Hey Guys! I have a 2012 Ford Focus Manual, with 210,000 KMS (165,000 miles).
The car/engine is running just fine! A TINY bit sluggish at times, but zero cause for concern.
I do plan on keeping this vehicle for several more years.
I bought the car at 125,000 kms, never changed the sparkplugs, but not sure if the previous owner did or not.
1) Is it absolutely necessary to change them from a preventative maintenance perspective?
2) Am I right to be concerned that complications might arise in the process? (IE spark plug is ceased in the engine block, breaks off while taking it out, etc etc) - Or is this probability relatively low?
Thanks!
Check the manufacturer's recommended interval for changing the spark plugs. Though if those are the original plugs I think the max recommendation is usually 100K miles so they'd be overdue.
It's not really possible to predict what kind of problems you might run into changing them. Normally that goes OK but things can go awry with broken plugs are stripped threads. I think problems encountered changing plugs are more common these days with the advent of aluminum cylinder heads and long change intervals. (It's not like the stone age days when we were changing plugs at 10K-12K intervals in cast iron heads.)
Hey - watch that "Stone Age" comment. Some of us still live there.
Well I do see something like this being ideal...
Shouldn't be a problem. Just remember to use a little ant-seize compound on the threads of the new plugs and tighten to the correct torque.
It might be a good idea to recruit a friend or relative to help you the first time. Change your air filter too - that could add to any sluggishness.
And if by chance one breaks, you can check Autozone or other parts stores. Some loan tools for removing broken spark plugs.
