Spark plug torque wrench

Just a FYI; You should relieve the tension on those spring loaded torque wrenches. Take it back down to zero before putting it in the case and don't drop them. You'll ruin the calibration. Those spark plugs thread into an aluminum head (soft metal); don't put too much muscle on them. I've done enough spark plugs to not need a torque wrench; never had one that I did, back out, cross threaded, or wielded in place - but have run into quite a few.

YMMV

 

I thought I recalled suggestion, to take it down to the lowest setting, not zero, so googled:

relieve tension on torque wrench after use

And Google's AI concurs, saying:

always wind it down to the lowest torque setting on the scale, not zero.

 

My understanding is that the correct torque is 15 ft/lbs.

 

That’s correct. And finding that value is not trivial: Owners Manual says nothing. In my bootleg copy of the Repair Manual (what several other manufacturers refer to as Shop Manual, there’s a section devoted to spark plugs, with no mention of spark plug torque value. I finally found the value, on a page related to (totally unrelated) valve cover removal and install.

attached is aforementioned spark plug section, with the valve cover page tacked on the end.

note: there’s no mention of lube on the spark plug threads, so “presumably” they should be torqued with clean/dry threads. That’s Denso’s recommendation as well.

 

Yes, always store them after setting to the lowest setting. I now have 4 torque wrenches...had to buy a larger one when my friend started using my garage for his new Ford Maverick pickup and these steel wheels are torqued to 148 ft/lbs.....just crazy! (My old tire torque wrench only goes up to 110 or so.)

My favorite is this electronic torque wrench by GearWrench..electronic so you can watch it to see the current torque....really handy for smaller things like spark plugs.