S55 Spark Plug DIY

Rob.K · 07-09-2017, 10:46 AM

CloudVIII and I decided to do a little spark plug DIY since there isn't one kicking around yet. Hopefully this helps some of you out

I'm going off memory, apologies in advance if I forgot to highlight a bolt or am missing a needed tool.

Tools needed:
Thin wall 12 point 14mm spark plug socket
Torque Wrench
E11,E12,E14
6mm, 8mm, 1/2" and/or 12mm socket
Trim removal tool / Flathead Screwdriver

Torques:
Spark Plugs - 18ft-lbs
Brace - Did not find specific torque values for the brace but took between 24 & 28 ft-lbs to remove each bolt.

1. Open Hood and remove bolts circled in red. The top 6 are 1/4 turn after which you can remove the cover. Remove bolts circled in green after cover has been removed. They have also been circled red in the next picture.

2. Remove more brace bolts & pop the covers off the middle two bolts.

3. Remove middle brace bolts

4. Pop off rivets & unplug connector on each side. Lift rubber cover to expose bolt in next picture

5. Remove bolt, & remove entire brace and set aside

6. Remove these 3 bolt on each side and lift out cover

7. Should look like this now

8. This step is optional but it makes removal of charge pipes much easier. Remove rear turbo intake pipe be removing bolt behind the pipe indicated by arrow.

9. Loosen Charge Pipe Clamps

10. Remove Charge pipe bolts on each turbo outlet & remove charge pipes

11. This is what it should look like after removing charge pipes. Be careful not to drop anything in the turbos!

12. After charge pipe removal you will see the engine cover. Pull up to unseat it from its grommets and wiggle it out.

13. After engine cover removal you will see the 6 ignition coils.

14. Unplugging of coils

15. After unplugging coils, we used a socket extension where the red line is to pull up on the ignition coils and remove them.

16. Use spark plug socket to remove old plugs and install new plugs, WITHOUT ANTISEIZE, at 18ft-lbs.

17. Putting everything back together is reverse of removal.

ciaranob · 07-09-2017, 11:42 AM

Man, what a pain - thx for sharing - the price we pay for a big engine in a small space!

CloudVIII · 07-09-2017, 01:02 PM

SakhirM4 · 07-09-2017, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ciaranob

Man, what a pain - thx for sharing - the price we pay for a big engine in a small space!

3.0L is hardly a big engine - it's pretty small actually.

ciaranob · 07-09-2017, 02:32 PM

Everything is relative - in this case w.r.t. the engine bay

Quote:

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

3.0L is hardly a big engine - it's pretty small actually.

TMD29 · 07-09-2017, 04:21 PM

I'm not positive but I think the middle brace bolts in the third picture need to be replaced.

MrSmartyPants · 07-09-2017, 07:16 PM

Great write up, Thanks!

Why no antiseize?

Rob.K · 07-10-2017, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSmartyPants

Great write up, Thanks!

Why no antiseize?

It'll act as lubricant and throw off the torque

Rob.K · 07-10-2017, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMD29

I'm not positive but I think the middle brace bolts in the third picture need to be replaced.

Would be great if anyone could confirm this! Thank you.

whoop_ass · 07-10-2017, 01:14 AM

nice DIY thanks and well posted

Acree · 07-10-2017, 02:22 PM

Nicely done. I had this done in about 90 minutes in my garage when I regapped with new plugs. Thanks for making this for the community!

4everkidd · 07-11-2017, 09:46 AM

I wasn't even entirely sure where the sparkplugs were.... thanks for the DIY

EALm4 · 07-11-2017, 06:59 PM

James0518 we gotta change them

styler69 · 07-15-2017, 01:02 PM

what spark plugs did you replace with? bosch or ngk?

CloudVIII · 07-31-2017, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by styler69

what spark plugs did you replace with? bosch or ngk?

NGK 97506

CharlieVictor · 08-08-2017, 07:09 PM

Great write-up. Thanks!

M3LOLJK · 09-26-2017, 07:33 AM

Thanks for the write up. Which type of gaping tool did you guys use ?

kerm1t · 10-06-2017, 06:39 PM

does anyone know the correct torque spec for the carbon/metal brance? going to attempt this over the weekend.

Yas__Plz · 10-06-2017, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3LOLJK

Thanks for the write up. Which type of gaping tool did you guys use ?

You can use a feeler gauge from Home Depot. (What I used)
Pretty cheap

TMD29 · 10-06-2017, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerm1t

does anyone know the correct torque spec for the carbon/metal brance? going to attempt this over the weekend.

28Nm renew screw.

FlyingLow78 · 11-09-2017, 12:31 PM

I followed this DIY today and have a couple notes from my experience:

- The bolts in photo 3 were different on my car (Nov 2014 build) - I had 17mm hex bolts.

- It's not necessary to loosen the charge pipe clamps nearest the intercooler. Simply loosening the clamps nearest the charge pipes is more than enough.

- It's imperative you have a 14mm 12-point thin-wall socket. A standard deep socket is too fat to fit inside the spark plug hole. I successfully ground a standard socket thinner on a bench grinder, but what a pain. I had to use a magnet to fish the plugs out of the holes.

- The coils just press in place and have nothing to hold them inside the holes. Just a firm push is required to seat them. They are not flush with the head when full seated.

- My plugs had 30,000 miles and my engine is completely stock. As it turns out, I did not need to do plugs at all. Mine were totally fine, but I did them while I was in there. All of the gaps were correct at .025" and none needed to be adjusted on the new plugs.

- This isn't a difficult job at all, it just takes time and patience. It took me 3.5 hours, including wasting time asking for tools from people who had no clue what I was asking for, and grinding down a socket to fit.

- BMW went to a lot of trouble making the engine brace in aluminum and carbon fiber to save weight, but then makes a thick, heavy plastic rear center cover for the engine bay.

- If I had to do it again, I'd try leaving the aluminum portion of the engine brace in place. It may not be necessary to remove it, even though it wasn't difficult.

BzsBimmer · 11-12-2017, 07:41 PM

Just did this today.
My top 2 bolts from picture 3 were E18 (maybe that’s what FlyingLow78 meant, or BMW ended up changing bolts 3 times.

The torque list from TMD29 was invaluable (for those of us who actually believe in proper torque specs).

Actually quite easy to do, however, it is amazing how many bolts and pieces you need to remove to just get at these plugs. Worse than the E9X and E46 M3’s I’ve had to do them on. Even my X5M was easier....

Thanks OP for a great DIY

07-09-2017, 10:46 AM	#1
Rob.K Private First Class 92 Rep 181 Posts Drives: 08 135i, 08 4.8i X5 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Edmonton, AB iTrader: (3)	S55 Spark Plug DIY CloudVIII and I decided to do a little spark plug DIY since there isn't one kicking around yet. Hopefully this helps some of you out I'm going off memory, apologies in advance if I forgot to highlight a bolt or am missing a needed tool. Tools needed: Thin wall 12 point 14mm spark plug socket Torque Wrench E11,E12,E14 6mm, 8mm, 1/2" and/or 12mm socket Trim removal tool / Flathead Screwdriver Torques: Spark Plugs - 18ft-lbs Brace - Did not find specific torque values for the brace but took between 24 & 28 ft-lbs to remove each bolt. 1. Open Hood and remove bolts circled in red. The top 6 are 1/4 turn after which you can remove the cover. Remove bolts circled in green after cover has been removed. They have also been circled red in the next picture. 2. Remove more brace bolts & pop the covers off the middle two bolts. 3. Remove middle brace bolts 4. Pop off rivets & unplug connector on each side. Lift rubber cover to expose bolt in next picture 5. Remove bolt, & remove entire brace and set aside 6. Remove these 3 bolt on each side and lift out cover 7. Should look like this now 8. This step is optional but it makes removal of charge pipes much easier. Remove rear turbo intake pipe be removing bolt behind the pipe indicated by arrow. 9. Loosen Charge Pipe Clamps 10. Remove Charge pipe bolts on each turbo outlet & remove charge pipes 11. This is what it should look like after removing charge pipes. Be careful not to drop anything in the turbos! 12. After charge pipe removal you will see the engine cover. Pull up to unseat it from its grommets and wiggle it out. 13. After engine cover removal you will see the 6 ignition coils. 14. Unplugging of coils 15. After unplugging coils, we used a socket extension where the red line is to pull up on the ignition coils and remove them. 16. Use spark plug socket to remove old plugs and install new plugs, WITHOUT ANTISEIZE, at 18ft-lbs. 17. Putting everything back together is reverse of removal. Attached Images __________________ 2008 135i 6MT \| - Current 2007 335xi AT \| 12.1@117 - Sold
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07-09-2017, 11:42 AM	#2
ciaranob Major 748 Rep 1,478 Posts Drives: M4 Convertible Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (0)	Man, what a pain - thx for sharing - the price we pay for a big engine in a small space! __________________ Individual M4 Convertible ED Sept 2014
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07-09-2017, 01:02 PM	#3
CloudVIII Lieutenant 228 Rep 502 Posts Drives: AW LCI F80///M3 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Edmonton, AB iTrader: (0)	__________________ Sunset Orange G20 M340i PAST F80 LCI/M3/AW FBO BM3 Cary Tuned Meth/Pure Stage 2 F36 CB 435i FBO F15 GS X5 50i Tune F10 AW 550i Loaded/Tune/M5 Exhaust
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07-09-2017, 04:21 PM	#6
TMD29 Don't care 117 Rep 224 Posts Drives: 17 SO M3 ZCP Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Ohio iTrader: (0)	I'm not positive but I think the middle brace bolts in the third picture need to be replaced.
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07-09-2017, 07:16 PM	#7
MrSmartyPants Lieutenant 354 Rep 499 Posts Drives: F80 M3 - 6MT_MW on SO Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: CT iTrader: (1)	Great write up, Thanks! Why no antiseize?
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07-10-2017, 01:14 AM	#10
whoop_ass Captain 355 Rep 719 Posts Drives: non Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: On Earth iTrader: (0)	nice DIY thanks and well posted Last edited by whoop_ass; 11-03-2017 at 11:44 AM..
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07-10-2017, 02:22 PM	#11
Acree Captain 378 Rep 850 Posts Drives: Waiting... Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dallas, TX iTrader: (2)	Nicely done. I had this done in about 90 minutes in my garage when I regapped with new plugs. Thanks for making this for the community! __________________ Current 15 911 Turbo S Past 03 MB E55 AMG, 16 Grigio Medio F80 M3, 11 E92 M3, 13 BRZ, 06 Evo IX, 05 350Z
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07-11-2017, 09:46 AM	#12
4everkidd Major 646 Rep 1,336 Posts Drives: F80 AY M3 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Calgary iTrader: (1)	I wasn't even entirely sure where the sparkplugs were.... thanks for the DIY
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07-11-2017, 06:59 PM	#13
EALm4 Colonel 3347 Rep 2,009 Posts Drives: SO 16' M4 Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Baltimore iTrader: (1)	James0518 we gotta change them
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07-15-2017, 01:02 PM	#14
styler69 Second Lieutenant 62 Rep 196 Posts Drives: M4 Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Little Rock iTrader: (1)	what spark plugs did you replace with? bosch or ngk?
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08-08-2017, 07:09 PM	#16
CharlieVictor Private 30 Rep 58 Posts Drives: 2015 F80 6-speed YMB Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1)	Great write-up. Thanks!
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09-26-2017, 07:33 AM	#17
M3LOLJK Private First Class 49 Rep 173 Posts Drives: E90 M3 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: NYC iTrader: (1)	Thanks for the write up. Which type of gaping tool did you guys use ?
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10-06-2017, 06:39 PM	#18
kerm1t Captain 169 Rep 926 Posts Drives: 17 M3 ZCP Stage 2 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	does anyone know the correct torque spec for the carbon/metal brance? going to attempt this over the weekend.
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11-09-2017, 12:31 PM	#21
FlyingLow78 The G8X is a disaster. 🤮 930 Rep 988 Posts Drives: Not a BMW anymore Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Europe iTrader: (3)	I followed this DIY today and have a couple notes from my experience: - The bolts in photo 3 were different on my car (Nov 2014 build) - I had 17mm hex bolts. - It's not necessary to loosen the charge pipe clamps nearest the intercooler. Simply loosening the clamps nearest the charge pipes is more than enough. - It's imperative you have a 14mm 12-point thin-wall socket. A standard deep socket is too fat to fit inside the spark plug hole. I successfully ground a standard socket thinner on a bench grinder, but what a pain. I had to use a magnet to fish the plugs out of the holes. - The coils just press in place and have nothing to hold them inside the holes. Just a firm push is required to seat them. They are not flush with the head when full seated. - My plugs had 30,000 miles and my engine is completely stock. As it turns out, I did not need to do plugs at all. Mine were totally fine, but I did them while I was in there. All of the gaps were correct at .025" and none needed to be adjusted on the new plugs. - This isn't a difficult job at all, it just takes time and patience. It took me 3.5 hours, including wasting time asking for tools from people who had no clue what I was asking for, and grinding down a socket to fit. - BMW went to a lot of trouble making the engine brace in aluminum and carbon fiber to save weight, but then makes a thick, heavy plastic rear center cover for the engine bay. - If I had to do it again, I'd try leaving the aluminum portion of the engine brace in place. It may not be necessary to remove it, even though it wasn't difficult.
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11-12-2017, 07:41 PM	#22
BzsBimmer Major General 3252 Rep 6,716 Posts Drives: '23 G80 FO M3, M3 & MY Tezzy's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Nor. Cal iTrader: (32)	Just did this today. My top 2 bolts from picture 3 were E18 (maybe that’s what FlyingLow78 meant, or BMW ended up changing bolts 3 times. The torque list from TMD29 was invaluable (for those of us who actually believe in proper torque specs). Actually quite easy to do, however, it is amazing how many bolts and pieces you need to remove to just get at these plugs. Worse than the E9X and E46 M3’s I’ve had to do them on. Even my X5M was easier.... Thanks OP for a great DIY
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