robertmazda
Member
- :
- 2013 CX-5 Touring
Today I planned to replace the spark plugs on my 2013. I'm at 60,000 miles. The severe service schedule says to replace them at 75,000 but I do most of my work early.
Not wanting to spend $25 or more per plug on the OEM ones, I went to Amazon and bought the Bosch Platinum that it said was a match for my car.
So I grab the 5/8" spark plug socket that I've used on various cars for about 30 years and head out to the car to remove the OEM plugs. No luck. The socket is down all the way but it just spins freely, not grabbing the plug. I spent a long time trying to figure that out. The web says that 5/8" is standard. The 5/8" socket fit perfectly on the replacement plugs I got. Finally I find a website that refers to using a 9/16" socket on the CX-5. I found a long one of those in my tool box and it did the trick. If you search for a 9/16" spark plug socket they typically refer to certain Ford Triton engines only. Go figure...
So my warning to you is:
1) You most likely will need to buy a new 9/16" spark plug socket because your 5/8" one is too big.
2) When you shop you may be told to buy the wrong size spark plug. You want a 12mm thread size, NOT a 14mm thread size. I shopped online at various national retail chains and got mixed results. Some selected a correctly sized plug (Champion and Denso are the only ones I could find) and some sites selected a too large plug. One site told presented me with both 12mm and 14mm options.
My OEM plugs are the Mazda PE0118110.
Not wanting to spend $25 or more per plug on the OEM ones, I went to Amazon and bought the Bosch Platinum that it said was a match for my car.
So I grab the 5/8" spark plug socket that I've used on various cars for about 30 years and head out to the car to remove the OEM plugs. No luck. The socket is down all the way but it just spins freely, not grabbing the plug. I spent a long time trying to figure that out. The web says that 5/8" is standard. The 5/8" socket fit perfectly on the replacement plugs I got. Finally I find a website that refers to using a 9/16" socket on the CX-5. I found a long one of those in my tool box and it did the trick. If you search for a 9/16" spark plug socket they typically refer to certain Ford Triton engines only. Go figure...
So my warning to you is:
1) You most likely will need to buy a new 9/16" spark plug socket because your 5/8" one is too big.
2) When you shop you may be told to buy the wrong size spark plug. You want a 12mm thread size, NOT a 14mm thread size. I shopped online at various national retail chains and got mixed results. Some selected a correctly sized plug (Champion and Denso are the only ones I could find) and some sites selected a too large plug. One site told presented me with both 12mm and 14mm options.
My OEM plugs are the Mazda PE0118110.