you dont remove the intercooler tube, just the intercooler itself. there are 2 nuts behind the ic that you cannot see. also, the wiring harness clips to the ic, and it is a pain to remove. you also have to remove the egr, then there is another hose. go to mazdaworld.org, and register. there should be a very good pictorial on changing the plugs. if not, then give me your email, and i can send it to you.

 

Well i finished up today and every thing went OK besides getting at #5 but all in all it really wasn't that hard just needed to take my time! So now I have to try to figure out why my air bag light is on and there is some we rd sound when I excelerate sounds like the fans are hitting something any advice on what could be the problem?

Most of all I really appreciate your help and guidance THANK YOU!

O I forgot to tell you that the old plugs were Denso Iridium if that makes a difference.

 

common problem with the air bag lite is the connector underneath the passenger seat. try disconnecting and reconnecting it. sound like the fan could be you didnt torque a plug down enough. i hope you used a torque wrench, iirc, the torque is only like 14 ft/lbs. dunno about denso iridiums, what was the gap on them?

 

OK ill try that connector under the seat. After driving around for about a good 25 30miles the noise has gone away maybe it needed some time to respond to the new plugs which by the way I didnt use a torque wrench is that bad? I just hand tighten them. Some of the old plugs were .043"-.045"

Thanks,

 

spark plugs are kinda critical, esp on the 2.3. you are probably NOT going to touch them for a long time, that's one reason to put the best/proper ones in there. iirc, torque for them is 12-14 ft lbs, you will have to get an inch/lbs torque wrench to do it. you will be surprised at how much that torque is. the 2.3 has fairly high compression, and because of the late valve timing, a properly seated spark plug is more critical than an otto cycle motor. when new plugs are installed, the crush ring on them collapses a lot more than on the next time. also, if they are not torqued down correctly, they may not reach far enough into the combustion chamber. btw, after the plugs, did you lose the 0306 code?

 

No check engine light came on! I unplugged/plugged the driver side air bag connector and no more air bag light. But that noise that sounds like a fan hitting something comes and goes?

 

you owe me lunch. maybe the fan IS hitting something?

 

Cool no problem when im out that way lunch and beer on my dime! Do you think pep boys is a good place to take an check it out?

 

no. i'd rather drive it off a cliff. why dont you look in there, you may have dropped something.