cinobyte

I changed the plugs today. back middle (dont rem cyl#) was very loose. i could unscrew with finger. I changed them out and noticed less ticking which i had always thought was just valve train noise. I think I rem a post about some plugs coming from factory not torqued to spec but not sure. I would suggest checking them since its so easy to do.

erdoc48

At what mileage is your TL with this and how noticeable was the ticking prior to the plug swap?

Thanks

nfnsquared

That is one long finger...

cinobyte

Im at 105k miles. The how noticeable was the ticking question is hard to answer. It was pretty loud when in garage or a drive thru. all i can say is..... I changed plugs I rolled down both windows while parked in the garage I started the car and noticed and instant difference.

cinobyte

cant resist
thats what she said

cinobyte

I forgot to mention. the car had NGK plugs installed were they factory? Im not sure since i do not know what part number oem plugs are so there is a chance that the first owner changed the plugs and left one loose. I installed NGKLaser Iridium (IZFR6K11)
Part No 6994

nfnsquared

No owner's manual? You installed the correct ones.

cinobyte

missing question?
I do have owners manual. I knew i had gotten the correct ones I just added that to the post encase someone searches 5 years from now

fatpants

Old thread but I wanted to chime in. My '07 TLs has been experiencing persistent ticking/tapping noises, like valve chatter, for the last 7k miles. It had a misfire on cylinder 1, 4 and 6 around the same time the ticking/tapping started (2 wks after recall service from the dealer). I decided to change the plugs first and to my surprise, 2 plugs were loose enough to unscrew by hand (w/ extension!). Looking at the engine these were the front left and mid cylinders. I'm somewhat shocked this was a factory issue so would a dealer service tech do this to stimulate recurring revenue?? Just coincidence this happened 2 wks after service?


I'll report back if the ticking starts again, suggesting the loose plugs were unrelated. Anyone that is experiencing tapping should check there plugs stat!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

they werent torqued down!!

fatpants

Forgot to mention, the two loose plugs had carbon build-up and were very noticeably darker, with carbon build-up in the the loose plugs' spark plug tunnels (unsure of the term) and all over coil packs. My point is that they were loose enough for exhaust to leak out..

I'm assuming this could have been caused by 1 of 3 reasons:

1)Weren't torqued down properly from the factory, I currently have 51k miles though so it's surprising it wasn't happening earlier. I've owned it since 12k, to my knowledge these are the original plugs, so it seems unlikely.
2)They just loosened up over time, also seems unlikely.
3)The dealer was looking for extra work and loosened two plugs 2 wks before my CEL came on.

Based on the timing after recall service, I'm also a new customer at this dealer, #3 seems to be the most logical. If this is a more common issue and my logic isn't sound I'd like to hear other's perspectives.

nfnsquared

OP, this is a known issue with J32 engines. Most commonly it's #5 (front center). Next common is #4 (front left). I've also heard of #2 being loose. There's lots of speculation on the cause, but no proof.

If you put in replacement plugs, be sure you used anti-seize and torqued them to 13 ft-lbs. If you don't use anti-seize, then torque them to 18-21 ft-lbs.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^i'll venture and say it happens on most J-series engines, from accords to pilots to odysseys

nfnsquared

fatpants, did the ticking sound like the ticking in this video:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...16&postcount=1

fatpants

Thanks for the feedback, now I should check my wife's J37 MDX that also has a tap, but much more faint. A little hard to tell but generally it sounded very similar to the video, and correlated to engine speed. It was so loud I could hear it from the driver seat, especially when next to a median (actually a little embarrassing). Similar to the video, it seemed like it came from the left side of the engine, where the suspect plugs were. Two separate mechanics actually thought it was a valve issue, since the sound originates from the same area and sounded like a tap.

As another point of reference, there was carbon built up on the front left exterior of the cam cover around the #4 cylinder (which had the loosest plug).

AccordFlex

iTrader: (1)

I had the same ticking noise from my valve train thinking it was valve tap at only 68k miles and then blew cyl #5 which is front middle. They are definitely not torqued correctly from the factory and should be checked every 15k miles or so to make sure they arent turning out.

fatpants

Didn't initially intend on hijacking this thread although I'm reluctantly reporting back to mention that my CEL (blinking then solid) came back on today after about 250 miles since plugs were replaced and re-torqued. The positive is that there's still no tapping sound..

I never reset the NAV diagnostic code after the plug change, I only reset the CEL by disconnecting the battery with lights/horn on.. I'm now assuming some of the leaking exhaust effected the coil packs, which were coated in carbon and gunk, but the contacts looked clean.

Now that I think about it, I bought a cheap OBDII bluetooth scanner off amazon and it was plugged in during 0-60 tests when the CEL came on the first time. I removed it and it was very warm. Could a shorted or cheaply built OBDII scanner cause damage to the computer or electronic system?

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

I still haven't checked mine. At 98k right now on my '04. :x

nttstt444

iTrader: (1)

I had a plug come loose last year, Been paranoid ever since, I check them every couple months.

acrdr

loose spark plug is a common thing
usually its either # 2 or#5 cylinder

Due_Diligence

I'll be checking mine this weekend. I have a slight ticking noise nowhere near as pronounced as that video.

erdoc48

Just checking them is pretty easy. It takes 30-40 minutes (and in my case, I removed the rear brace near the firewall). It'll give you peace of mind to know you checked.

candrews

Not to hijack the thread but at least the threads are ok. My 2001 Ford Explorer shot a plug into the hood one day. Limped home on 7 cylinders and bought a kit to drill, tap, and install an insert. All done VERY carefully with the head still on the engine. I sold the Expy shortly after that adventure and yes, I told the new owner (common issue with the Triton V8s back then)

fatpants

Yep, glad the threads are still there.. I don't have the guts to stick a drill in my cylinder!

Just a follow up on the CEL--- last night I swapped out the bad coil pack for a known good pack and no light yet or error on either cylinder. I did a better job at cleaning the bad pack's contacts with electrical cleaner prior to swapping and re-torqued the plug for good measure.. I noticed the exhaust and carbon build up - or my original rush job - deformed the rubber seal (top of coil) and prevented it from seating properly.

After I knew it was seated properly I reset the codes, cleared the diagnostic and so far so good. I'll report back in a week or so of aggressive driving.

Overall a very easy fix, but could have all been prevented by a 15 minute spark plug check a few months ago.. I will follow Accord Flex's advice and check my J engine plugs every 15k miles or so!

doggydog

Update please.

fatpants

After about 200 miles, i had another misfire on 6 (questionable coil) and then a misfire on 1&4 cylinders. I re-torqued plugs to 18ft/lbs, without anti-sieze, ~1/8th of a turn. I originally torqued only at 13ft/lbs, without anti-sieze (against nfnsquared's advice).

It's only been about 150 miles so far, but if it comes on again, I'm replacing a few of the suspect coils and do something to clean the fuel system out as well - maybe the original loose plugs caused excessive carbon buildup..

fatpants

CEL back on this morning with misfires on cylinders 4 (one of the original loose plugs) and 6 (one with questionable pack). I plan to replace both with OEM hitachi packs, and do some seafoam treatment.. but could one bad pack on 6 cause a misfire on 4? or am i overlooking a bigger problem? any insight would be appreciated.
thanks-

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Thanks, this might be my problem too.

doggydog

Sorry to hear that, but thank you for taking the time to respond.

cummins guy

I have NOT noticed this problem with my 04TL (yet), but my Honda Civic has had the issue of spark plugs backing out and showing misfire .....

Due_Diligence

Can anyone post a video of how their TL sounds? I've noticed mine is a bit louder now, don't know if thats because I used Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-20, or because of a spark plug?

fatpants

mine sounded like the link nfnsquared posted above

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...16&postcount=1

still waiting on my coil packs.. first misfire was 6, than 4, now 1 came on this morning.. I think there all related to the bad pack on 6.

doggydog

^^^ Had that same clunk, clunk, clunk nosie in my 2006 TL with 166K. Changed out the power steering pump, noise went away...

fatpants

As an updated, I just swapped my questionable cylinder #6 coil pack (was originally on #1) with a new oem Hitachi pack from rockauto. I also did a seafoam treatment - sprayed 1/2 can in the intake manifold and dumped 1/2 can in tank.. there was a little smoke but not much. I'll report back in about 10 days when I hit 250+ miles.

1fstTL

iTrader: (1)

yup just finished this job , and the front center was really loose, thank god i got to it before anything serious happened. The engine was deff more quiet with the new plugs.


Done on a 2007 TL-S @ 90k

fatpants

In case anyones following this.. I dropped her off at a different dealer today, they "think" she needs a valve adjustment. They'll do it tomorrow, I'll let ya'll know which valves were out of spec... They quoted $600 for the adjustment, I'll probably diy it next time when i hit 90k. Sorta shocked it needs it so soon, around 52k now but i do drive pretty rough and downshift hard.. i doubt this is related to the loose plug but maybe it was.

nfnsquared

I say BS. You're getting screwed. No way your valves are off at only 52K. History has proven that even at 105K, the need for a valve adjustment is questionable. Typically, they are only off by 0.001" at 105K.

pohljm

Dont give them your money!

nfnsquared

Whoa, I missed this. You probably bent something. A valve adjustment is definitely not going to fix this, me thinks.

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

If ur plugs were loosening up over time the ecu may become adjusted to the weird circumstances and now that u fixed everything it may actually think something is wrong... I know it does not make much sense but computers are really weird like that. I had a vacume leak for 3 years and the car kept finding a way around it and then when I fixed it it practically made things worse. I just pulled the ecu fuse and disconnected the battery and was good to go.


As for the plugs loosening... I have not heard of this ever on the j32 in the CL section so maybe is something that's been happening to the newer j motors? I have changed my plugs 3 times without a tq wrench... Most ppl think I am crazy..

I remove the old plugs then thread in the new ones by hand using the extension without the ratchet. Do your plugs with the motor warm.. The block is then l larger by a few thousands and because u are putting in cold plugs they will be smaller and will just thread all the way down to the crush washer. You can feel removing the old warm plugs is stiffer then threadin in the new col plugs just because of the temp difference! Once u are at the crush washer it's no more than a half turn and your set... This is where ppl get lost with tq sparks... They often put in cold plugs in a cold motor and it's stiff all the way to the bitter end. You cannot feel when u get to the crush washer which is the most important point of installation IMHO. So you may not completely crush that washer which is locking in the plug.... This is how I have been doing plugs for 5 years. Never had a problem. Except for the first time I did my plugs I did not use this method and I did not fully tq the front center or front right... Thankfully no problems as it was only a half turn or so... But you live and you learn. Hopefully this helps some of my fellow aziners out. Simple ill trick I just stumbled upon.

I did the plugs the first time with everything cold... Way harder to feel where the plugs are in retrospect to the block threads. So make sure the motor was turned off no more than 2 hrs ago... Then u can lean on the engine block to get the rear plugs without getting singed and the plugs will just glide into their new home with ease.