Spark Plug Tube Replacement - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

jl1252 · 05-01-2007, 06:45 PM

Howdy,

I've decided to tackle some maintenance itmes on my 2002 (base) Boxster including the spark plugs (Beru), serpentine belt, updated coolant cap, and red/white taillights. I looked into the wheelwells to see how hard it wold be to access the plugs and noiced that at least two plug tubes appeared to be leaking oil. Actually looks to be more like seepage.

I looked around and determined that the oil was in fact coming from the plug tubes because I found no oil coming from above and it was pretty obvious it was coming from the tubes. So in addition to the above itmes I purchased six (6) new tubes, the twelve (12) 'O' rings that go with them, and the 80 gram tube of Porsche grease. After I placed the order with Suncoast I discovered that in order to replace the tubes I will need Porsche tool #'s 9604 ("hand pressure piece") and 9605/1 ("pressure piece") according to some Boxster techincal manuals I found online. The manual also says a "commercially available internal puller" will be necessary.

My question is for those that hae tackled this themselves: can it be done without the special tools? If so, which tools could be substituted? I have a pretty extensive tool collection but I'm no opposed to buying more as long as they don't cost a fortune.

Thanks in advance

Jeff

larez2 · 05-01-2007, 08:24 PM

You don't need special tools - at least i didn't.

Some guys have been able to yank them out with just their fingers. I wasn't able to do that.

I pryed the edge of the tube with a flathead screwdriver until it cracked part of the lip and exposed an edge of the tube that I used needle nose pliers to grab and pull out. Wish i had a picture to show you.

I probably only needed new O rings and didn't need to replace the whole tube and probably the same is true for you. But since you have new tubes, if you don't care then it doesn't matter what happens to the old ones.

You might be able to fabricate a tool - something like reverse pliers or an expansion tool or something that can expand when put into the tube to help pull out the tube gentle so you can reuse the tube part.

Putting the new one in you definitely don't need any special tools - new ones go in pretty easily.

Good Luck and let us know what you end up doing.
Larez2

MNBoxster · 05-01-2007, 08:59 PM

Hi,

This is what you'll need to remove the tubes and not break anything - http://www.etoolcart.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=6993
Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

John V · 05-02-2007, 03:37 AM

No need for special tools. I used a snap-ring pliers set so it would expand when you gripped the handles. Worked great!

jl1252 · 05-02-2007, 07:15 PM

Thanks all for the tips, I'll give the snap-ring pliers a try. What about re-seating the tubes back into the head? Any special way of doing it, or just push them in til they seat? Is there an easy way to tell if they are in all the way?

Appreciate it,

Jeff

John V · 05-03-2007, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jl1252

Thanks all for the tips, I'll give the snap-ring pliers a try. What about re-seating the tubes back into the head? Any special way of doing it, or just push them in til they seat? Is there an easy way to tell if they are in all the way?

Appreciate it,

Jeff

Well, be sure to get new o-rings because the redesigned o-rings are what will keep the leak from coming back. Once you lube the new o-rings (with motor oil or vaseline) and install them onto the tubes, the whole assembly just snaps back in. Super easy.

jl1252 · 05-03-2007, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John V

Well, be sure to get new o-rings because the redesigned o-rings are what will keep the leak from coming back. Once you lube the new o-rings (with motor oil or vaseline) and install them onto the tubes, the whole assembly just snaps back in. Super easy.

Yeah, got the O rings, tubes, and the Porsche grease that the manual specified all on their way from Suncoast. I'll try to take some pix along the way and post them in the DIY section.

Thanks again,

Jeff

Porschekid · 05-03-2007, 08:03 AM

I had this done on my Boxster before I bought it thanks to my PPI. Good luck.

John V · 05-03-2007, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jl1252

Yeah, got the O rings, tubes, and the Porsche grease that the manual specified all on their way from Suncoast. I'll try to take some pix along the way and post them in the DIY section.

Thanks again,

Jeff

Jeff, feel free but just so you know there are already pics of the procedure on renntech.org.

It's so incredibly easy to do and the parts are so cheap, nobody should put this off.

Frank Patrick · 05-03-2007, 10:47 AM

Did everything but that _am grease- I knew it seemed to easy.

paulv · 05-04-2007, 11:51 AM

Does anyone have a part number or picture of these? I'd like to see what they look like.

Thanks,

Regards,
paul....

John V · 05-04-2007, 12:08 PM

996.105.325.52 Oil Tube, qty 6 per car, $3.48 each
999.707.215.40 Large O-ring, qty 6 per car, $2.06 each
999.707.343.40 Small O-ring, qty 6 per car, $0.70 each

Prices are from Suncoast Porsche

Pictures are on Renntech, do a search there.

paulv · 05-07-2007, 06:16 AM

John V,

Thanks for the info. I'm also a member at Renntech and searched all the DIY sections, but pictures of the tubes seemed to have eluded me.

Regards,
paul....

John V · 05-07-2007, 07:19 AM

Here you go.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=149&hl=tubes

Just a heads-up, you don't have to remove the spark plugs to get the tubes out. Do it with the engine WARM. The o-rings and tubes are more pliable and less likely to break.

paulv · 05-07-2007, 08:10 AM

John,

I actually went looking thru the specific forums (since didn't find in the DIY sections) and found that thread. Thanks for your help. Since the cost of those parts are relatively inexpensive, it's probably a good idea to change them when changing the plugs regardless of whether they're leaking or not.

Regards,
paul...

MNBoxster · 05-07-2007, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulv

John,

I actually went looking thru the specific forums (since didn't find in the DIY sections) and found that thread. Thanks for your help. Since the cost of those parts are relatively inexpensive, it's probably a good idea to change them when changing the plugs regardless of whether they're leaking or not.

Regards,
paul...

Hi,

In the vein of leaving well enough alone, I wouldn't recommend this. If they're not leaking, leave them alone. The possibility always exists that you may install them incorrectly, or a seal might shift when inserted and fail to make a proper seal.

Of course, the same is true if you were only to replace them when required, but then, you're forced to assume this risk.

What I would recommend is having a full set of fresh 'O' rings on hand when doing a Spark Plug change and again, only change the ones which leak. Keep the 'O' rings in a ziplok bag w/ all the air pushed out to keep them fresh. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

paulv · 05-07-2007, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,

In the vein of leaving well enough alone, I wouldn't recommend this. If they're not leaking, leave them alone. The possibility always exists that you may install them incorrectly, or a seal might shift when inserted and fail to make a proper seal.

Of course, the same is true if you were only to replace them when required, but then, you're forced to assume this risk.

What I would recommend is having a full set of fresh 'O' rings on hand when doing a Spark Plug change and again, only change the ones which leak. Keep the 'O' rings in a ziplok bag w/ all the air pushed out to keep them fresh. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Jim,

That's good advice -- thanks!

Regards,
paul....

John V · 05-07-2007, 09:39 AM

No reason to replace them if they're not leaking. Enjoy...

jl1252 · 05-08-2007, 07:57 PM

Well, I got my box of goodies from Suncoast. I got to the spark plugs and noticed the plain white box each plug was in was labeled with the part number 999.170.207.91. I pulled the plugs out and they are labeled "Beru Ultra" and 14FGR-6KQU. Are these the correct plugs for an 02 2.7?

Jeff

MNBoxster · 05-09-2007, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jl1252

Well, I got my box of goodies from Suncoast. I got to the spark plugs and noticed the plain white box each plug was in was labeled with the part number 999.170.207.91. I pulled the plugs out and they are labeled "Beru Ultra" and 14FGR-6KQU. Are these the correct plugs for an 02 2.7?

Jeff

Hi,

Yep, those are the guys - OEM Plugs (made in France). Bosch were also used OEM interchangeably. Good Luck...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99