300E 103 motor - Stuck plug wires...
 

I was going to change the plugs on my chum's '87 300E today and all the plug wires minus one, were stuck to the old plugs. They've been on there since '87 as they had the OE part number still stamped on the one that came off! :eek:

Anyway, is destruction of the old wires the only way to remove them from the old plugs? Would trying to soak them in PB work to loosen them up enough to remove?

I just do not want to get caught with my pants down by having broken wires and the end stuck to the plug and not being able to get my plug socket on there...

Thanks

You don't say whether you have the proper spark plug plier tool, but apparently not. I watched my indy do the following.

Needle nose vice-grips to grab the metal that protrudes out from the spark plug connector. Then I think he may have used a screwdriver as a fulcrum to apply leverage and pop off the connector.

Steve

Correct, that tool apparently isn't worth the cash from what I have been told. Use of dielectric grease prevents this problem.

I just don't want part of the old plug wire stuck on the plug is all. :eek:

Might try it with the engine a bit warm, see if that helps loosen them. (don't burn yourself, obviously). If using a tool, grab the metal shield. Either way, try rocking and twisting while also pulling on.

Took around two hours to complete this job. Plug wires tore from the boots so I had to smash up the ceramic of the boot and fish each little piece out all the way down to the plug base. Not fun. The boots would simply NOT come off the plugs, they were corroded on there... obviously no dielectric grease was used.

Anyway, car starts up much easier now and idles better. Next up is a cap + rotor.

Gotta love vehicles with no work done within the last ten years. :rolleyes:

Had this same problem on a '90 300SE
 

I think the plugs had been changed before but no dielectric grease was used.

I wound up twisting the boots CCW since the plug wires were adhering to the screw-on electrical 'thingie'. Still, it was an agonizingly slow and tiring process to remove the 6 wires by unscrewing the thingie off the threaded post.