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Tune-up Tips -- coil deal, plugs, wires, tb, maf, pcv valve, fuel filter, seafoam
I just did a tune-up and some maintenance on my new (to me) 2000 Camaro Convertible with 85k and the 3800 V6 engine. It ran pretty strong when I got it but now it runs better, idles smoother, starts easier, and my buttometer says its a little faster too. Here's a few hints for those who are needing to do a tuneup:
Where to get good coils cheap
Normally AC Delco D555 coilpacks are about $50 each from parts stores. There are cheaper off brands too but I'd rather stay with AC Delco if not upgrading, and I dunno that those cool red MSD coils with their higher voltage would make a bit of difference. Accel has some performance coils too but I seem to remember reading about people having problems with them. Because of the expense I probably would have just kept the stock coils, but I looked a little further...
I found a helluva deal on eBay from a seller named ecaronline (over 99% positive feedback from 9000 people). $15 each plus reasonable combined shipping cost $55 alltogether and I had them at my door in 3 days. They are advertised as "You are bidding on BRAND NEW AC DELCO ORIGINAL OEM COIL NOT IN AC DELCO BOX". Well they look brand new and look identical to the stock ones under close examination so I believe they are indeed AC Delco. It looks like they once had the cylinder #'s printed on them but were scratched off. Yeah thats a minor blemish but it doesn't make a difference where they are mounted you really can't see it. I hit them all with an ohmmeter and they were all 5700-5800 ohms, as were my old original coils (which still functioned, but this is preventive maintenance for me)
So anyways, I thought I would share this deal with the rest of you because $55 shipped to replace all 3 coils with AC Delco makes it affordable to do as part of a tuneup. Ecaronline has many auctions for the same coils, with different cars in the auction titles, but many of the auctions do not have the part # outside of an image so it is not searchable text. You'll probably want to search all his auctions for "coil" and go from there to find an auction that has at least 3 available to buy at once.
Coil Installation
It is a bit tight in there, but with the right simple tools installation is not so bad. You'll need a 1/4" ratchet along with a 5.5mm socket. And I had to go get a 1/4" swivel extension, otherwise the ratchet interferes with the coil housing on the way to the bolts. The extension doesn't necesarily need to swivel, just need an extra inch to clear the coil.
When the old coils are off it is a good time to take sandpaper to the male plugs that stick up from the ignition control module beneath, clean them real good (mine were corroded), and give them a light coating of dielectric grease. And dielectric grease on the coils' posts too should help keep them from getting rusty like my old coil posts were.
Spark Plugs & Wires
I didn't want to buy cheap wires, and decent Bosch or ACDelco wiresets from the auto parts stores come close to what a MSD 8.5mm wireset can be had for online ($60). I almost got a MSD 32799 but realized that has 90 degree plug boots. The MSD 32089 has straight plug boots which can be bent to help steer them away from the exhaust manifold, I think they call it multi-angle. These work great on my year 2000, but note earlier years have a different style exhaust manifold so YMMV. They also fit in the metal heat shields that came with my car (stock?). I got the wireset from Full Throttle Performance (ftpp.net) where it was their part # MSD-AMM38 for the multiangle. Overall I think the quality of the MSD wires is great.
I was planning on getting Platinum AC Delco or NGK TR55GP plugs ($3/ea) but splurged and went with the NGK Iridium TR55IX plugs ($7/ea) for reasons unknown... maybe someone can reassure me that they are better and I didn't just waste money LOL. I got these from FTPP as well, although they are pretty much the same price everywhere. In retrospect I probably won't buy spark plugs over the internet again because it makes me nervous having them shipped. The 4-pack boxes were loose in a big FedEx box. If it were UPS the plugs could easily have worked their way out of their boxes and been damaged (but they arrived ok). FTPP was good to deal with tho, and while their website does not attempt to show live inventory status, they replied quickly to my inquiry email on Monday to let me know it was all on hand, and after I ordered they were able to get everything to me for the weekend.
Getting to the plugs was easy enough. I dunno why people gripe about this on the 3800. I once had a 97 TransAm LT1 and I would not even attempt it on that, or even own that car again without a GM warranty for that matter.
Install the plugs HAND TIGHT FIRST, as in not using a wrench, to avoid cross threading them. Don't forget to put a little silver anti-seize lubricant on the plug's threads, some dielectric grease on the other end of the plug, and I always use a q-tip to spread a some dielectric grease inside the wire's boots as well (at both ends). Sadly the previous owners of used cars I buy never seem to do that... it makes it so much easier to remove the wires and plugs. I remember one car I had to peel the boots off the plugs in peices LOL but its usually not that bad, often twisting the old boots on the old plugs helps loosen them up so they can be pulled off.
Unfortunately the stock wire spacers will not fit 8.5mm wires but larger ones are readily available at parts stores. And I grabbed some 3/8" red wire loom (that plastic spiral casing) to match the MSD wireset from Advance Auto Parts and put a ~12" section on each of the 3 odd-numbered wires on the left side of the engine. Starting at the left side of the intake manifold, fed under the alternator bracket, and stopping where the wires exited after the left valve cover. I dunno if that was really necessary with the thick insulation of the MSD wires but it still ought to help protect them from the heat where they touch the engine.
Throttle Body & MAF Sensor
Here is a good howto on cleaning the throttle body:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2197072/6
Aside from basic tools to remove it, the things you'll need are a new Throttle Body gasket ($2 from Advance for FelPro) and a can of Carb Cleaner or Seafoam Deep Creep (more expensive) and towels. Also some rubbing alcohol and a couple q-tips for cleaning the MAF sensors. The 97 Camaro in the above howto has torx screws holding the MAF sensor assembly in, but mine was just regular phillips (+) on my year 2000. I think it is a very wise idea to remove this MAF assembly prior to cleaning the TB. Then the tiny wire sensors can be *gently* cleaned with a little rubbing alcohol on a qtip, and dried with another while being careful not to break the fragile wires or leave lint. The sensors never really look dirty until you look at the end of the q-tip and see a black spot.
PCV Valve
PCV Valves are pretty cheap at Autozone but in my experience they seem to be made cheaply as well. I don't see the point in buying a new one when the original one is higher quality and can be cleaned with carb cleaner. The PCV valve is located in a strange location on my year 2000 3800 engine, under the small black eliptical cover on the top of the intake manifold. Once the two 10mm bolts are removed, the cover pops right off due to the spring on top of the PCV Valve. A tug on the spring will remove the PCV Valve from the intake, so it can be cleaned and ensure the inside valve moves freely and rattles. I could not easily find a replacement gasket for the cover so I just made one out of RTV blue gasket maker.
(continued)
Where to get good coils cheap
Normally AC Delco D555 coilpacks are about $50 each from parts stores. There are cheaper off brands too but I'd rather stay with AC Delco if not upgrading, and I dunno that those cool red MSD coils with their higher voltage would make a bit of difference. Accel has some performance coils too but I seem to remember reading about people having problems with them. Because of the expense I probably would have just kept the stock coils, but I looked a little further...
I found a helluva deal on eBay from a seller named ecaronline (over 99% positive feedback from 9000 people). $15 each plus reasonable combined shipping cost $55 alltogether and I had them at my door in 3 days. They are advertised as "You are bidding on BRAND NEW AC DELCO ORIGINAL OEM COIL NOT IN AC DELCO BOX". Well they look brand new and look identical to the stock ones under close examination so I believe they are indeed AC Delco. It looks like they once had the cylinder #'s printed on them but were scratched off. Yeah thats a minor blemish but it doesn't make a difference where they are mounted you really can't see it. I hit them all with an ohmmeter and they were all 5700-5800 ohms, as were my old original coils (which still functioned, but this is preventive maintenance for me)
So anyways, I thought I would share this deal with the rest of you because $55 shipped to replace all 3 coils with AC Delco makes it affordable to do as part of a tuneup. Ecaronline has many auctions for the same coils, with different cars in the auction titles, but many of the auctions do not have the part # outside of an image so it is not searchable text. You'll probably want to search all his auctions for "coil" and go from there to find an auction that has at least 3 available to buy at once.
Coil Installation
It is a bit tight in there, but with the right simple tools installation is not so bad. You'll need a 1/4" ratchet along with a 5.5mm socket. And I had to go get a 1/4" swivel extension, otherwise the ratchet interferes with the coil housing on the way to the bolts. The extension doesn't necesarily need to swivel, just need an extra inch to clear the coil.
When the old coils are off it is a good time to take sandpaper to the male plugs that stick up from the ignition control module beneath, clean them real good (mine were corroded), and give them a light coating of dielectric grease. And dielectric grease on the coils' posts too should help keep them from getting rusty like my old coil posts were.
Spark Plugs & Wires
I didn't want to buy cheap wires, and decent Bosch or ACDelco wiresets from the auto parts stores come close to what a MSD 8.5mm wireset can be had for online ($60). I almost got a MSD 32799 but realized that has 90 degree plug boots. The MSD 32089 has straight plug boots which can be bent to help steer them away from the exhaust manifold, I think they call it multi-angle. These work great on my year 2000, but note earlier years have a different style exhaust manifold so YMMV. They also fit in the metal heat shields that came with my car (stock?). I got the wireset from Full Throttle Performance (ftpp.net) where it was their part # MSD-AMM38 for the multiangle. Overall I think the quality of the MSD wires is great.
I was planning on getting Platinum AC Delco or NGK TR55GP plugs ($3/ea) but splurged and went with the NGK Iridium TR55IX plugs ($7/ea) for reasons unknown... maybe someone can reassure me that they are better and I didn't just waste money LOL. I got these from FTPP as well, although they are pretty much the same price everywhere. In retrospect I probably won't buy spark plugs over the internet again because it makes me nervous having them shipped. The 4-pack boxes were loose in a big FedEx box. If it were UPS the plugs could easily have worked their way out of their boxes and been damaged (but they arrived ok). FTPP was good to deal with tho, and while their website does not attempt to show live inventory status, they replied quickly to my inquiry email on Monday to let me know it was all on hand, and after I ordered they were able to get everything to me for the weekend.
Getting to the plugs was easy enough. I dunno why people gripe about this on the 3800. I once had a 97 TransAm LT1 and I would not even attempt it on that, or even own that car again without a GM warranty for that matter.
Install the plugs HAND TIGHT FIRST, as in not using a wrench, to avoid cross threading them. Don't forget to put a little silver anti-seize lubricant on the plug's threads, some dielectric grease on the other end of the plug, and I always use a q-tip to spread a some dielectric grease inside the wire's boots as well (at both ends). Sadly the previous owners of used cars I buy never seem to do that... it makes it so much easier to remove the wires and plugs. I remember one car I had to peel the boots off the plugs in peices LOL but its usually not that bad, often twisting the old boots on the old plugs helps loosen them up so they can be pulled off.
Unfortunately the stock wire spacers will not fit 8.5mm wires but larger ones are readily available at parts stores. And I grabbed some 3/8" red wire loom (that plastic spiral casing) to match the MSD wireset from Advance Auto Parts and put a ~12" section on each of the 3 odd-numbered wires on the left side of the engine. Starting at the left side of the intake manifold, fed under the alternator bracket, and stopping where the wires exited after the left valve cover. I dunno if that was really necessary with the thick insulation of the MSD wires but it still ought to help protect them from the heat where they touch the engine.
Throttle Body & MAF Sensor
Here is a good howto on cleaning the throttle body:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2197072/6
Aside from basic tools to remove it, the things you'll need are a new Throttle Body gasket ($2 from Advance for FelPro) and a can of Carb Cleaner or Seafoam Deep Creep (more expensive) and towels. Also some rubbing alcohol and a couple q-tips for cleaning the MAF sensors. The 97 Camaro in the above howto has torx screws holding the MAF sensor assembly in, but mine was just regular phillips (+) on my year 2000. I think it is a very wise idea to remove this MAF assembly prior to cleaning the TB. Then the tiny wire sensors can be *gently* cleaned with a little rubbing alcohol on a qtip, and dried with another while being careful not to break the fragile wires or leave lint. The sensors never really look dirty until you look at the end of the q-tip and see a black spot.
PCV Valve
PCV Valves are pretty cheap at Autozone but in my experience they seem to be made cheaply as well. I don't see the point in buying a new one when the original one is higher quality and can be cleaned with carb cleaner. The PCV valve is located in a strange location on my year 2000 3800 engine, under the small black eliptical cover on the top of the intake manifold. Once the two 10mm bolts are removed, the cover pops right off due to the spring on top of the PCV Valve. A tug on the spring will remove the PCV Valve from the intake, so it can be cleaned and ensure the inside valve moves freely and rattles. I could not easily find a replacement gasket for the cover so I just made one out of RTV blue gasket maker.
(continued)
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