DIY: Spark Plug Change - 2008 E92 M3

Special tool worked great for me. Did this job Sunday and the car is way smoother now, particularly when coming to a stop, idle is solid.

It was a fairly easy job. 4/10 with the special tools. Electrode tips seem to wear away resulting in a larger spark gap over time. Likely the issue these have.

Thank you to all of those that contributed to this thread.

I did my spark plugs today and was able to get a couple easy ones off by coat hanger and a couple by hand. The passenger rear was actually one of the easiest ones to pop up for me. I used a small pry bar with leverage like this and it easily popped right out. The whole job took me about 2 hours so It can definitely be done in a half a day.




The pry bar I used is the smallest one in this set:https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-heavy-duty-pry-bar-set-1654.html

hope this helps anyone who attempts this in the future.

PYE46M3 wrote

I did my spark plugs today and was able to get a couple easy ones off by coat hanger and a couple by hand. The passenger rear was actually one of the easiest ones to pop up for me. I used a small pry bar with leverage like this and it easily popped right out. The whole job took me about 2 hours so It can definitely be done in a half a day.




The pry bar I used is the smallest one in this set:https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-heavy-duty-pry-bar-set-1654.html

hope this helps anyone who attempts this in the future.

You got lucky, that is a good way to snap off the top of the coil pack and also snap the plastic oil separator/pressure regulator on the top of the valve cover you are prying against.

TX wrote

You got lucky, that is a good way to snap off the top of the coil pack and also snap the plastic oil separator/pressure regulator on the top of the valve cover you are prying against.

Luck may have been on my side and it may have been looser than the other ones. I was very careful not to put excessive force on any of the components

PYE46M3 wrote

Luck may have been on my side and it may have been looser than the other ones. I was very careful not to put excessive force on any of the components

For that rear one what tends to work best is some speaker wire or cat5 cable wrapped around the coil pack top then pinched so it doesn’t slip. Run the wire up over the top strut tower brace bar and pull using the bar as a leverage point. It works great because the pull is to same angle matching the insertion angle of the coil pack. If you try and pull straight up you’re pulling at the wrong angle.

Your pry bar does have the right angle to the pack, but I would really recommend against prying on the plastic in both places. Maybe get a block of wood across the valve cover and pry off that wood. You still run the risk of snapping the top off the coil pack. It happens way more than you would think and right now you can’t sell your supermodel gf for a new coil pack. Well you can it is just 2-3 times as much as they used to be plus a non damaged core, which you wouldn’t have.

TX wrote

For that rear one what tends to work best is some speaker wire or cat5 cable wrapped around the coil pack top then pinched so it doesn’t slip. Run the wire up over the top strut tower brace bar and pull using the bar as a leverage point. It works great because the pull is to same angle matching the insertion angle of the coil pack. If you try and pull straight up you’re pulling at the wrong angle.

Your pry bar does have the right angle to the pack, but I would really recommend against prying on the plastic in both places. Maybe get a block of wood across the valve cover and pry off that wood. You still run the risk of snapping the top off the coil pack. It happens way more than you would think and right now you can’t sell your supermodel gf for a new coil pack. Well you can it is just 2-3 times as much as they used to be plus a non damaged core, which you wouldn’t have.

I agree with everything you said.

I just realized that many reputable online vendors that we rely on are not authorized NGK resellers which is a little concerning with the number of fake plugs running around. https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/about-us/where-to-buy

I spoke to customer service who verbatim said rockauto (where i got my plugs) is not an authorized reseller. Neither are many of the BMW vendors we rely on everyday. I highly doubt these vendors are selling fake plugs but I wonder why ngk doesn't list them as an authorized dealer. I wonder if the local parts stores pay them tons of cash to be listed on their website which drives up the costs !

something to think about for future DIY's before they order their set.

Doing the DIY Valve covers, but trying to slide the coil pack in the passenger side rear spark plug tube, but can not find a technique that will let me slide it back into position. Anyone have any tips?

nleeumd wrote

Doing the DIY Valve covers, but trying to slide the coil pack in the passenger side rear spark plug tube, but can not find a technique that will let me slide it back into position. Anyone have any tips?

pull on some of those hoses to make room and go at an extreme angle to get the tip of it in then angle it and drop it in there.

I found that on the cylinder 8 (driver side), u dont need any swivel at all. Instead put the 3" extension with socket in first, then slide another 3" extension onto the extension, attach ur ratchet and they way u go.

The Division M Coil Pulling tool will be back in stock at Amazon in the next week or so in all colors

Done mine like a month ago now. Used coat hanger and it works like a charm. Cylinder 4 is rather easy with this short setup. Cheers for all the diyers out there!

Changed the plugs this am. It wasn't too terrible. Cylinder 8 was a challenge. I used the M division tool and had no issues pulling coils, though getting number 4 out once it popped was a pain. Removing and reinstalling the plenum (I was attempting to fix the whistle) was a nightmare. Those damn hoses, especially the one in the back was a PITA to remove and worse to reconnect. Then I screwed up my whistle repair (I think) by not letting it cure long enough before driving.

nick3753 wrote

Changed the plugs this am. It wasn't too terrible. Cylinder 8 was a challenge. I used the M division tool and had no issues pulling coils, though getting number 4 out once it popped was a pain. Removing and reinstalling the plenum (I was attempting to fix the whistle) was a nightmare. Those damn hoses, especially the one in the back was a PITA to remove and worse to reconnect. Then I screwed up my whistle repair (I think) by not letting it cure long enough before driving.

Know what you mean reg the plenum mate... Had it off twice during the weekend when replacing thermostat (due to f¤ck with sealings). Greasing both front and rear hose connection on the plenum made a HUGE difference second time though. Almost looking forward to when I have to get it off again. Almost.

Helmsman wrote

nick3753 wrote

Changed the plugs this am. It wasn't too terrible. Cylinder 8 was a challenge. I used the M division tool and had no issues pulling coils, though getting number 4 out once it popped was a pain. Removing and reinstalling the plenum (I was attempting to fix the whistle) was a nightmare. Those damn hoses, especially the one in the back was a PITA to remove and worse to reconnect. Then I screwed up my whistle repair (I think) by not letting it cure long enough before driving.

Know what you mean reg the plenum mate... Had it off twice during the weekend when replacing thermostat (due to f¤ck with sealings). Greasing both front and rear hose connection on the plenum made a HUGE difference second time though. Almost looking forward to when I have to get it off again. Almost.

What kind of grease did you use? I'm going to attempt to fix my whistle sound again.

nick3753 wrote

What kind of grease did you use? I'm going to attempt to fix my whistle sound again.

Went to the boat and grabbed a general grease, this in my case: https://www.marinepartseurope.com/sv/volvo-penta-c429-grease.aspx

Don't think it matters too much, just want to avoid something that is potentially aggressive with the plastics.

Makes a big difference.

nick3753 wrote

What kind of grease did you use? I'm going to attempt to fix my whistle sound again.

What is this whistle you’re talking about? Is it from a not perfectly set plenum?I did my throttle actuators and the car runs fine but I can’t tell if I’m hearing a slight whistling sound or it’s just my imagination.

soss wrote

nick3753 wrote

What kind of grease did you use? I'm going to attempt to fix my whistle sound again.

What is this whistle you're talking about? Is it from a not perfectly set plenum?I did my throttle actuators and the car runs fine but I can't tell if I'm hearing a slight whistling sound or it's just my imagination.

No. This sound has been there for a few years and randomly appeared one day. It increases with rpms and is quite obvious. Here is a thread discussing a potential fix, which I attempted but I don't think I let the RTV sit long enough before driving....or my whistle is from something else.

If you did not get the back hose connected properly, I would think that certainly could cause a whistle sound.

I managed to do all my spark plugs without using a coat hanger or special tool.

The trick is to disconnect it then rotate it back and forth to loosen it.

Then find a solid (non plastic) and safe prying spot for each. Do not pry from the slot on the coil where special tool is inserted. From the very bottom, it's rubber sleeve. Work it slowly from multiple angles where possible. Be patient.

I did not want to use a coat hanger or tool because I think with age they get brittle and that spot designed to pull or any plastic area on it is prone to breaking. Based on experiences in this thread.

But I suspect if you were to twist and work the coil loose and then use the tool you'd be safer. Just pulling on it while it's seized in there is asking for trouble.

Thank you for this DIY! I don't think I would have been able to take on this task without it.

Changed my new to me M3s plugs over the past week since the car has about 76k miles and it was the last bit of maintenance left to do.

Unfortunately I lost a small bolt that holds the drivers side cabin filter plastic to the car, but that doesn't seem to be detrimental for the time being.

The plugs didn't look great and I did see a little bit of oil coming from them when I initially took them out.

Engine is definitely purring now though!

This thread was an absolute mission to read through it, but hopefully well worth it!

Thanks to everyone but in particular:

TxStig (if I can't get your tool in the next few weeks I'll replicate what's been done in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=BuX5xti9qlA)
Kartelli
elp_jc
msan
e92zero
Locksmythe
TX
rbu_tuninq
///Mobbin
MisterClutch888

If I damage anything during the DIY I have no excuses! Hope you're all enjoying your M3s!

anyone know if the coil puller is still available? I can't fine mine

Thx for this thread! Why does Hans and Fritz (or whoever the Sadists at BMW Engineering are) have to make simple things so annoying to accomplish? Anyway, I had done some research on how this could be a PITA so I purchased the BMW tool for the coils, which was great. Appreciate the lever method to push the rear coils on.

I didn't realize til after the job that the rear drivers side coil being aligned differently than the other 7 was normal. I thought it had been installed incorrectly. I got it to pop on aligned like the rest. Car runs great so I guess I'll see if it pops off or something.

Only casualty was one of the grommet mounts on the passenger side cover. Plastic was brittle and broke. Car was at 45K and I don't think the plugs had ever been changed.