Plugs and Distributor

1993 Protegé DX Spark Plug, Distributor, and Wire Replacement

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This is not a HOWTO guide. It is a HOWI guide. In other words, it's not how to replace your plugs, distributor, and wires. It's how I installed mine.

Disclaimer: Although this page includes a certain amount of advice, it is not intended to supplant manufacturer's instructions or actual mechanical expertise. If you have problems, you should consult an automotive professional, not my Web page. Please don't rely on this narrative in place of a qualified mechanic!

The procedure shown here is specific to a 1993 Mazda Protegé DX (SOHC). If you have some other kind of car, the procedure will be different, but probably not too different, especially if you've got an in-line 4 cylinder engine.

Background

Spark plugs last 25,000 to 30,000 miles, and the word on the street is that Mazda engines like to have their plugs changed perhaps even more frequently than that. I'm not sure when the plugs in this car were last replaced, but I figured it was about time.

The wires and distributor parts should last at least twice that long, but I decided that it was probably time for those to go as well.

I used all Bosch parts for this project, and it ended up costing about $75.

Before starting

Here's what the engine bay looked like before I began.

Click to embiggen

The basic procedure is as follows:

prepare all the new parts
remove the air intake ductwork
remove the old parts

wires
plugs
distributor
rotor

install the new parts
replace air intake parts
test drive

The air intake ductwork (black hoses on the right side of the picture above) need to be removed so that the distributor is accessible.

I started by preparing all the new parts, so that they'd be ready to install when I got to that point. All the new parts came out of their boxes and got checked for completeness and laid out in an organized way.

Here are the part numbers I used. Other brands will have different numbers.

	Spark Plugs		Bosch 4202
	Wires		Bosch 09255
	Rotor		Bosch 04222
	Distributor Cap		Bosch 03269

The new plugs came with two sets of tips depending on which will fit your spark plug boots. I didn't use the alternative tips because the default ones worked just fine.

Click to embiggen