'Gotchas' in changing plugs on a 95 S320?
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 10
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95 S320, 1960 190SL (waiting)
'Gotchas' in changing plugs on a 95 S320?
So its spring and time for maintenance, right? Since I don't know when the last time plugs were changed, I decided to do something easy.
...except things are worse now than when I started!
The spark plug cover fought me coming off. 3 of 6 bolts were so tight, it took muscle to get em loose. (I'm pretty sure those 3 holes are now stripped. Yes, I was loosening, not tightening them!)
The spark plugs themselves fought me coming out. It was like someone put em in with an air wrench!
So I get things buttoned back up except the cover won't tighten and now the car feels like its running on 4 of 6 cylinders. Plugs are snug plus an eighth of a turn, not 'air wrenched' on.
Is the cover bolting down the coils *that* important to the well-being of the car?
I don't *think* I messed up the wires to/from the coils when I pulled things. Nothing felt 'off.'
I didn't disconnect either sensor on the crossover tube, I loosened the hose clamps closest to the crossover and just removed it, leaving it connected to the wire/sensor on the driver's side of the engine
...so what went wrong?
Better question: how do I undo my goof?
:ear
I'm pretty sure the car is in 'limp home' mode. I haven't searched yet, but can someone point me to the thread that tells how to re-set that? ...or does the car do it on its own?
M
(how's that for a first thread?)
...except things are worse now than when I started!
The spark plug cover fought me coming off. 3 of 6 bolts were so tight, it took muscle to get em loose. (I'm pretty sure those 3 holes are now stripped. Yes, I was loosening, not tightening them!)
The spark plugs themselves fought me coming out. It was like someone put em in with an air wrench!
So I get things buttoned back up except the cover won't tighten and now the car feels like its running on 4 of 6 cylinders. Plugs are snug plus an eighth of a turn, not 'air wrenched' on.
Is the cover bolting down the coils *that* important to the well-being of the car?
I don't *think* I messed up the wires to/from the coils when I pulled things. Nothing felt 'off.'
I didn't disconnect either sensor on the crossover tube, I loosened the hose clamps closest to the crossover and just removed it, leaving it connected to the wire/sensor on the driver's side of the engine
...so what went wrong?
Better question: how do I undo my goof?
:ear
I'm pretty sure the car is in 'limp home' mode. I haven't searched yet, but can someone point me to the thread that tells how to re-set that? ...or does the car do it on its own?
M
(how's that for a first thread?)
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
95 S320, 1960 190SL (waiting)
Did some diagnosing: One of the coils wasn't firing. Figured it out as I was checking spark plugs. Swapped coils 1 and 3 and the car ran like new(ish) till yesterday when it started acting up again.
I'm not sure if it isn't the engine wiring harness + old coils or just old coils. No, I haven't done the engine wiring harness yet. I'm pretty sure it needs it on top of a bunch of other 'deferred maintenance' from when it sat after Dad passed away.
M
I'm not sure if it isn't the engine wiring harness + old coils or just old coils. No, I haven't done the engine wiring harness yet. I'm pretty sure it needs it on top of a bunch of other 'deferred maintenance' from when it sat after Dad passed away.
M
