For all others, the reason gto4sun is having troubles with the forward plugs is because the firewall is very close to the front head and there is not enough room to get the required socket/extension/ratchet assembly down the plug well.
This is what works for me:
After removing the wire, blow some compressed air down the hole to remove any debris. If you don't have a compressor, a length of tubing and lung power should do the trick. Take a 3/8" drive spark plug socket that fits down the plug well easily (I had to grind a bit off the outside of my socket) and remove the rubber insulator protector inside the socket. Drop the socket down the hole over the plug. Take a 3" extension and put that down the hole and onto the socket. The top of the extension is just sticking up over the valve cover. Put your ratchet on that and loosen the plug. When the plug is completely unthreaded, remove the ratchet. Now the tricky part - pull the extension out with one hand and grab the socket with the other hand. Remove the extension and then remove the socket. The plug is still in the well. I use a magnet to fish that out.
To reinstall, take a 6" piece of 3/8" fuel hose and put it over the spark plug insulator. Insert this into the spark plug well and use the hose to start the plug. Pull the hose out and drop the socket down the hole, add the extension and then the ratchet. Tighten the plug then remove the ratchet, then the extension and socket as above. The reason I said to remove the rubber socket insert earlier is because when the plug is tight, the rubber insert grips enough that you have to remove the plug to get your socket back (trust me on that one!). I would recommend keeping this socket in the trunk of the car and buying another one to use on the rest of your cars.
Good luck!!
This is what works for me:
After removing the wire, blow some compressed air down the hole to remove any debris. If you don't have a compressor, a length of tubing and lung power should do the trick. Take a 3/8" drive spark plug socket that fits down the plug well easily (I had to grind a bit off the outside of my socket) and remove the rubber insulator protector inside the socket. Drop the socket down the hole over the plug. Take a 3" extension and put that down the hole and onto the socket. The top of the extension is just sticking up over the valve cover. Put your ratchet on that and loosen the plug. When the plug is completely unthreaded, remove the ratchet. Now the tricky part - pull the extension out with one hand and grab the socket with the other hand. Remove the extension and then remove the socket. The plug is still in the well. I use a magnet to fish that out.
To reinstall, take a 6" piece of 3/8" fuel hose and put it over the spark plug insulator. Insert this into the spark plug well and use the hose to start the plug. Pull the hose out and drop the socket down the hole, add the extension and then the ratchet. Tighten the plug then remove the ratchet, then the extension and socket as above. The reason I said to remove the rubber socket insert earlier is because when the plug is tight, the rubber insert grips enough that you have to remove the plug to get your socket back (trust me on that one!). I would recommend keeping this socket in the trunk of the car and buying another one to use on the rest of your cars.
Good luck!!
