spark plugs question

[Philly]

So i changed my spark plugs yesterday... and i was iffy about how much to tighten them... I don't have a torque wrench, so i had to go by feeling..


so I hand-tightened them, then gave them about 3/4 of a turn... is that enough or too little?

[CirrusSR22]

I don't know the answer to your question, but my theory when it comes to aluminum is...... If you undertighten into aluminum, you can always go back later and tighten a little more.

Especially into a cylinder head. You're looking at major repair work if you wreck those threads.

[Budget M3]

The official spec is 18 ft-lbs which is VERY light pressure. You should be OK with 3/4 of a turn. Did you add a drop of anti-seize compound (or a single drop of oil) to the threads before you installed the new plugs? It will make it a lot easier to remove them next time you need to do the job...

[Philly]

no i didn't.. the other ones were a Bee to get out, but I worked em out... + there is a little oil in 2 of the chambers anyways lol gonna have to look into that..
whats most common problem that allows oil to leak in the chambers on an M44? valve cover gasket?

[CirrusSR22]

The oil that leaks into the spark plug cylinders if from spark plug hole seals, which are essentially part of the valve cover gasket system.

Check my write up on fixing that. There are pictures of said gaskets.
http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=12007