Spark Plug DIY for E39 98 528

I actually just did this over the weekend, along with a couple of other things (I'm quite proud of the fact that this was my first ever DIY!!!)

One thing to note is that the wire harness (your blue oval in part four) does not need to be unclipped. There is a wire collar that fastens the wire ending to each bremi plug - simply raise ir up (by hand, no tool required), and the bremi plug will be free to pull straight out.

This confused me on the first cylinder as well, but after staring at it for half an hour and figuring that there must be a better way, I figured it out.

Oh - and I put the oil cap back on while working, just in case I f***d up and dropped a bolt in there!!!!!! Probably just cause I'm an amateur.........

Great info!

Great info! Only difficulty I ran into was the last spark plug [the one closest to the cabin]. Had to remove the air intake to get my socket extention on. Other than that as easy as you said.
For anyone who has never replaced spark plugs I would recommend takin' it easy when putting in the new plugs. Hand tighten with the socket extension without the rarchet first just to make sure you don't crossthread.

I would recommend using an 3/8" universal joint extension, swivel extension, whatever other names are there for it, for that last plug. I would definitely cover the oil refill port during the whole evolution. I would also recommend doing one coil/plug at a time, minimizes little parts running around, and although it doesn't matter what coil goes where, I like to put the coil back where it came from and to use the same bolts.

Maybe is just me... Good job :thumbup:

Just to help others, here are some spark plug application charts, one from the Bentleys at page 020-20 and the other from a PDF found on the net here.

For the record, I updated the bestlinks with this thread (and others) as follows:

- BMW spark plug application charts (1) (2), best plug to use (1) (2), deciphering key (1), reading plugs (1), the truth about torque (1), the truth about gap (1) (2) & DIYs for replacing spark plugs (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

A bit simpler...

It seems that the metal clips hold the connector in place. These clips are simple to move by using a small flat head screw driver, as shown in the following pictures. Also, to replace the spark plug closest to the cabin, the combination of a universal joint and a 3/8 to 1/2 conversion can be used as shown in the picture, to help get into and out of the spark plug tunnel. With this scheme the cabin filter doesn't need to be removed (on the 2000 528i) to replace the last plug.

outafaze said:

I did this couple weeks ago while replacing gthe valve cover gasket. My trick for the plug closest to the window was 12 inch section of 3/8 inch fuel hose. It work great for angles and it will more than likely slip before you cross thread it.

Click to expand...

How do I replace the valve cover gasket on my x3? I was told it was leaking oil. On my way to replacing the spark plugs , but if I need to replace the valve cover gasket, I would need to be ready.

fjcamry said:

How do I replace the valve cover gasket

Click to expand...

Type in /vcg f3 into the bestlinks and this pops up (for the E39 anyway):
- How to replace the E39 V8 valve cover gasket (1) (pdf) (2) (3) & VCG DIYs for the E39 I6 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) & which VCG brand to buy (1) (2) & what VCG lubricants to use (1)

Others exist in that same location ... e.g.,

BMW_E38_M62_V8_VCG_DIY_740i_Valve_Cover_Gasket_ Replacement.pdf (1.63 MB, 739 views)

My 1998 BMW 528i with Bosch Platinum 4 Spark Plug's.recently had 5 of the spark plug ceramic insulator and electrode come loose, two are spinning, and the other three are loose to the point that the center electrode and ceramic insulator is moving up and down, and the engine sounded like it had an exhaust leak and damaged three of the coil spark plug insulator boots giving me cylinder misfire codes. I replaced the spark plugs and the engine is now running correctly and the cylinder misfire codes have not returned. The spark plugs appear to be the correct color, and are not white from running too lean or black from running too rich other then the three that had the insulator moving up and down that were obviously fouling and caused engine misfire codes,. These spark plugs have less then 10,000 miles on them. Autozone would not warranty them and asked that I contact Bosch to have them replaced. I have used Bosch Platinum plugs since they were factory installed on my first new 1999 BMW 323is and never had problems with them for 100,000 miles, the recommended service interval by BMW. My 1972 VW Beetle and 1968 Beetle with a 2110 stroked engine also ran Bosch spark plugs and I never seen such an issue. Has any one had a similar experience with these Bosch spark plugs, could I have just had a bad batch?
http://youtu.be/GIc8k4Z_PcU?list=UUIXG-pxZ4mNbhUFvzf4KIOw

Jose F. Medeiros
408-256-0649 Google Voice
San Jose, California
http://www.linkedin.com/in/josemedeiros

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. - Thomas A. Edison

718bam said:

is there a difference between the spark plug wires and coils / coil boots?
when replacing plugs , how do i know if i should replace the wires or 'coils' or 'coil boots' ?

Click to expand...

This DIY has a picture of every step of the spark plug replacement where you can see the coils sit right on top of the spark plugs (i.e., there is no "spark plug wire" to speak of):
- Pictorial DIY for an M54 spark plug replacement on a 2002 BMW 525i E39 with 95K miles

In general, if you're just doing normal maintenance, you don't replace the coils. If you have a misfire, that moves from one cylinder to the next when you swap the coils, you generally replace that one coil.

See also:
- How to test a BMW ignition coil (1) (2)