Only on a V6 Camaro do you have to remove the alternator to get access to the #1 spark plug to push a boot on. AGGHH. Talk about a pain! These new wire boots are tiny...really tough, but tiny. Got all of them on though..Taylor Spiralpro 8mm's..with Rapidfire plugs all around. All of it runs GREAT. Word of advice though...while they are pre-booted and terminated and all, and the connectors are nice, the wires are way too long. I ordered a custom set for this car...the wires are huge. I had to tuck them under and against stuff..the driver's side is about perfect but the passenger side, each wire has maybe 2-4 inches of slack. All in all though..I'm happy. Except the part that it took me from 6 pm until 8:30 to get only 6 plugs and wires in and on.

 

I didn't have to remove alternator. Just a swivel and some cuss words. Glad to hear it runs better. I have seen you bitching post after post about them platnums you had in it.

 

Yeah...thing is these boots are TINY TINY TINY, like an inch and a half long. Between the EGR and its tubing, the alternator, valve cover, and alt. bracket, I couldn't get my hands in nearly far enough to click it down...these you have to push really hard for a click.. Which kind of worries me..I didn't quite use enough silicone on a few. And yes, the platinums angered me a bit. When I pulled them out they really weren't in that bad shape..the electrode and ceramic "looked" ok...but a friend of mine said they looked pretty bad for only being in there 2 weeks. All around the outer edge of the plug, and across the bridge thing it's, basically, scorched. This buddy of mine had an 84 carbed 305 Camaro with a new intake manifold & a Flowmaster exhaust for a while. He got rid of it after my car, stock, tied him in a drag. Hehe....

 

I didn't have any of those probs w/the accel wires I got off of e-bay. even trimmed them down for that "better than aftermarket legnth" look.

 

Yeah; next time I see a 3.1 in a junkyard, I gotta check it out. I don't have this problem with my 2.8; I can get at all my plug wires easily. But I bet yanking the alternator outta the car was a hell of a lot faster than the time you spent trying to get at the wire! Putting the alternator back must've been quicker, too... I gotta screw around with V-belts (no serpentine setup from 82-86) and getting the right tension on the alternator pulley. Congrats on getting 'em installed! Watch out though for spark leaks, depending on how you tucked the wires in, if the wires are resting against metal, you're gonna get spark "jumping out of" the insulation and into the block.

 

might I suggest to everyone that if you have the money you may want to remove your heatshield tins and run 1200* plug boots. It gives you a heck of alot more room to work and they do a better job protecting the plug wires.

Edit-Here's a link to the fire boots:http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=7898

 

#1 is a bit tough...at least compared to the other 5 cylinders, but it's hardly a PITA.

You want PITA?? Try #8 on a ZR1 Vette. Try #2 on an LT1. Hell, try all 8 on an LT1. Even worse...plug WIRES on an LT1. (Yeah, you probably guessed that i'm not too fond of the LT1 )

 

Another way to avoid Spark leak...

On my 83, I put some of the plastic wire conduit around the spark plug wires if they were in areas that could ground out against other metal parts in the engine compartment.

My wires were too long because I was using an old set off of my GTO (hey, times are tough!) and had to do some fancy routing

 

Ha ha..yeah Tom, I spent about 30 mins trying to get that wire on...using everything you could think of. Wrenches, plyers, hell I twist-tied the end of a wire brush (the handle end) to the butt of the boot hoping I could get enough pressure on the end to push it down. In the end, took about 10 mins to get the alternator off, and a tad longer to get it back on...bolt holes didn't want to line up, and the bolt hole holding the alternator to belt tensioner bracket onto the alt. was stripped out quite nicely. Didn't know about spark leak..these wires are pretty long and they touch metal at several points..the firewall, brackets, etc. I need wire separators too..the set didn't come with any and all I have are 7mm separators. I'm a little worried about the boots too..they're not protected from the exhaust manifolds..and they're odd shaped, not the traditional funnel shape...I'm gonna see if I can't find some heat shields for them, or at least fab one up.

 

no, a PITA is the middle plug on a S-Blazer. change one, go ahead & try.

 

aaahhhhhhhhh you think thats bad when i was changing that pulg i was using some of my dads tools of his truck snap-on any who when i was taking the plug out i fried the ratchet agenst the alternater and burnt the crap out of me sparks were flying but i got it off the alternater b4 it did any more damage. got the old ticker ticken

 

Next time just unbolt the egr tube from the plenum and the exhaust manifold. It takes two seconds and you don't have to take off the alternator. Once the egr pipe is off, the number 1 plug will be one of the easiest ones! I second the notion on the crap LT1 plugs!! They are just horrible!

 

What about the gaskets on the EGR tube though? (Are there supposed to be gaskets even? Cause..I have em..?)

 

Hehe, that plug is easy!!!! 3 minutes tops with a short plug socket and a short 11/16 wrench.

 

drivers side right? you provide the socket & remove the tire for me & I'll change it

 

Remove the tire!?!?!?! Maybe for #1 and #5. But #3 (yes, driver side with the steering DIRECTLY in the way) can be done from the top in no time.