Tune up

[Cruisineasy]

I have a 2011 Jayco Greyhawk I'm going to change the plugs and air filter. Can I get to all 10 plugs by removing the doghouse?? I'm guessing the passenger seat needs to be removed to do that also..It has about 14000 miles and it's due for it's first smog check.

[Travelin2]

Unless most of your miles have been on dirt roads, you don't need to change that air filter either. Take the filter out and hold a light bulb inside of it. Turn it as you look at the pleats and if you see light shining through it then it is not clogged. The side next to the air entry will get dirty first. You can tell where that is by the little bits of bug wings and such laying loose in the pleats in that area. That should be the dirtiest part. If you can see light shining through in that area then the filter is good to go. If you have money that needs spending go buy a new pocket knife or a new gun. I bet you have always wondered what that high dollar bourbon is like. The money your saving on that tune-up you could pick up a bottle of Four Roses Secretariat 40th Anniversary bourbon for about 100 buck, or you could really impress your buddies if you gave them a sip of Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 23 Year. Pappys' 23 Year will set you back about $250, but your friends will always remember you. Let us know if you go for the knife, the gun or the booze or spark plugs and air filter.:)

[cgmartine]

Those are brand new plugs. Send them to me and I will re-use them in my e450.

[Cruisineasy]

Point made. It runs great. No problems with the engine.
On my cars, I usually change the plugs, air filter at tune up time, usually once a year. The oil every 5,000. Old school I guess.
Think I'll just change out the air filter. Much less work and $$$$.
Thanks for the info.

[DrewE]

It's hard to get to the plugs on the V10 in the E-series no matter what you do. At the least it would take an assortment of socket extensions and universal joints and so forth. The doghouse covers about as much of the engine as the hood does, maybe a little less; most of it is really underneath the dashboard.

As others said, it is at the very best pointless to replace the plugs at 14,000 miles unless you have some specific reason to believe it's necessary (such as one that is actually broken).

I think the problems with plugs being long and collecting carbon and causing trouble on removal were only for the three valve V10, but I may well be remembering that incorrectly. Earlier versions of the two-valve V10 did have barely adequate thickness of the threaded part of the head such that the spark plug holes had a tendency to strip out, particularly if the plugs were overtorqued at all; I think that was resolved well before 2011.

[rockhillmanor]

ScottG wrote:
Your plugs are no where near needing to be changed. It would be a complete waste of money.

X2

If its a V-10 you don't need to change them till 100,000.

[rockhillmanor]

.

[pauldub]

Some of the plugs you get to from the front and some from the back and you have to remove other stuff. I did mine early around 60K. You don't need to change the plugs for a very long time.

[ScottG]

Your plugs are no where near needing to be changed. It would be a complete waste of money.

[Sam_Spade]

samsontdog wrote:
I would wait another 90,000 miles before I would change the plugs

I agree; premature.

Mine is approaching 10 years old and 50K miles......and they will get changed this year. If you leave them in there TOO long they are more likely to corrode and seize up.

[samsontdog]

I would wait another 90,000 miles before I would change the plugs

[cmeade]

Some V10 have threads in the aluminum heads and since it has a long threaded shank then carbon collects on end so when plug is unscrewed the carbon damages the soft aluminum threads. Steel plugs trump soft aluminum. BTW have seen vehicles with 200k miles with original plugs running strong. I think Ford started using steel inserts to prevent this problem.

[kwplot34]

14k miles. you do not need to change the plugs.