger side. Any ideas or experiences on how to remove the rails would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

After proper prep:

Remove the two holddown bolts for each rail and firmly pry the rail up. Keep track of all your o-rings.

Steve

 

You shouldn't need to remove the fuel rails. With a couple of extensions and swivels you can get the plugs out fairly easily.

 

I just finished changing plugs and two coils today. I knew going in it was would be a bear and I was not disappointed in that regard. You do not need to remove the fuel rails as previously mentioned. You will need the following: (in 1/4 inch drive) a 7mm socket, a 7mm swivel socket, 10" extension, 6" extension, at least one universal joint, two is helpful in places. (in 3/8" drive) 16mm thinwall, deepwell socket (If you can find a special plug socket with the rubber insert, by all means get it), a 3" extension, a universal joint, and 10" extension. You will also need a claw footed, flexible pickup tool for extracting the plugs, picking up dropped sockets and removing and replacing those 7mm bolts holding the coils down. A really long pair of bent nose pliers (Harbor Freight) is helpful to remove plug boots that stay stuck down in the well. I found the thin wall socket a 3" ext and the universal in that order provided just the right length to get down in the well while leaving enough sticking out to thread plugs and attach other extensions as necessary. The coil hold down bolt under the fuel pressure regulator can be removed with the 7mm swivel socket. It will only unscrew about half way before the socket runs up against the FPR but at that point, you can finish unscrewing it with your fingers.

#4 on the rear passenger side starts out as a nightmare. No room, no line of sight, totally blind working conditions. After about two hours of messing around with your hands back in there, something magical happens. Your senses must adapt to working in tight, cramped quarters as suddenly tools find their way onto small bolts, down hidden plug wells and you can look at that area and almost will your tools to go to the right place.

My advice before tackling #4 plug is to do one of the easier ones first. You need to get a "feel" for how the plugs screw back in. The last thing you want, is to cross thread a plug - especially #4. There are not many threads on these plugs so you might think they are not going on correctly at first. Start the plugs by hand using the extension.

Other hints: Take your belt off to prevent the buckle from scratching the fenders. Use a fender cover and an old blanket to cover the battery/fluid reservoir areas. You will sometimes need to climb up in the engine bay to see where things are. I improvised a work table by using a piece of scrap board about 2ft x 3ft and attached a 2ft length of 2x4 to the underside. I put the flat board across the radiator area and used a step ladder to hold up the 2x4. This was really handy due to all the different tools required for this job.

 

AEROCOLORDA, that was an awesome reply; many thanks, I'll go out and get the tools that I don't have to compliment my set and get started. In the past, I've done some repairs like replacing the IAC valve and found that I had to actually sit on a board like you described that went across the engine (basically, I was sitting in the engine bay, leaning over the exposed intake area to get back into the IAC area), so I'll go back to that arrangement. The list of exact tools greatly helped. I guess I'll leave the fuel rails alone. I'm not really sure taking it apart would help either. Thanks again.

 

If you remove the rails, you don't need any of the convoluted tool setups, just yoor standard plug socket, extensions, ratchet, and one standard u-joint.

You also get better visibility...

It can be done either way. It's really your preference. I have large hands so I elected to remove the rails which made things simple for the plugs although I did loose a couple of o-rings into the abyss that I had to replace.

Steve

 

Steve
If I take the fuel rail route---if I don't loose any O Rings---should they be replaced anyway? Assuming I do loose some are these dealer items or can std O Rings work--is the size obvious? Just wondering as I hate to loose some rings in the middle of the job on Sunday when the dealer is closed.

Just wondering how much preplanning and part buying needs to be done if I pull the fuel rails off.

Thanks for the help