‘JK-Forum’ Member Shows Simple Trick to Swap Early JK Spark Plugs

JK Wrangler with the 3.8-liter V6 can cause some headaches during a routine tune-up.

Changing the spark plugs on your Jeep Wrangler JK is an easy way to save money and improve long-term performance, but not every plug is easy to access. The spark plug located along the firewall of the passenger’s side is partially obstructed, so you can’t just go at it with a socket and ratchet. Some people have found that removing the fender flare and the inner wheel liner allows easier access, but not everyone likes the idea of unbolting body parts to remove a spark plug.

Fortunately, A. Favela came up with a simple trick to make changing the rear-most spark plug on the passenger’s side a bit easier. Most importantly, you don’t have to remove any large components to open up access to the plug.

JK Wrangler Spark Plug Removal Tip

When changing most of the spark plugs in a 2008 Jeep Wrangler, you just need a ratchet, a short extension and a 5/8-inch spark plug socket. However, when you get to the rear plug on the passenger’s side, you can’t get right at the plug from above. There is limited clearance, but the OP of this thread found that if you use a second, smaller socket on a short extension, dropping the spark plug socket down on the plug then using the second socket to grip the spark plug socket.

So I scrounged the old interweb to find the easiest way to replace the spark plugs on my 2008 JK in particular the one by the passenger side firewall. I found that using the 5/8 spark plug socket along w the 3/4 socket and a short extension was all that was needed to get that badboy out. I also sprayed the plugs w WD40 the day prior just to make it a bit easier to work with.

I read and watched videos that recommended taking out the battery tray, removing the front fender or just taking it to the dealership.

The way I did it was so much easier and cut all of that fender removal shenanigans from the picture and saved some time. Hope it helps.

The OP also included the pictures of the items used.

The Community Responds

The first person to reply to this how-to was Karls10JK.

So you came in at it from the top? I cheated and pulled the fender flare and liner out. You can look directly at the plug.

To which the OP replied with the following.

Yup, I knocked it out going at it from the top. It was very easy to do so as well. I used a rubber vacuum line attached to then of the plug to get the plug back into each hole initially to avoid cross threading as well. Then finished off w the plug socket.

I’m not too familiar w taking fenders off. Seemed too time consuming for me. But if it works it works. I just wanted to put another tool in everyone’s toolbox.

If you have a Jeep Wrangler JK with the 3.8-liter V6, this simple trick might make doing your own tune-ups a little bit easier.

Join the JK-Forums now!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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