1999 Mercury Mystique Tune Up

There are 3 things that get in the way of the plugs -

1. The plastic cover piece on the front - three 7 or 8mm bolts to remove
2. The box underneath that cover - 4 8mm bolts
3. The coilpack - this one can be left in place, but for the effort to remove the 4 7mm bolts, it was well worth in my book. Having it loose also made it a bit easier to replace the plug wires

"Â use a 3/4" plug socket on a 6" extension
"Â put a piece of duct tape around the socket extension / socket joint to keep them together.
"Â Use silicone / di-electric grease on the plugs and both ends of the wires.

"Â A bit of anti-seize on the plug threads won't hurt either
"Â Don't over-torque the plugs - don't remember exactly what the torque specification is, but it's lower than I would have thought - snug them in tight, but don't "crank" them down hard (sorry to be so darned technical there ;))
"Â Do the plugs one-at-a-time! Helps prevent getting the firing order messed up.

"Â Plug gap:.054

other than plugs and the plug wires, may want to consider replacing the air filter as well.