Car work

Anyone ever do maintenance on their vehicles themselves??? I need help and nobody to ask right now as it is late at night.

Come on, user dont fail me, maybe i should try half chan /o/

yea whats wrong

Trying to do simple maintenance and replace spark plugs on my own. Im not good with tools but im trying.

I have a 4 cylinder car. I own a 3/8 drive ratchet. I bought a cheap 5/8 spark plug soccet from harbor freight as well as a compatible extenders for the ratchet. I removed the coils (?) By just pulling them out. I can see the plugs with a flashlight and when i fit the soccet over them they seem to fit. I can feel them unloosen and i keep turning the ratchet. Eventually i pull the ratcheg/extender/soccet bacc up out of the plug well but no spark plug is on the other end! Doesnt matter how much i loosen them. What am i doing wrong. I know this is supposed to be a very easy maintenance procedure but im having trouble. I dont wang to force the soccet too far down because i dont want the plugs to break and have a whole new set of issues.

i dont know what a car is

They sound loose enough, just need some long pliers or someone to pull them out. Sticc tape on end of something and use that

Most soccets for spark plug removal are a deep soccet with a rubber inset does yours have the rubber in it? Don't worry you won't break the plug by undoing it once it spins freely it's ok to use pliers like suggested.

I am afraid to attacc anything that could fall down into there but thank younfor the suggestion imwill usemitmas a last resort. No long nose pliers and cant drive anywhere to purchase! Is it possible I'm not forcing the soccet down hard enough for the bushing to get a hold of the plug? How hard should one be pressing down on it?

Yes my soccet does have the bushing but i dont have pliers. All videos and tutorials online the plug just magically comes out with everything else., i figured buying this special soccet would be worth it but idk…

Do you have a telescopic magnet?

No, but that is another good idea

this game should help you get the gist of things. (you assemble a shitty datsun from a bare frame)

This is actually a fun idea. Nothing beats real experience but ill definitely look into this once I actually fix my real problems lol

a spark plug soccet has a bushing deep inside of it for the purpose of grabbing the spark plug and making it easy to get, if you have a new cheaper set of them you could run into the problem where the bushing as you say might be a bit too stiff and making it difficult to grab the plug. just try pushing down on it and see if you can get the plug to fit. if you are still worried about somehow crushing the plug with your weight you can just try to put the soccet at an angle and put it on the plug and try to use the walls of around it to slide the plug upwards. as far as tightening because im sure you will be asking about it later just snug them up. you will know when to stop because they will bottom out and you will feel them stop rather suddenly. good lucc.

Alright man thanks for the help. Ill see what i can do.

If you can turn the car upside down they should fall right out.

step 1: turn on the car
step 2: get some tape
step 3: tape the spark plugs
done.

dont forget to shake the car while it is upside down.

could try to use a fork to get it too

Watch this informative video. It will show you how to do everything.

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Not OP but serious qeustion for any mechanical fags.

Is it necessary to put that HEET fuel additive stuff into your gas tank once a week during the winter months to prevent your fuel line from freezing or is it just a scam?

I would only use it if you are storing your car for winter. If you are actively using your gas it probably wouldn't have time to go bad.

Do you live in a moist climate? How cold does it usually get in the winter?

If you live someplace with an arid climate, your gas tank isn't likely to accumulate much moisture, no matter how cold it gets.

If you live someplace where it doesn't get that cold (daytime temps are generally above 32F), it probably won't be an issue, especially if you use E10 gasoline, which already contains an alcohol (ethanol).

If you live in the upper Midwest near a Great Lake, and it gets wet and cold as fuck, and if you use pure gasoline instead of E10, yeah, it's not a bad idea to use a bottle of HEET with every tank.

Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

Gasoline doesn't freeze. Water does.
Keep water out of your gasoline tank, no fuel antifreeze is EVER necessary.
Keep the fuel tank above half full to minimize condensation. Buy your fuel from reputable dealers that don't have leaky tanks that let water in. Get a locking gas cap.

I wouldn't add HEET or similar fuel antifreeze UNLESS I HAD A SPECIFIC PROBLEM. Once I had the problem, I would keep adding the stuff until the weather was back above freezing.

I drive a big truck. I usually deal with different problems. Diesel is a whole different animal than gas.

You can learn just about everything about car maintenance from YouTube tutorials.

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