QuestionI would like to try it myself. I have changed spark plugs before but what is the difference in this car? Is it difficult to take the plenum off?
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Followup To
Question -
Where is the spark plug housing/cables on an 01 hyundai xg300? Do I take off the plastic engine cover?
Answer -
Hi, Jen. Everything's under the engine cover like you suggest, but you'll need to remove the plenum (upper half of the intake manifold) to replace the cables and the rear spark plugs. Based on your question, I'm figuring you don't have much engine disassembly experience. I'd recommend against attempting replacing the plugs in this vehicle yourself unless you've got someone experienced who'll watch over you and coach you through the procedure. If you're adventurous and would like to give it a try, let me know and I'll do my best to give you a step-by-step procedure.
AnswerDifficulty is in the eye of the beholder. For people who do only simple jobs, this is probably too much for them to do or more work than they wish to do. On the other hand, someone who is comfortable doing moderately difficult repairs shouldn't have too much difficulty with this.
You'll need six spark plugs. I'd recommend a high quality name brand such as Denso or NGK that meets the identical specs of the original spark plug. You'll also need to get a wire set and a plenum gasket. I'd recommend getting these from the dealer. Most aftermarket wire sets I've seen have been very poor quality. This job is involved enough that you won't want to do it again in a short period of time.
For installing the wires, it'll help to know what the cylinder numbering is. The rear bank has cylinders 1,3,5, and the fron bank has cylinders 2,4,6, with the lower numbered cylinders being on the drive belt end of the engine. The wires will be numbered 1, 3, and 5 to coincide with the cylinders on the rear bank to which they will attach, and will run from the coils on the front bank to the plugs on the rear bank. You'll need to connect #2 coil with #5 plug, #4 coil with #1 plug, and #6 coil with #3 plug.
Here's the step-by-step procedure as best I can recall. Since I don't have a car handy to look at, some of the instructions will be general in nature because I don't recall all the specific peculiarities about which things are on this engine and which are on others. In any event, I think there will be enough description that you can look at the car with instructions in hand and figure out what specifically you'll need to do.
1. Remove the six 10mm bolts and remove the engine cover.
2. Unplug the air flow sensor connector and take the wiring loose from the air bellows.
3. Remove the pcv breather hose from the air bellows.
4. Undo the clips holding the air box together.
5. Loosen the clamp holding the air bellows on the throttle body.
6. Remove the top of the air box, the air flow sensor, and the air bellows as an assembly.
7. Undo any electrical connectors attaching to items on the plenum and throttle body.
8. Move the harness out of the way enough that it'll allow you to lift the plenum off. This may involve unplugging connectors in other places and unclipping the harness from ties in order to get the necessary slack.
9. Remove the vacuum line from the EGR valve and the fuel pressure regulator (if you have one).
10. Remove the hose that goes toward the rear of the car from the purge control valve.
11. Remove the four 12mm bolts attaching the support brackets to the rear of the plenum and throttle body.
12. Remove the 12mm bolt attaching the EGR pipe bracket to the rear of the plenum.
13. Remove the two 12mm bolts attaching the EGR valve to the plenum. Take care to not lose the EGR gasket.
14. Remove the 12mm bolts and nuts (7 I think) attaching the plenum to the lower manifold.
15. Lift the plenum off the manifold and tilt up the side opposite the throttle body until it's standing close to vertical near the bottom half of the air box. (There are still coolant hoses attached to the throttle body, so you won't be able to lift that side very far). You can use a bungee or other tie to hold the plenum so it can't fall back down.
16. Cover the openings in the manifold with rags or something similar to prevent anything from falling inside the engine.
17. Remove the spark plug wires.
18. Remove the rear spark plugs.
19. Install new spark plugs in the rear bank.
20. Remove the ignition coils (two 10mm bolts each).
21. Remove the front spark plugs.
22. Install new spark plugs in the front bank.
23. Reinstall the coils.
24. Install the new wires (connecting cylinders as described above).
25. Remove the rags from the intake manifold and remove the plenum gasket.
26. Install the new plenum gasket.
27. Lower the plenum back onto the lower manifold.
28. Start the bolts and nuts attaching the plenum to the manifold, but do not tighten them.
29. Start the bolts attaching the support brackets, the EGR pipe bracket, and the EGR valve, being sure to properly align the EGR gasket and reinstall the wire holder on the lower EGR valve bolt.
30. Tighten the bolts and nuts attaching the plenum to the manifold.
31. Tighten the bolts attaching the items on the rear of the plenum.
32. Reconnect your vacuum and purge hoses.
33. Reconnect your electrical connectors and return the harness to its original configuration.
34. Reinstall the top of the air box, air flow sensor, and air bellows and secure.
35. Reconnect the PCV breather hose.
36. Reconnect the air flow sensor connector and return the wiring to it's original holders and configuration.
37. Reinstall the engine cover and tighten the 6 bolts holding it in place.
