In this diagram:
Please indicate which is the grounding strap.
From your pic - it’s the Side Electrode.
Ok, so different folks use different terms for it.
Now, on that side electrode/grounding strap, would it be recommended to adjust the gap by engaging the side electrode at about where the white arrow is point to it, to avoid contacting the central electrode?
It’s kind of hard to explain. I suggest doing a google search. @TwinTurbo suggestion is really only for Platinum plugs or Iridium plugs (which most are these days). So, make sure you find a video on those types of plugs. With copper plugs you don’t have to worry about damaging the electrode. But you really have to be careful with Platinum plugs and especially Iridium plugs.
I know that specifically for checking gap, either TwinTurbo or someone else recommended a wire-type gap gauge.
You want either a wire type gauge or feeler gauges. These are least likely to impart a torquing force to the center electrode.
The type to avoid are the coin style with the graduated ramp.
The wire gauges have a tang on one side that has slots for engaging with the side strap (ground strap) but never touching the center electrode. You can pry the strap open or closed with that feature.
Just google gapping tools to see a variety of them.
Do not tap on the strap to close it like you see in some of the utubes. They also make a screw type compressing tool to close the gap.
You may see people using needle nose to open the gap by gripping either side of the strap. Not a big fan of that approach either. Better to use the strap adjusting feature of the wire gauge…
Wire gauge is what I usually use. The problem is sometimes the wire choices aren’t a perfect fit. But unless you’re really ■■■■ about it, just use the closest one.
I don’t disagree with that, but the factory manual I pasted above clearly states not to adjust the gap and to replace the plug if the gap is not in spec.
Are you saying we should decide when to follow factory procedures and when to deviate from them? 
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There was no mention of the type of vehicle or more importantly the age but all the advice is spot on, easy and inexpensive to do……
- Replace the valve cover gasket
- Buy new plugs. Don’t have to buy Iridium, platinum is just fine.
- Check the gap with a wire gauge
- Wipe any oil/dirt off and around the head threads and torque the plugs to spec.
- Clean the plug wires or replace if they’re brittle or cracking
If you’re doing a 4 cylinder engine and taking your time it should take about 2 hours and cost about $100.
#1 - On some vehicles you can only get Iridium plugs. They don’t make a platinum or copper plug.
#2 - Some vehicles you want to use the longest lasting plug possible because they are such a pain in the but to replace.
Why replace Valve Cover Gasket?
I believe the spark plug tube seals may be leaking
just want this car to last me till i win the lottery or atleast till 2028 and then maybe i will just buy another car finally. i want it to last me 2 or 3 more years.
My conclusion, seems like the oil leak on the plugs is an immediate problem but if they’re only going to keep the vehicle for 2-3 years why spend the extra on a 5-10 year plug?
Chris, you can skip to the meat at the 4:00 minute mark…
I always check and correct any spark plug gap I install, in the case of the OP’a vehicle where the gap is 0.52", a lot of spark plugs fit different vehicles, most seem to be preset to 0.44", without checking the OP might have installed plugs set at 0.44" and not the correct 0.52" it calls for… If using the correct tools and being careful, you will not damage a spark plug by checking/adjusting the gap…
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Installing incorrect spark plugs can burn up COP’s (coil on plug), it is cheaper to do it right the 1st time…
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We agree on something!
So I’m not a total n u t job when it comes to vehicle maintenance.
Please tell me what’s the cost difference? Have you actually checked? For my Highlander the cost difference total for all 6 plugs would be less than $20.
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Tires on a yearly basis! Was your Ford a 427 or 428 with a four speed Torino or Mustang. I smoke a lot of tires in my youth but never to the point of replacing in a year. As far as air filter, working at the local Flying Horse, I would blow out the filter each week, just because I could.
In the 60s Champions were king. Oddly, had a kid bring his Chevy 235 in for a tuneup but brought in Mopar plugs, I said nothing, just installed them.
These habits I mentioned were from my late-teens to around thirty.
As Alanis Morissette said once: “You live, you learn…!”
Champion was the primary maker of Mopar spark plugs at least up until the Mercedes Benz days, now they are NGK’s mostly…
Just like Autolite made Motorcraft spark plugs…