Owners of other Honda or Acura vehicles such as the Pilot, Insight, CR-Z, Accord, Civic, Fit, Crosstour, Odyssey, Ridgeline, TSX, ILX, TLX, TL, RLX, RDX and MDX may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

A few compatible replacement spark plugs for the 2007, 2008 & 2009 CR-V with their part numbers are as follows: NGK 6994 (IZFR6K11), Bosch 4508, Denso # 5304, and Autolite XP5224.

Replacement spark plugs for the 2010 & 2011 CR-V include the NGK Iridium 5787 (ILZKR7B-11S) (OEM part), Denso 3461, Champion RER8ZWYCB4 (9407) and Bosch # 9619.

The tools needed to complete this procedure include a 10mm socket with a 1/4" drive ratchet, a 5/8" spark plug socket, a 6" extension bar and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

Loosen the four bolts that hold the plastic engine cover in place by turning them counterclockwise with the 10mm socket and ratcheting wrench.

Lift the plastic cover straight off the engine and set it aside with the bolts.

If you have access to compressed air or a wet/dry shop vacuum, thoroughly clean off the top of the engine to help prevent from having debris fall down in to the spark plug well.

Press down the release tab on the first ignition coil's electrical connector and slide the plug straight off.

To further reduce the risk of having debris fall down in to a cylinder or getting dust in to the electrical connectors, I'd recommend only checking or changing one spark plug a time.

Set the 10mm bolt aside in a safe place.

Lift the ignition coil straight out of the spark plug well and set it aside in a safe place.

Your spark plug socket should have a rubber insert or a strong magnet to securely hold the spark plug in place.

Carefully lower the socket down over the old spark plug and loosen it in the counterclockwise direction.

If you can't loosen the old spark plug, do not use excessive force to avoid cracking the ceramic portion of the plug.

Spray a small amount of penetrating oil such as PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench or Kano Kroil and wait at least 15 minutes or more before attempting to loosen it again. If you don't have any penetrating oil, try spraying some WD-40 or warm up the engine for a few minutes to help expand the metal engine block.

Once the old spark plug is loose, detach the ratcheting wrench and spin it out the rest of the way by hand using the extension bar.

If the rubber insert from the socket is still attached to the spark plug, pull it off and push it back in to the socket.

If the end of the old spark plug looks ashy white, the plugs may have been exposed to high temperatures due to engine overheating or they are the incorrect heat range for your driving conditions or environment.

If the old spark plugs are dark grey or covered in black soot, the engine may be burning oil and should be checked by a professional mechanic.

I recommend buying the Honda OEM spark plugs, which are the NGK Iridium 5787, since they have excellent reviews on Amazon.

An optional step is to apply a tiny amount of anti-seize lubricant to the upper metal threads of the new spark plug. This will make the plugs easier to take out if they are not changed again for another 100k miles. Do not get any of the anti-seize on the electrode tip at the bottom of the new spark plug. Most spark plug manufacturers recommend against using anti-seize grease since it can lead to over tightening.

If you do apply anti-seize to the threads of the new spark plug, less force will be necessary to properly tighten them.

For most of the compatible replacement spark plugs, the correct gap is .044", but please check the manufacturer's specification for the plugs you purchased.

If the gap on the new plug is not correct, it may have been dropped or damaged in shipping and should be exchanged for a new one.

Push the new spark firmly plug in to the socket.

Carefully lower the new spark plug attached to the socket and the 6" extension bar down in to the well. Try to avoid hitting the electrode tip.

Spin in the new plug by hand until it makes contact with the cylinder head.

Attach the 3/8" drive ratchet to the extension bar and very carefully tighten the new plug to just barely past the point when you feel the new crush washer collapse.

That should be a small fraction of a turn past when the plug could not be tightened any more with just your fingers spinning the extension bar.

Do not over tighten the spark plugs to prevent from cracking the ceramic body or stripping the aluminum threads.

If you applied anti-seize lubricant grease to the threads of the new spark plug, less force will be necessary to properly tighten the plug.

Double check that the new spark plug is tight before moving on to the next steps.

Lower the ignition coil down in to the well on to the new spark plug.

Spin in the ignition coil bolt by hand a few turns to prevent it from becoming cross threaded.

Do not over tighten the bolt to prevent from cracking the plastic ignition coil housing.

Push the electrical connector straight on to the ignition coil until it clicks securely in to place.

Avoid over tightening the bolts to prevent from cracking the plastic engine cover.

Start the engine and listen for any strange sounds that may indicate a faulty ignition coil or loose electrical connector.

Be sure to record the spark plug change in your vehicle's service records.

For more, check out my other Honda CR-V Repair & Maintenance Guides.