Changing Air Filter And Spark Plugs

[dohertydeano]

Two other jobs i done this weekend and putting in a new air filter which realy easy and changing the spark plugs.

This is just a run though of the work i carried out and i accept no reponciblity for others.

First of is the tools and parts;

Ratchet set with spark plug sockets. (make shure the sockes have a rubber inside to hold the plugs as you lower them in)

new spark plugs. (i dont know if your suppose to use the exact same plugs which where in the car, i simply got mine from a auto shop and asked for spark plugs for a 97 starlet)

air filter from any auto shop

Feeler gauge

First the easy job. Pop the hood locat your filter. The air filter is in a square shaped black housing on the passanger side at the very back of the engine.

The housing is sucured with 4 clips, just pull these of.

The hole on the back means you cannot lift it compleatly of, if you want you can disconect the hose and clean inside the housing to, i just lifted mine enough to get the filter out.

Take out the old filter and see what sort of shape its in, mine was pritty grubby with flys and leaves stuck to it.

Take your new filter and put it in the same oriention which the old filter was in.

Pop in your new filter and put the clips back onto the housing and your all set.

The next job i done was replace the spark plugs, there suppose to be replaced every two years but i dont know the last time they where changed in this car.

Give the area around the plugs a wipe down first, just in case any crap falls into the holes.

On the 1.3lt 97 starlet the spark plugs are in a ling on top of the engine.

Only change one spark plug at a time, this way you elininate the risk of putting the wrong plug into the wrong hole.

To take the plugs of, grab the rubber plug (never pull the wire), and half twist the plug while pulling straight up. Some of mine were pritty tight so i had to give them a rely good pull.

Give to area around the hole a blast of compressed air if you have some, other wise just cover the hole and blow around the edges.

Take a good look at the condition of your plugs, there colour can give you a good indicatoin of the conditoin of the engine. If the end of the plug where the spark is made is still white around the porslin, then this might indicate the air fuel mix is to weak.

If the end is realy black soot, then this is a good indiction that the mix is to rich.

If the end is sticky, oily and black then this means the engine is rely worn.

If the end is a light brown or tane colour, then all is good. Mine looks a bit brown just.

You may need to cheack the clearance on the spark plug, the distance from the two electrods.

The corolla has the same engine a the starlet so i went by the corolla haynes manual, it said to use a clearance of 1.1mm so thats what i set mine to.

If the gap is to small them just bent the element back a bit till its right.

Also the spark plugs that where in the car where differant to the to ones that haynes stated for the corolla, so i just when by what i was given by the auto shop man.

To put the new plugs in you want to make shure you dont cross the threads, other wise you would damage the threads on the engine which would be very bad.

What you can do is put them in with a pick of hose pipe or soft ducktile tubing, one that just fits the back of the spark plugs in and holds them slightly. The way when you put them in, if they cross threads they will simply slip in the tubbing.

What i did was use the rubber holder in the spark plug socket, i put the plug in only to the rubber and not the nut part, then lowered them in a screwed them in. If they crossed threads they slipped on the rubber, when they screwed in i pushed the socket down the rest of the way to tighten them.

Thighten the plugs to 18N/M and push the lead back down onto the new plug.

Move onto the next plug and do the some thing for the rest.

Start your engine and thats you.