Anybody know where all 6 spark plugs are located at? Pics would be helpful. thanks.

 

ht, the plugs are burried into the center of the engine. To access them, you need to look at the center of the valve covers. You will notice 3 black cylinders evenly spaced across the valve cover. You undo the bolt holding the cylinder in place (this is the coil for that plug) and then down inside of the hole is the plug. The side nearest the front bumper is the easy side to access as all you have to do is remove the air box and you have access to all 3. The back 3 (nearest the firewall), you need to lift the intake off of the motor (splits in half after removing 8 bolts), then you can access the back 3. Probably take you about 2 hours to do a plug change. Not a tough job, just don't drop anything down the ports once they are opened up. Then you are into a long and expensive fix. Push a rag into the openings while the intake is off. Remove the rags just prior to putting everything back together.

 

I figured it all out, up until one of the spark plugs was cracked and when I lifted it off, I think a chunk of it went down the hole..... This is by far the dumbest spark plugs I've ever changed.

So what now? What can I do with a piece of spark plug went into the hole?

 

You can try a magnet, some grease on the end of some flexible wire, or a small grapple that you could pick up at an auto parts store.

 

HT, you have a few options. You can try a metal rod bent slightly with some tape on the end. You can also try some of the finger grabbers and seeing if you can get the piece that way. You could also take a piece of rubber hosing and temporarily tape it to the hose of your vacuum hose, then you can stick the other end into the cylinder and let the vacuum suck up the piece or atleast hold it until you can pull it out.

If you need more ideas, let me know and I will see what I can come up with. Those are 3 of the more common methods of getting something like that out.

 

The vacuum method is brilliant...A shop-vac would do really well.

 

I had a really strong vacuum and I had this plastic thing and pushed it down into the hole few times and got nothing out. I'm not sure if I really dropped anything in there now.... I'm over thinking **** and I've spent half a day on this thing. Took a part half of the engine lol ggggggggrrrrrrrrr

 

HT, before going too much further, see if your local auto parts store has a boroscope. That will allow you to look down into the cylinder and see if anything is there. If you don't see anything, then nothing is there. Essentially the boroscope is a fiber optic viewing device that the end you stick in the engine has a small light on and then the other end has a viewing screen. You watch the screen as you move the end of the boroscope around. Once you see it, it will make sense. I would thing that they would have something like that.

 

Another great piece advice from Thermo...I would certainly explore all the options if I had second doubts..the renting of the instrument he spoke of, has to be cheaper than a ruined cylinder head.

 

Yeah I haven't done much, I work till 5pm by the time I get home it's pitch black dark. But I will look into it today and see if I can rent that thing.

 

Im planning on changing my plugs this weekend and need some help in figuring out where to purchase the parts from (Set (6) upper intake manifold gaskets. One throttle body gasket)? I know the dealer is an option, but its a little out of the way. Just wondering if i would be able to get these somewhere else. Also, i know there is a debate about which type of plug to use, but does anyone have an opinion on brand/type they would recommend? Thanks in advance.

 

04XType, as for the manifold gaskets and throttle body gaskets, the ones that are installed in your car are designed to be reused. So, you don't have to replace them. But, if it makes you feel more confident in your car, then by all means replace them. I think the local auto parts stores will carry the gaskets. If not, talk to "Ken@britishparts.com". Send an e-mail to his name and he will take care of you and get you what you need. You can also use http://www.jaguarparts.com. I have used them and had great service with them. They are a Jag dealership out of Cleveland Ohio.

As for plugs, you don't need to go fancy. Really, going with the fancy plugs is only making your wallet lighter. With that being said, you want to stick with a good quality double platinum plug. This will keep your plug change intervals at 70K miles. If you go with a standard plug, you will be replacing the plugs in 20-25K miles. After doing the plugs, you will understand why they call for the double platinums. Not hard, just a lot of stuff to remove and get out of the way. When I did mine, I put in Motorcraft plugs. But, if you stick with Bosch, Autolite, etc (ie, big names), you will be fine. Don't worry about the lines like Split Fire or the Bosch +4's or any of the other "multi point spark spark plugs". They won't gain you any power or fuel mileage. I tried the +4's in my truck (97 5.4L engine) and I gained nothing but a lighter wallet. Didn't hurt anything, but didn't help either. I am now back to a double platinum plug.

 

I'll second your thoughts on Jaguarparts.com. They're a great outfit to deal with. They're cheaper than my local dealer on many things even with the shipping charges.

I haven't changed the plugs yet and I'm at 98K...I guess I should be thankful.

 

umbba77, you don't really need to worry about the plugs. I know guys that have pushed the factory plugs out to well over 150K miles with no plug changes. Now, that was in a Ford 5.4L motor, but the 3.0L motor isn't that different from that motor. So, when you get a chance, replace them. I replaced my plugs at 105K miles and they were probably the factory plugs based on the amount of wear on the plugs. So, you are good.

 

04XType, the Jaguar Service Manual recommends plug changes at 100,000 miles, so you're still within the usage range.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. As MattSteele has indicated, im going to hold off on changing until 100K (20K to go).

 

I'm going to hold off till warmer weather. As noted the interval is 100K, but until the car starts to run a little bit off I'm not going to bother. There's no similarity between a 5.4 and the 2.5/3.0 from an engine architecture standpoint, but the theory is good. If it ain't broke don't fix it! Besides, then I have to decide what kind of plugs to use...