…nobody asked what anti seize does.
I’m not a “Because I said so” kind of guy. I share my experience, knowledge and opinions so others can make up their own minds. I’m just some dumb jerk on the internet.
With that said, learning has occurred. Turns out several manufacturers apply an anti seize coating to the threads of some of their spark plugs that prevents galling and corrosion, reduces electrical resistance, helps heat transfer and makes it easier to remove the spark plug. The reason they recommended against applying anti seize is to prevent over torquing, particularly in aluminum heads.
Still, some experienced technicians apply a small dab of anti seize because they find the factory coating doesn’t always do a good job of keeping the threads from seizing. As the recommended mileage between spark plug changes is greater than ever, so is the chance of spark plugs getting stuck.
Some experienced technicians don’t apply anti seize and have no trouble at all. I use anti seize because the first time I removed the spark plugs from my Jeep, they were very difficult to remove. I was afraid they’d break.
Bottom Line- If installing spark plugs with the factory coating, an application of anti seize isn’t needed. But as long as anti seize applied sparingly and torque is corrected to compensate, it does have its benefits. The choice is yours.