O Dogg

1. I know that this is a costly maintenance item, 16 plugs/wires, etc. Is there anyway to minimize this expense?

2. I've heard that the MAF needs to be removed to change plugs. I;ve also heard that this is a fickle piece of equipment...meaning that it can be the source of error codes if it is mishandled or, even, simply removed. Can someone verify this?

Thanks

55fanatic

you dont need to remove it, I did the plugs and wires on my 55 with out removing it.

take out the airbox though, thats gonna be impossible to do plugs without removing it.

And I would not try and cheap out on a set of plugs and wires, your dealing with the internals of your engine...

RobertG

The reason you might want to remove the Maf is to gain more room for your hands so you can work on removing the plugs( you dont have to but it's recomended).If you replaced spark plugs on other vehicles then you can do it on your Benz too.Take your time and relax.
The engine should be cold so you dont burn your hands and so you dont damage the spark plug threads in the head.
You can remove the Maf and the ignition coils to gain more room for your hands.
Always disconnect Maf and coil's connections with the key off.
If you disconnect these connections with the key on you will wind up with trouble codes and a check engine light.
Handle the Maf like if it was made out of glass ,so no bounce testing it ok

fizzle

what plugs do you recommend for a ml320? or any ml for that matter? i have to get 12....