Dave Wellings - Roadster S1 Spark Plug Inspection

I've been putting this job off....................

On the S1 Roadster, the three nearside plugs are under the air filter box, and easy to get at.........…

The three offside plugs are under the inlet manifold, which must be moved out of the way for access.

I've had my Roadster for ten years now, and on the basis that modern plugs last 30-60,000 miles, I didn't worry too much.

A couple of weeks ago at BHM I asked Keith what his view was on this. He prefers to take them out for an inspection, in order to know that they will come out...........

Sometimes on Plus 4's with exposed plugs, the corrosion can make the plugs very hard to remove, and may in really bad cases, require the head off and an insert fitted.

So that's the background to this job, at 20,004 miles......

This is the nearside with the air filter removed, and the inlet manifold visible at the top. Three of the inlet manifold fasteners are visible just above the coolant pipe.



This is looking directly down the first plug hole, with the plug visible. It was surprisingly clean inside.



It's a long way down and this is a long socket extension.

I secured the socket to the extension using electrical tape. 

The last thing you need is to lose the socket down that hole.

The first plug as it came out. Surprisingly clean.



Number two.



Number three.

The inlet manifiold is secured by six long setscrews, and two short ones. 

Looking down on the engine from the offside, this is where they are located. 

The one extreme left is buried at the rear of the engine and initially caught me out.

I disconnected a couple of breather pipes (top left) and was able to lift the manifold just enough......….

Continued....................>>

This side needed a slightly shorter socket extension. Access is tight.

Plug number four (blurred image!!)



Five.



Six.

I cleaned the plugs, but left the gap well alone. I made sure that the threads were clean and refitted with a smear of coppaslip.

I also smeared Coppaslip on the manifold setscrews. 

Keith advised me that the manifold gasket is usually OK to re-use. 

If you wanted to change the gasket you may have to liberate the inlet manifold some more to get enough room to change it.

The plug caps come off with a sharpish tug, and relocate with a muffled "pop".

And that was it. An afternoon's work, and the Roadster fired up straight away as usual...….

The original plugs are now rare, and you are likely to get the AGSF32 plug which is hotter, but recommended for the 2.5V6 Fords.

Search the ST220 forum for chapter and verse.

However the NGK equivalent (not sure if this is equivalent to the 22 or the 32), is PTR6F-13. 

That's what I'll probably go for when I change.

…………………………………………….

Comment from TM Member - I have just placed an eBay order: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290238629046 

Details:

The order contains the following items: 

NGK_7569_SB - Ford Mondeo 3.0 v6 ST220 NGK PLATINUM SPARK PLUGS x6

Shipping
Total cost is GBP 29.99 + shipping 4.45. This seems ok to me but the NGK part number is completely different from the NGK part number you suggested above..

I fitted NGK Iridium ITR6F13 to my S1 at 40k miles and was amazed at how good the previous set looked when removed, clean as a whistle, and minimal gap increase of perhaps just a couple of thou

I've always been a fan of NGK plugs, never had quality issues

https://www.sparkplugs.co.uk/ngk-spark-plug-ptr6f-13

Its the same...…