www.iFourWinns.com

i've been trying to figure out what kind of special tool i need to get at the plugs on my 1995 h190 with the ford 302 engine? i'm not new to engine work but... every socket combo i try ends up hanging up on the exhaust manifold! even with a mirror i find it almost impossible to attempt. (does anyone hang upside down to do this ha ha)? anyhow... i know i've seen other posts mentioning tools but i can't seem to find them now. once out, how hard is it to allign the new plugs back in place? -bk

If it's any help, the spark plug used on that engine fit a 5/8" spark plug socket.

Graham

I had the same issue on the 220 Horizon 5.8 I used to have. What I always had to do was put the socket on the spark plug by itself, then use a box wrench on the end of the socket to break the plug loose. Then I could remove the socket and plug by hand.

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USCG 50 Ton Master Inland/OUPV Endorsement+Towing

1998 278 Vista - Twin 4.3 GLs, Kohler 4KW Gen, AC/Heat.
1999 Yamaha Waverunner SUV
2003 Yamaha Waverunner SUV w/MR-1 HO conversion

good ideas but... still trying to adapt sockets to get there ! i was able to get my standard 3/8 drive 5/8" socket on the plug but unable to move it using the 3/8 drive ext. and universal. ( binding on the exhaust manifold) i ground down a taper on the socket and tried using an adapter and a 1/4 inch drive and universal but no luck-yet. i've been to napa,autozone,harbor freight, to mention a few- so far no wrench! i'm not giving up yet but it is getting frustrating! at the local omc repair shop i was told this engine combo is the worst and the only wrench available out there to do the job is one made by snap-on for around $50.00! (do i bite the bullet and try to buy one? or pay the shop $40 bucks to put my plugs in for me??)- since i don't plan to do this job very often. thoughts?? (also need to get a part number for the snap-on if i do decide to go that route.)

Buy the $50 tool, then come back here and post pics and the part number.

Always remember Mike's first rule of tool buying. Every project deserves a new tool. Or, Carpenter Diem - "seize the tools."

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

update: just got a reply back from doug russel marine parts and supply- he said my best bet is the sears 5/8 swivel socket for spark plugs so guess what... i'll be going there today and hopefully they have it and it works?

Why not try a box end 5/8ths with a long handle to give leverage? I would guess there might be enough clearance for the box end to slip between the plug and the lower end of the manifold. Sears may even sell ratcheting box end wrenches, and if they had a long enough handle they might just work. I wonder if the plug is not recessed into the head so much the box end would not be able to slip over the flats. I have heard of having this problem with certain engines with certain aftermarket manifolds as well. I'm thinking if you can slide the box end over the flats of the plug, with the handle pointing close to straight down, you might be able to break it loose, then slip a length of hose over the porcelin of the plug to unscrew it the rest of the way.

I have never worked on a Ford I/O engine before but had a 302 in my old '70 Torino years ago...if I recall the plugs were set kind of deep in the cyl head...I looked on a couple of marine parts sites to see what it looks like and I can see the exhaust ports are very close to the spark plug holes, and because of the angle of the cyl head, a box end might not work unless it is offset or bent somehow....so if you are going to keep the boat, get the tool, here at $100/hr for labor, pays for itself in a 1/2 hr or so!

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

got my kd swivel socket set from sears today and in a half hour i had all 8 plugs out! whew!! glad i got all 3 extension lengths because i ended up using the longest one 11 inches i think? anyhow... $41.00 never looked so good! (only thing i guess i could say that is sorta negative on these sockets is that the epoxied magnet broke out of the one i was using, but for me this was a plus because it gave me more leeway to move it!)- bk

Had the same issue on my '95 V278 with the T-OMC Cobra 5.0's. When it was plug changing time I always bought 18 plugs because I knew I would break 1 per motor. Another tool option I found worked well was a Snap-On extension I remembered I had. Instead of the traditional flat square end that attaches to the socket, it has an end that has a goofy flair to it. When inserted into the socket it allows the socket to wobble 5 or 10 degrees from straight and you don't lose torque or control like you can with some universals in a blind situation. When I dug that thing out I quit breaking plugs. I think I paid about 8 bucks for it back in the day.

No experience with plugs in an OMC, but I do love the Snap On wobble drive extensions. One of those things I wish I would of thought of.... they can get you out of trouble in alot of situations.

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

I have one of those wobble sockets too....lets me change the first spark plug on my 98 Jeep straight six without moving the AC compressor, saves a little time.
Glad it worked out. My toolbox has many special tools accumulated over 37 years of fixing my own stuff....each one can tell a story....of colorful language....skinned knuckles....but the "problem" always got fixed......my way of having some independence from mechanics. I still have one of those combo 1/2 + 9/16ths wrenches used to loosen the distrubutor lock nut on Chevy V-8s

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

LOL, I've got one of those too.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Remember one end was for Chevy one end was for Ford, the one I had used 2 seperate parts for the wrench section joined by piece that let you take off each section so you could use a ratchet with it. The simple curved part fit the Fords I think and the more complex one fit Chevies, if I recall. I am going to do a tune up on the old 4.3 in a few weeks so I'll use it again! I still miss having the GM Delco distrubutor with the little metal window in it that let you adjust the points with the engine running and the dwell meter hooked up. Got it right every time instead of going back and checking gap with the feeler gauge, and re-checking with the dwell meter. Still have points on my 88 4.3!

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I believe you're right about that, and I think I've got that same wrench... I forgot about it coming apart.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic