Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Joys of F body plug change 1 2

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  Oct. 22, 2009 5:52 p.m. TucoRamirez New Reader

  So I started out slowly on Saturday afternoon on what I though would be a days' work on my 97 lt1 camaro. I was installing a new water pump, distributor cap/rotor, igntition coil, spark plugs and wires. It's now Thursday. My arms and hands look like I tried to perform a rectal exam on a porcupine. I have small hands and it was still a tight squeze and lots of figureing out different approaches. The old plugs looked ok, but I set out to get the job done. And done it is. It fired right up Wednesday evening. Great, except I accidentily poked a hole in the radiator.
  

  There are a lot of cute ladies on public transit. I'm getting a lot of exercise. I like walking to the parts place looking like an oil soaked zombie. The fun is almost over however. I'm borrowing the wench's wagon tomorrow and will get the radiator repaired on my way to work. Anyone else dealt with Lt1 plug changes?

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  Oct. 22, 2009 6:57 p.m. Feedyurhed HalfDork

  No LT1 experience but I remember the old Buick turbo V6. The turbo plumbing ran along one one bank of plugs so you had to access them from underneath the car and go up. Needless to say didn't do that often. Engineers and designers should be forced to work on the cars they create.

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  Oct. 22, 2009 6:59 p.m. Soma007 New Reader

  Ahh yes, you should have asked before you started. Maybe I could have saved you a little grief.

  They changed a bit over the years but on my '93 TA you removed the Y-pipe in the exhaust, the alternator, and the starter you can get most of the tricky ones from underneath. Sounds like a PITA but they all come off fairly easy and give you lots more room to work. I forget which one (Cyl 6 or 8) on the passenger side I would actually just sit on the radiator support to reach it from above.

  Congratulations on getting it done though. If you can do plugs on a LT1 F-Body you can do just about anything on a car! :D

  Jason

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  Oct. 22, 2009 7:16 p.m. TucoRamirez New Reader

  Thanks for the compliment. I yanked the alternator and unbolted & moved the starter. I have dual cats, so I'd have to unbolt those along with the y-pipe. I really should have done that since the last time I had them off, I didn't have any anti-sieze to put back on the bolts. Next project. And I got very intimate with the top of the engine.
  

  I also noticed some of the wiring connectors are made of peanut brittle, yet the wiring brackets are made of some unbreakable super plastic. Lots of fun memories.

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  Oct. 22, 2009 7:18 p.m. TucoRamirez New Reader

  Feedyurhed wrote: Engineers and designers should be forced to work on the cars they create.

  Yes they should.

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  Oct. 22, 2009 7:22 p.m. slefain Dork

  The #8 spark plug on my Camaro was the factory unit. I never changed it, and I doubt anyone did after me.

  If I had a signature I would probably put it here.

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  Oct. 22, 2009 8:03 p.m. Tom_Spangler Reader

  slefain wrote: The #8 spark plug on my Camaro was the factory unit. I never changed it, and I doubt anyone did after me.

  That's the front passenger's side one, right? That was by far the hardest one to get. It was ~8 years ago that I did mine, and it was a major PITA, but not the worst job I've ever done on a car. I think installing an SN95 brake booster in a Fox Mustang holds that honor....

  07 F-150 - 08 Taurus X

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  Oct. 22, 2009 8:11 p.m. Soma007 New Reader

  Tom_Spangler wrote:

  slefain wrote: The #8 spark plug on my Camaro was the factory unit. I never changed it, and I doubt anyone did after me.

  That's the front passenger's side one, right? That was by far the hardest one to get. It was ~8 years ago that I did mine, and it was a major PITA, but not the worst job I've ever done on a car. I think installing an SN95 brake booster in a Fox Mustang holds that honor....

  That's #2 which is fairly doable if you pull the alternator and it's little bracket.

  8 is the last one on the passenger side bank. You actually get decent access on it from underneath if you pull the Y pipe and the starter.

  Jason

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  Oct. 22, 2009 9:26 p.m. Vettedrmr New Reader

  Having owned a '94 Z28 since '99 and 210,xxx miles on the odo, I can truly understand the OP's misery. Changing plugs is a piece of cake compared to re-routing the plug wires. First time I changed the plugs and wires right after I bought the car it took me 1.5 hours to swap the plugs, but 7+ hours to change the wires.

  Fortunately those wires are still fine after all this time.

  Congrats on not burning the car to the ground!

  Have a good one, Mike

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  Oct. 22, 2009 9:30 p.m. 2002maniac Reader

  TucoRamirez wrote: My arms and hands look like I tried to perform a rectal exam on a porcupine.

  I thought only BMW's had pricks on the inside?

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  Oct. 22, 2009 9:38 p.m. friedgreencorrado Dork

  Feedyurhed wrote: Engineers and designers should be forced to work on the cars they create.

  This belongs in the magazine...

  How can it be a midlife crisis, when I've driven sportscars my entire life?

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  Oct. 22, 2009 10:18 p.m. DeadSkunk New Reader

  I remember seeing a buddy of mine, who ran a Texaco station, charge plug changes by the hour on 428 Cougars. If you wanted the regular flat rate he'd make you sign off on torching a hole in the left inner fender to get at two plugs !! V8 Chevy Monzas were also on his hit list. I think you had to lift the motor on those.

  '99 Miata,'03 CooperS,'91 GTI 16V, '96 Astro

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  Oct. 23, 2009 9:13 a.m. Ian F HalfDork

  Damn... and I thought changing the plugs in my old '90 Ford van was bad... ...you guys have my sympathy...

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  Oct. 23, 2009 9:22 a.m. iceracer HalfDork

  TucoRamirez wrote:

  Feedyurhed wrote: Engineers and designers should be forced to work on the cars they create.

  Yes they should.

  That was always my favorite statement. Repeated many times over the years.

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  Oct. 23, 2009 10:26 a.m. Strizzo SuperDork

  similar to the turbo plumbing gripe, the egr pipe on my truck ran right over the top of the passenger side bank of the v6. two inches either side and there would be noooo problem

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  Oct. 23, 2009 12:54 p.m. Woody SuperDork

  I used to work for a yacht maintenance company. Try changing the outer plugs on a twin engined boat. They were most often found to be a different brand than the inner ones and likely the ones that came from the factory. As a bonus, this generally took place when we were winterizing the boats after they had been pulled from the water in November, so it was usually 35 degrees, damp and windy, even down in the bilge.

  Never approach a friend's girlfriend or wife with mischief as your goal. There are just too many women in the world to justify that sort of dishonorable behavior. Unless she's really attractive.

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  Oct. 23, 2009 1:30 p.m. amg_rx7 Reader

  Wow. I'm glad I own a 3rd gen RX7. The hardest thing we ever have to deal with is the tricky vacuum system.

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  Oct. 23, 2009 1:31 p.m. 44Dwarf HalfDork

  None of you ever had a V8 Vega / Monza did you?........

  The quickest way to change the plugs was to pull the motor mounts and jack the motor to the firewall, use 2 universals and three extentions. Did it twice then at the drag i saw another car like mine....Smart guy used a hole saw to the inner fenderwell. I did mine the next day.

  My Monza was a factory 151 car but i stuffed a 350 in to it. Oh what fun till the timing chain let go..

  44

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  Oct. 23, 2009 1:43 p.m. GTwannaB New Reader

  V8 Monza - unbolt the motor mounts and bottle jack to the block. That was a strange car, the gas pedal was harder to push down than the brake pedal. Not a very balanced vehicle.

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  Oct. 23, 2009 2:39 p.m. Capt Slow Reader

  I had a friend ask me for help in chaning the spark plugs on his early 80s 300zx. Being ignorant of what that car looked like under the hood I gave him a ration of E36 M3 for not being able to handle such a "simple" job.

  He got the last laugh when he popped the hood... The enitire intake manifold needed to be removed to get to the plugs...

  1995 subaru impresa -- to be sold | 1996 Miata -- woot!

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  Oct. 23, 2009 2:48 p.m. andrave HalfDork

  a guy I used to work with had a bently coupe with the W 12. Engine removal is required for spark plug replacement.

  No joke.

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  Oct. 23, 2009 2:55 p.m. DirtyBird222 Dork

  It's usually a good time to do headers as well when you do spark plugs on any 4th gen f-body. That's how I've always done it. Then changing the plugs and wires (especially on an LT1) is way easier because you'll do it so much more when the headers start burning up everything in their path :)

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  Oct. 23, 2009 2:57 p.m. rjones33 New Reader

  2002maniac wrote:

  TucoRamirez wrote: My arms and hands look like I tried to perform a rectal exam on a porcupine.

  I thought only BMW's had pricks on the inside?

  awesome.

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  Oct. 23, 2009 3:04 p.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker Dork

  Sometimes its just easier to pull the motor or get a different car.

  walterj, playing with the 'preferred username' feature

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  Oct. 23, 2009 3:50 p.m. TucoRamirez New Reader

  I usually blame Canada & Canadians for any problems with this car they made. Detroit gets the heat for the design though.
  

  I didn't have to move the engine, so it coulda been worse.

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