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This is my last GM product

H

hcw786

New member
First the Introduction then I'll look for a spark plug thread.

I have owned a 1958 Chieftain, 75 Astre, 92 Bonneville, and now an 06 Grand Prix.

I started changing the spark plugs and wires at 10 am, now at 4:30 I'm taking a break after pulling another spark plug wire out of the boot.

I want GM to find the engineer responsible for creating a spark plug job that cost $500 dollars at the dealership. Send him or her to my driveway - so that we can fight to the death.

The reason I used to buy American was I didin't think I could afford the maintenance on a forigen car. If this is today's engineering from an American automaker then heaven help the children and the future of this country.

Harold Swanson
First Sergeant
U.S. Army Retired
 


Its fun, with headers, 20 minute plug changes.

6 year old wires tend to seize on nicely though.

Vehicles with copper plugs would tend not to see this issue.

Most modern vehicles that use iridium plugs are also coil on plug, thus no wires to fight with.
 
It blows my mind that people have such a hard time changing the plugs on these cars. Shouldn't take longer than 45 minutes with a beer break. Spark plug wires are just like any other electrical connector, you pull on the connector...not the wires. And thank you for serving our country!
 
There is so much plastic, brackets and emissions crap on vehicles anymore that it's a challenge in itself to find a v-6 or v-8 car that the spark plugs can be changed in less than an hour the first time you do it without any prior knowledge of doing so.

Once you get rid of the map bracket, evap and egr stuff it is much easier to do the back 3 plugs without having to rock the motor forward.
 
Try changing plugs on a 4th gen F-body. 6 of 8 go smooth as silk, then try to get the last two on the passenger side (1 of which is done under the f'ing car).

Otherwise, something that might make your life easier is you can remove the top two motor mounts. Take the bolts off that connect the "dog bones" to the engine itself and use a pry bar to pull the whole engine forward. Then you can use a ratchet-strap or something like that to hold it there. It doesn't make it super easy, but it does buy you a couple extra inches and takes you about 2 minutes to accomplish.
 


Many challenges exist on certain GM cars related to the problems you experienced. At one time I owned a GMC Syclone this was the little rocket 4.3 turbocharged GMC pick up. To change some of the plugs on that truck required you going in from the inner fenders.

I paid more in labor to change and replace the turbo than I paid for a rebuilt turbo back in 1993. Aside from the labor costs, the fun factor was worth it.
License tag read ZR1 KLR.

The Pontiacs of the 1960s notably GTOs that I am familiar with changing plug wires was a "piece of cake" even for the unskilled owners like myself.

[email protected]
 
its not just GM all cars are getting crazy with technology and getting hard to work on, and a GM dealer charges $500 for spark plug changes??
 
Welcome Top, the good thing is, now that you have done it, it get's easier. Also use dielectric grease on the new boots and they will not stick or fry on the plugs as bad.
 


If you think that's bad go and do plugs on a Triton. You are lucky if you get half of them out without breaking them off.
 
Welcome!

Any dealership charging more than an hour's work for the job should by no means be trusted. Once those bad boys see 70-100k mi, they're mated together pretty well. Gotta shake the daylights out of them - perfect practice for when you enter Thunderdome with that engineer.
 
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