Greetings folks,
This maybe kinda long, apologies in advance. My car is exhibiting a quite anoying hesitation/lurch/miss (choose your term). has occured under any condition but primarily under moderate load/acceleration. to hear it idle you'd think i've got a much lumpier cam. Been 3 years since 'proper' tune-up (yeah, i know i'm slack) and vacation is in 2 weeks so i figure that'll be time to get dirty. The trick is thus - I'm competent, can follow directions, and read here a lot which is always educational BUT am also VERY challenged with tools. It's a disability thing, (2 fingers missing off each hand) so gripping/exerting strength can get pretty awkward, particularly in hard 2 reach places - like say, oh, the back 4 spark plugs as an example!!! Would like to know any trick you guys may have picked up yourselves for getting hold of hard 2 reach plugs/wires/back of distributor etc. different tools maybe i should have (got yer basic 3/8 socket - but how much a pita is that). other stuff i should take apart/remove first? should i put it on ramps and go at some from unerneath? no ideas rejected. I don't mind taking extra time/doing xtra stuff (it'll be vacation after all) but i'd really like to be able to do this myself for a change. thanx in advance people - love the site!

 

I hear that everyday, sometimes twice, LOL.

I would try getting those from the bottom, if i remember correctly there is a lot more room.

 

Opps headers.

 

Gonna be a helluva time doing plugs with SLP 1 3/4 headers and straight plug heads. Here's the best advice i can give you.

#1- buy yourself a set of shorty accel plugs. Yeah they cost more, but they make the job so much easier it is worth it.

#2- modified spark plug socket. Start with a plug socket that has the wrench flats on the back end (you'll need those too). Now take out the little rubber insert piece for protecting the plug. Then you guage how far a spark plug drops in to the socket, and cut the socket off exactly at the end of the wrench flats on the plug. This makes it GRAVY* to get a socket on the plug, even in the spots with header tubes on the way.

#3- Last tool. Get yourself a 3/4 ratchet wrench for use on the back of the plug socket. Most of the plugs are in a spot where you have no hope of getting a ratchet, or even a u-joint on the plug socket. You don't need the ratchet wrench, but it makes things go a lot faster.

#4- If the engine has standard plugs in it right now, you have a few choices.

-Make another modified plug socket, this one cut off, and with a window on the side the width of 1 wrench flat, to further help with getting it on the plug. The drawback is, this windowed socket will be weak and flex. If you're lucky the plugs won't be overtorqued and this won't matter. If they are too tight for the socket you'll need to put a hose clamp on the socket to keep flex down.

-attemt to use wrenches and such to get to the plugs.

-to hell with this namby pamby ****, break the porcelain and use a regular sockety to get the plugs out in seconds. Of course, this risks letting the rest of the porcelain fall into the head, ruining your whole weekend as you either have to pull the head, or somehow fish the piece out of the chamber. But this is the easy way, and the odds of the stuff falling into the engine is slim enough that a lot of people go for it.


Then all you have to do is put the new plugs in. Put the plug in the socket, and start 'em by hand. Then slap the ratchet wrench on the back of the socket and take it in the rest of the way. And being cut short, the socket should come off the plug with no problems.

Hope that made some sense to you about how to modify the socket, it really is basically essential for doing plugs with SLP headers



*note = gravy is relative, i have SLP 1 5/8. Might be a little tighter with the bigger headers though, but the tube positions are about the same.

 

a 5/8ths gear wrench works really well for spark plugs.. especially if you have headers

 

Ed beat me to it. Those flats (the hex) on the end of a spark plug socket are there for a reason - use them to your advantage. I don't have headers, but I've changed plugs on ThirdGens with TES headers, and regular old Champions fit just fine, don't crowd the plug boots on the wires against the tubes, and are less prone to flashover. They aren't that much worse than plugs on a car with iron manifolds. #6, #8, and #2 can be a P.I.T.A. no matter what you do. I get them all from the top.

Don't forget the anti seize compound on the plug threads (for an easier change next time).

 

I had accel shorty plugs, but I didn't care for them. The ends the plug wire goes on will not stay tight. I even tried tightening them with pliers. Do a search on these plugs on the board and you will see many people have this problem with them. Not sure if your headers are tighter than my edelbrock's. Here is a picture of my baby. Since I got this it has made changing my plugs so much easier. Here is a picture of my baby.

 

another

 

I put a drop of loctite on the accel plug ends before i put 'em in the car. Probably about 10k or so miles on 'em, and no problems whatsoever. I also ran a few sets back in the day on my 85, never had any problems on it either, and i didn't even use loctite back then. I only started that after hearing other people have problems as an extra precaution. Dunno why other people have problems, but hasn't been my experience. They make the job so easy, i wouldn't use regular length plugs if someone PAID ME $10 a plug to put 'em in. Just not worth the hassle IMO.

Also worth noting, from memory, the plugs were a bit easier with the edelcrock headers on my 85 than the SLPs in my 92. I can definitely remember doing plug swaps in my 85 in a matter of minutes, even did 'em while i was on the phone one time (yes, without putting down the phone i changed spark plugs) it was that easy.

 

Cool, the 'putting a wrench on the flats of the socket' thing is so clever i should retract that statement about being competent . I should have made that connection myself, sorry. Presumably I can toss the thing in a vise and shorten the socket w/a hacksaw (those i CAN operate). Was that also what was done for the box-end in the picture? or is that a specialty item? I understand the 'window in the socket' concept but how to cut it? hacksaw again? dremel? I think I can actually do this now (we'll see). Now it's time 2 go shopping, thanks.

 

Yeah, a dremel works great for cutting a window in a socket.

 

I use a 6" piece of vacuum line on the tip of the plug to help get the threads started. Works well.

A couple of months ago, I saw guy at the swap meet that was selling a collapsable socket. Looked a lot like a collapsable drinking cup, but was hex shaped and obviously a lot smaller.
They're specifically made for changing plugs with headers in the way.
He said they were being sold in stores now but I haven't seen them yet around here.

 

That collapsable socket sounds pretty neat, and could be just the trick for regular length plugs with headers. Yet another guy who's gonna make some money on a simple and great idea that should have been done 20 years ago, lol. As long as it's not a made in taiwan POS that breaks and leaves you with an engine with half a set of old spark plugs still in it anyway

 

The one I have in the picture was just a wrench from autozone. It has the curved ends, one was 5/8 and the other I think 11/16. I just cut it in half. Alot easier than cutting a socket down and attaching other stuff. Although that does sound like alot of fun. The wrench was only like 2 bucks. It works great for me.

 

Okay, been scoping the situation keeping these new ideas in mind. Got a couple xtra sparkplug sockets to cut up at whim and a box-end/offset wrench. I can, so far, get my hands & tools on evrything xcept the rear 2 on the passenger side. Primary obstacle being AIR piping. I hope i'm describing this correctly, the length from the 'AIR switching valve' to the catalytic converter runs as a hose almost all the way to the firewall before changing to a hard pipe for the rest of it's length. that one I can pull off easily & it's out of the way. The other run however, becomes hard pipe barely three inches after the switching valve and runs the full length of the engine. If it could come out, I could get 2 those 2 plugs w/o losing skin. Can I not cut that pipe at the firewall and replace the section that's in the way w/hose so it would be removable yet operational? Wish I could lose that whole blasted system but then the smog ***** would come for me in the night. Is this a reasonable solution or am I digging myself a hole here? Thanx again for all the ideas.

 

Numbers 6,7, and 8 have always been easier for me to get from under the car. Although I have long arms, so I may be able to reach what others cannot.

Actually, one time I changed out all the plugs in about 20 minutes by laying under the car. It was SOOOO much easier.

 

from what i've seen, it depends too on what all stuff you have on your car pertaining to smog equipment, and a/c

my camaro has neither. i believe that i have a set of flowtech shorties, my only sticking point is on cylinder 6, it's a pita to get to the plug due to the way the main pipe comes off of the head.

i had to use a spark plug socket along with a 3/4 inch wrench to get to it.

ed, cool deal on the modified socket, i had never thought of that.

 

i agree - i have nothing else in my engine bay but the engine and i can change all the plugs in about 10 mins from the top (in the dark ) all the tips are good tho, eds are real good

 

Use a rubber hose like fuel line to start the plugs you should be able to screw the plugs in almost completely. Get yourself a 5/8 in offset box wrenchcut it short just enough to fit inbetween the headers if you want you can notch out part of the box just enough to slip past the ceramic part of the plug sort of like a brake bleeding or tubing wrench. Its all easy from there.

 

SLP modified spark plug socket

Kind of expensive but with this, a wrench, and a ratchet I had all the plugs changed in 30 minutes.

 

Well, vacation started 2day and i'm thrilled to say plugs and wires are DONE!!!! with no casualties (well, haven't put the AIR piping back together yet but it can wait) First time I ever managed that on this car. Also did fuel filter (is there or is there not supposed to be a 'fuel pump' fuse?? if there is I sure as **** couldn't locate it!!) pcv valve and alternator belt. Bought the wrong cap/rotor kit so I officially retract my earlier claim to competence but that'll get handled later in the week after the winter storm blows thru. She runs a great deal better now. Not perfect yet, but better. Thanks so much - like thanks cubed - for everyone's replies - offset wrenches and sawed off sockets are my new best friends. Thanks again, all!!

 

Well i'm sorta glad I have a v6, I can get my plugs off and new ones on in less than 30 min's.