New Plugs and Wires-------WOW!!!

[luvmybravada]

So I just got done replacing my plugs and wires. I used AC Delco plugs and Belden wires from NAPA. It only took about 2 hours and I left the coil packs on throughout the job. I did loosen the black fuseable link next to the black "V8 box" and pushed it out of the way to get to plug number 5. I also started with that one because it's the hardest.

Prior to this, I've done the grounding kit, K&N filter, opened filter box and thought it helped a little. After replacing the plugs and wires...


WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!


It picks up so quick and has incredible throttle response.

So if you haven't done this, go do it!

Plugs- $30 on Ebay
Wires- $120 from NAPA

[Custom88]

how many miles you have? Glad to hear that the plugs made a big difference in the livlihood of your Aurora.

[scottydl]

After I finish my current update list (which includes lighting, battery, and front brakes)... my next projects to work toward will be plugs/wires and Dexcool replacement. With my mileage, 75k should be coming soon and that seems like a good point to take care of those items.

bravada, how hard would you rate the project, on a "do it yourself" scale of 1-10?

[luvmybravada]

My car has 89k miles so it was about time. When I first bought the car it had a slight stumbling on take off. I used the Valvoline fuel system cleaner which seemed to help get rid of that. Just recently did it start the stumbling again pretty bad so I decided to go ahead and get it done.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd say it's about a 6 or 7. Not really that hard but takes some patience and if you have big hands, good luck on the back side of the engine. Like I said before, I didn't remove the coil packs. I started to, but there are 4 mounting bolts holding the coil pack mounting plate on, two are easy to get to and two are not. I've done the entire job on my brother in law's car so I knew it could be done without doing that.

You'll need a good spark plug puller, a 6-8 inch socket extension, a piece of pipe (I used the handle from my floor jack) a screwdriver, and a shop light.

I started with cylinder number 5 which is the hardest. After you get this one, the rest are pretty easy in comparison. After removing the engine cover, remove the small vacum valve which sits next to the coils on the passenger side. Then loosen the black fusable link which is mounted to the fire wall directly next to the "V8 box." Slip your hand back there from the side and pull off the spark plug wire. Slide your spark plug socket down the hole and then put the extension in there. Now click on your socket wrench. Use the pipe as an extension to your wrench and gives you more leverage to break the plug free. I had to do this on all 8 plugs! Slide the pipe onto the handle of your wrench and turn. You don't need to use the pipe when putting the plug back in. After replacing the plug, I replaced the plug wire that goes with it. Use the screwdriver to pop the other end of the wire off of the coil pack. Don't forget to put a little dielectric grease in the plug wires before you put them on if it's not already in the wire.

The rest of the plugs are pretty much the same, just easier to get to. As for replacing the wires, just match up the old one to the new ones and find the closest match. (The new ones are usually a little longer but not by much.) Another thing to note, I've always heard it's best to keep the plug wires apart as much as possible to keep from having spark jump, where a spark jumps to another wire. Although, i know wires are engineered not to do this, I still used extra precation. I used more plastic insulation like the black corrugated plastic on the front wires, to cover the entire wire. Thus keeping them apart from each other. Not sure if it really helps but it makes me feel better!

My old plugs were pretty black with carbon and the electrode was almost gone! These new plugs make this car really run!