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How do you clean a spark plug hole?
I was going to change one of my spark plugs. When I removed the old plug, though, I noticed that there was oil and gunk in the hole. How can I clean a spark plug hole?
Patrick Price · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Uh oh! I’m sorry to hear that you’ve got grime in your spark plug hole. You’re right to want to clean it out. Not doing so could lead to an engine misfire. However, unless you have an air gun, a carb cleaner, a spark plug cleaner tool, a spark plug wrench, and a few other things, you may need to have a mechanic clean it for you.
Ideally, you should clean around the opening of the hole with canned air and a cloth whenever you change a plug. That should prevent oil or debris from getting in there in the first place. Once the hole itself is dirty, the job becomes trickier. You’ll need specialized tools to clean the plug hole.
First, let’s take a look at a complete list of everything you’ll need. As was already mentioned before, you’ll need an air gun, a carb cleaner, a spark plug cleaner, and a spark plug wrench. In addition to those, you’ll also need the following:
- Large screwdriver
- A rag or cloth
- Sandpaper
Once you have all those things, here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Disconnect the battery
- Clean around the spark plugs
- Remove the ignition
- Remove the spark plug
- Clean the spark plug hole
- Clean the spark plugs
- Reinstall the spark plugs
- Reinstall the ignition
- Reconnect the battery
These are also the steps a professional mechanic will follow when they clean the spark plug holes for you.
While you’re taking care of your car’s routine maintenance, it might be a good time to review your
car insurance
policy with Jerry
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- Gregory R.
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