E320User

As my car is reaching 100k miles I am planning to replace the spark plugs and wires. A mechanic that looked at it said it would cost 1400$'s so I figured I'd do it myself instead and save the money.
I found the DIY on here and before I undertake this task I was wondering if there was anything I should know about (advice), how many wires I might need (12?) to buy and how many spark plugs (12?)?

Thanks in advance guys!

ohlord

you don't need new wires. Your plugs are over 5 years past due.
You do need the 17mm special boot removal tool to make the job easier and faster and not ruin perfectly good wires.
You could do the whole job for under $125 Cn. And takes even a novice only a few hours on a Sat morning. Don't use anti seize on the plugs.

E320User

Ah I forgot to say the mechanic said that my wires were cracking which is why he suggested I get new ones, are they still okay?

Musikmann

$1400? Sounds like a dealer price quote. Look at them yourself to be sure and if they really are cracked then I would replace them. As mentioned, plugs are due at 5 years, or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. I stretched my plugs to 8 years and 80,000 because I didn't know any better. I think I could have gone past that because the car was running perfectly.

01BlackE320

i did mine at 8 yrs and 100k miles. Car ran perfect before and after. Old plugs didnt even look that bad. Plugs cost about $5 each (x 12) and I think the wrench for the wires was about $15. Total cost $75 and about 2hrs work. I had no problems. 30k miles later still running perfect and getting close to 29 mpg on the highway.

E320User

Yeah my fuel mileage is at 19 mpg city which is a little low right now but other than that the car runs perfectly fine. I'll check over the wires and buy the spark plugs later today

Update: Just looked at the wires, they aren't even cracked... They look perfectly fine, that damn mechanic was trying to take me for a spin and probably wanted me to buy the wires just in case he broke the old ones while putting in the spark plugs. They also cracked my engine cover

01BlackE320

You can use ngk 7090 plugs or bosch 7422. If your going to a parts store the NGKs are probably more readily available and actually theyre less expensive. I bought my Bosch plugs online. Mechanics always try to sell you wires

Efivehundred

Why shouldn't anti seize be used on the plugs?

ohlord

have coatings(metal dry) that stop seizing of the plug and don't mess up torque readings or the possibility of shorting a plug that gets anti seize on the electrode.
Plugs bosch,ngk,denso etc even have instructions on the box use no anti seize.

Efivehundred

Thanks for the info.

E2233

I had recent service on my 2000 E320 with 90,000 miles. I looked at all my old invoices and I could not find where the spark plugs were previously changed. The MB shop said there were the wrong size plugs in the engine.

I found out that each cylinder take two spark plugs. Twelve spark plugs for a six cylinder engine. He replaced the spark plugs with a used set for free. The new one he ordered were lost in the inventory. I had to wait a few days for the repair. The shop only works on MB and he was a little behind.

The shop replaced two breather hoses, valve cover gasket right, twelve spark plugs and one air filter. Total parts $217.50 and labor $475.00.

PelicanParts.com

Here is a diy for changing your spark plugs.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti..._and_Coils.htm

whunter@pelicanparts.com

.

livetodrive

I had been waiting to reach 100k miles to change the plugs, but considering they're now 12 years old, and I'm only 7k short of the mileage, and ohlord's recommendation, I've decided to replace them. Hopefully they'll come right out.

Questions:
- Is the procedure for spark plug replacement for the E-430 similar to that of the E-320, or are there other issues to watch out for?
- Is there a part number for the 17 mm special boot tool? My MB parts guy didn't know of it right off the bat, but he said he'd call.

Thanks

Tacjam

Get some of these wires, I've been running them on My E55 for 3 years, better than OEM and cheaper to boot!!! You can do the entire job for under $200

http://www.alamomotorsports.com/Magn..._mercedes.html

livetodrive

After 12 years and 94,000 miles on my 2001 E430 4-Matic, my son-in-law and I replaced the plugs and wires today (well, he did most of them!). The manual specifies Bosch F 8 DPER plugs. I bought FR 8 DPP33+ plugs from Amazon.com, which according to the Bosch website are the current replacements. The original plugs and wires that I removed were labeled Bosch. I also bought Bosch replacement wires from Amazon, which were identical to the originals. The box had several different wire lengths to match those in the car, all marked. To help us along, I followed the forum's advice and bought the boot puller and swivel spark plug socket. Everything went smoothly and none of the plugs were seized. I'm glad I bought the wires, as the outer corrugated plastic sleeves were beginning to detach at the ends.

If you don't replace the wires, don't detach them from the coil packs, as one of the wires separated when my son-in-law removed it from the coil pack.

I discovered the issue with the coil pack bolt size. Given the inconsistencies in the forums, I bought 5-Point Tamperproof T27 and T30 sockets at PEP Boys. Although the packages state T27 and T30, the sockets are stamped TS27 and TS30. The TS30 was too big, and the TS27 managed to get one bolt off, but it was clearly the wrong socket. I looked around in my work bench drawer and found a six-point T30 socket, which fit like a glove. So that's what is needed - a six-point T30 socket.

Keeping in mind this is an E430 4-Matic, when the car was new the best highway mileage I got was about 23.5 mpg. Lately I've managed 21.5 mpg. We'll see if the new plugs restore or improve the performance. The old plugs didn't look too bad.

All told, it took about three hours. Next up, replacing the anti-freeze.

J spaulding

I replaced my E430 plugs and wires for about $300. I wanted the engine to look as original as possible so I bought wires from Kingsborne Wire Werks in San Marcos, CA (Kingsborne.com). They use the original Bosch spark plug connectors but with their own cable. Pricing was $203 for the 08-550 set which is for the twin spark plug 113 engines. I thought that I could wip out 16 plugs and wires in an hour but 3 hours and 20 minutes later I was just finishing up. One of the secrets is to unscrew the mounting screw for each coil, and release the small primary wire harness on the coil and then remove its two plug connectors off the spark plugs (not as easy as it looks but just pull hard. Then you have to pull out the wires from the coil, also not as easy as it looks-just pull. This was a great learning experience and of course I could do it again in 45 minutes.