
A spark plug socket which should be included with your socket set.You need a few tools to make sure you can get this job done properly so if you don't have everything, make sure you pick it up or this job is not going to work out for you. That should ensure that, going forward, your spark plugs are working fine and you're getting the kind of spark you need to allow your engine to function properly. You just need to make sure you know exactly what you're doing and take your time, changing spark plugs in order one at a time. The second cylinder may take over and start your vehicle, so you have that hesitation and jerky pause before your car gets going.Ĭhanging the spark plugs in your vehicle it's not a very hard task at all. This happens because your combustion reaction isn't happening exactly the way it's supposed to in that cylinder to allow your engine to get started smoothly and run the way you expect it to the moment you turn your key in the ignition. If your vehicle seems to struggle a bit when you're trying to get it started at first, as though it's thinking before it gets started and then it sort of lurches or jerks when it does get going it's possible that the spark plug is the reason for this as well. That translates into more trips to the gas station for you. If the spark isn't occurring at the right time, then your injectors are going to be spraying fuel into the combustion chamber and wasting it because it's not being ignited correctly. If you're finding that you have to head to the gas station more often than usual and your car is actually performing worse than usual, you're having poor acceleration and so on, it's entirely possible that a spark plug is to blame. Because the spark plug causes the spark that produces the combustion reaction allowing your engine to work, if the spark plug is bad, you're going to be experiencing misfires that prevent the combustion reaction from occurring at all. One of the most common symptoms of a bad spark plug is repeated engine misfires and engine hesitation.

There are a number of reasons your spark plugs will go bad on you from corrosion buildup around the gap that produces a hard film of black carbon, to oil leaks accumulating debris that prevents proper sparking, to even things like a bad gap, where the space at the top of the plug where the spark is supposed to form being incorrectly machined and not working properly.

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, you should definitely give your plugs a look to see if you need to swap them out or not. Aside from the routine maintenance there are some signs that your spark plugs are going to need to be replaced when they go bad.
