this is a pain in the @$$

[dra95firebird]

I decided to change my spark plugs today since everytime I accelerated I was hearing a faint poping sound and running sluggish. So I decided today I would change my spark plugs I did only the drivers side starting with the closest one to the firewall no problem so then I do the furthest one from the firewall and the stem broke off scared me at first but still not too bad when I finally got the boot off.(feel free to add any profanity here since I was as I was trying to take off the boot). Now I ATTEMPTED to take off middle one and guess what happened I just put a little pressure one the boot and the wire came right out of the boot so not only is it a pain to get out boot with the wire in this tiny little space no I have to do it with nothing to yank on.I guess I was the first person to decide to change the plugs in the past 9 years,(I'm assuming that since the plugs were in such bad shape) after an hour of trying to come up with some McGuyver way of getting it off I decided to take a knife and split the boot in two that did it. so I thought I would share that with you and I also needed to blow off some steam. Just one question is there any problem with only changing 2 of the 6 plugs since I found the problem?

[Dr Todd]

If the car is 9 years old, or if the plugs have many miles on them, I would replace all the plugs for best performance and tune up. Also, if the wires have not been changed, or they have more than 60,000 miles on them, change them with the plugs.

Tips: (You probably know these)
1) Use a swivel joint (as someone has said)

2) Use dieletric grease in the boots of the wires. Be sure to use it on the spark plug side and the coil side. The grease acts as an insulation and makes the boots come off easier. Don't get messy with it and get it on the tip to the plug or coil.

3) Get a 4" long piece of rubber vaccum hose. When you get ready to put the new plug in, put the hose on the tip of the plug. It fits snug. Then use the hose to insert the plug into the hole and get it started. (This really helps for the holes you can not see or reach with big hands.) Because the hose is only snug it will allow you to just get the plug into the hole.

4) Buy a spark plug boot removal tool. They are a little hard to use on our cars but it allows you to grip the bottom of the boot and pull it off instead of pulling on the wires. DONT Pull on the wires if you are going to re-use them.

5) Do the hard side first. (Passenger side) If you get tired, or frustrated like must of us, do the other side in the next day or two

Hope it helps

[96RS Alex]

I did spark plugs & wires myself too but for my 1st time it was a 9 hr job. The rubber 3/8ths hose is a great idea to start threading the new plugs into place as mentioned. Dont forget to apply Loctite Anti-Seize on the new plug threads. Remove each plug 1 at a time only along with the corresponding wire to prevent any screw-ups after the job is done. AC-Delco Iridiums use an .060 gap. For tools, I used a 3/8ths ratchet with a swivel head that retracts back & forth, 2 different sized 3/8ths extensions in length & 2 types of ratchet U-joints & of course a spark plug socket. All of these can help make your plug experience easier.