tenspeed

There's a few other threads about spark plug changes and I used most of the tips contained in them. I deviated a few times and have pictures to show what I did.

Starting out with the passenger side and removed my Injen intake for more clearance. I loosened a clip on the wire loom above the front spark plug to get some slack when the electrical connectors were freed from the coils. I saw that there is a special coil pulling tool and others used a pair of wire ties. I had some wire handy, made two loops and used it to pull the coils.



This is a shot of my OEM plug after 31311 miles. All the plugs looked the same. Tan around the tip and a slight bit of soot at the threads.



I replaced the plugs with E3.48's. I got them online from Advanced Auto for $31 after giving my email for a discount. Picked them up at the store next time I was in town.



I emptied the coolant reservoir, took it off the bracket and tried to remove the bracket for more wiggle room. I was not successful because a A/C line was in the way of the last screw.



I got looking around and found that the hose going in the bottom was the similar to the two at the top. They all have clips that pull out with a small screwdriver to release the connector. No hose clamps and one of easier removals that I have encountered in a vehicle.



Once the reservoir was out of the way, the rest is a piece of cake. Plenty of room to release the coils, pull them and replace the plugs. The one screw up that I did was to replace the tank and then find the two small screws that hold the coil electrical raceway in place. You can see, in this shot, how the A/C line covers the screw.



Here's a shot of the bottom of the tank. Most people will never know what it looks like so here's you chance.



How I felt after a six hour plug change. Hope the pictures make it a little easier for the next shade tree mechanics.



I could change plugs in much less than six hours now. Much time was spent figuring things out, gathering tools, polishing the intake, cleaning the filter, wiping up spilled oil from the last service and picking the grand kids up from the school bus. I also discovered a loose piece of metal directly behind the air inlet. It has one nut missing, one nut loose and I can feel a hole down out of sight. I put a wire tie on it for now so it wouldn't rattle around.

edit: Have a bucket handy to put the reservoir in. Even when seemingly empty, every time you turn it around to look at it more liquid pours out. Some kind of labyrinth internal design for strength.

SpectreGadget

I changed the plugs on my '12 A7 soon after I bought it, since I turned over 100K miles on the way home.
I just pried out the coils with my fingers, as it wasn't too hard. Thought about 3D printing a puller, but I would have spent much more time creating one.. lol

For the driver's side, I didn't feel like draining and disconnecting the tank, so I took out the screws to let it be loose, and then worked around it. I found that pulling it slightly up and over moved it enough that I could get the plug socket in there and get them out.



As you pointed out, the passenger's side was a cinch.

Thanks for posting what it looks like with the tank removed. Part of the reason I didn't do that is I didn't know what was there and what I needed to do.

tenspeed

If I was doing it again, I would have 5-6' of clear aquarium air pump tubing. Stick one end in the reservoir, start a syphon and let it drain into a bucket while I changed the passenger side pllugs. The drivers side is a cinch too with that tank out of the way.

Forrest Chip Cook

I can't figure out how to get the darn electrical sensor connection off the bottom of the reservoir. Any tips there?

tenspeed

Sorry, I haven't been on site much. I answered your private message. Hope you have figured it out by now.