Bad Plug Wires

[kramer2125]

So i went to the pontiac dealer the other day, and had them diagnose the problem. Which apparently was "bad plug wires". They wanted 350 dollars all said (includes a 90 dollar diagnosing, parts and labor). I had two problems with this. 1: Plug wires aren't that expensive. 2: it shouldn't be that hard to install them anyway. So I bought some OEM quality wires from autozone and attempted to install them by getting to them from under the hood (as opposed to installing them from underneath the car). Apparently on the Gen 2 V6's the plugs are under the headers. So i removed the heat shealds from around the headers and replaced the plug wires. It ran beautifully for about 10 minutes, then after the car was warmed up and the temp guage read about where it usually runs. The problem came back. Shaking, pathetic acceleration, more shaking etc. So i've bought some BOSCH platinum plugs and have replaced 4 out of the 6 plugs. Tomorow i'm gonna replace the remaining two (for the 3rd and 4th cylinders. If this doesn't fix my intense shaking, i have a few suspisions. Timing belt, valvetrain problem, fuel filter clogged badly, compression loss somewhere. What do you guys think? Oh btw she's a black 99 Firebird 3.8L, automatic with no powertrain mods except the plugs and wires. She has 26k miles on her. Your thoughts?

[BLLDOGG]

maybe its your distriputers. they might be bad, not your plugs and wires, and what they were asking is just sick.

[therock]

dude stay away from bosch they are nothing but trouble go with ngk i have a friend that works at a gm dealership and he sees many cars come in on tow trucks just becuase of busch when they get really hot they melt and can mess up everything just some advice ngk is by far the best that or ac delco

[BLLDOGG]

they do cost like 6 something each too. but you get what you pay for.

[kramer2125]

Cool, I'll Grab some NGK as soon as the next paycheck hits the bank. Thanks

[saved1]

I have read numerous post concerning plugs, wires, and coil packs. I have been working on cars and motorcycles for over 30 years. I currently own a 95 bird, 2003 frontier, and a 57 harley. In the past I have had corvettes, camaros, chevelles, monte carlos, in the GM family. Plus quite a few other manufacturers. I have never had any problems with AC delco plugs. I have always used standard replacement parts, not the most expensive, but just ordinary wires, and any other part that needed replaced. I don't fall into the trap the "more expensive" is always better. It has not proved to be true. I have never taken any of my cars to the dealer for anything. In 30 years of servicing my own vehicles, from complete engine and transmission rebuilds, I have found that with proper installation of components, this has lead to complete satisfaction with any part that I bought from auto zone, checker and the rest, (depending on what part of the country you live in). I just wanted to share this information with some of less expierenced do-it-yourself mechanics.

[kramer2125]

Talk about frustrating! I've replaced all of the wires and plugs. Still the same problem. I realized that i didn't gap the plugs though. Good Job Chris [img]graemlins/twak.gif[/img] . That might do it. If after gapping the plugs she's still shaking, i'm going to my friends at the ferrari dealership. Do you all think its prudent to have a ferrari mechanic look at a GM car? Do you think it pertinent to assume that just b/c he works on 360's and all sorts of "slightly more refined" automobiles that he'd have enough knowledge to recomend a cource of action? or should i stick w/ GM mechanics who overcharge for every #$%#% thing.

[viper98885]

Whether it's a Ferrari engine or a GM engine, it will still suck, squeeze, bang and blow. That's just the way they work. I don't think taking it to the Ferrari dealer will get you any farther. They are good with Ferraris and GM guys are usually good with GMs. Go to someone who knows what they are talking about, not just because they service high end exotics.

[RallyRed 98]

service engine soon light coming on? there are many, many things that can cause the problem you're talking about. you started in a good place, but you can also trace it to your ignition control module, your coils, and also your catalytic convertor AND 02 sensors. you didn't mention the SES light coming on but if it is, see if you can take the car somewhere to have the code scanned. that should point you in the right direction.

[saved1]

Yea, take it to autozone and they will scan it for free, that will get you in the ballpark, because it won't tell you exactly where the problem is.

[MustangEater8251]

I just skimmed it but a suggestion for anyone having misfire problems and thinking of doing plugs and wires...

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...threadid=78028

[RallyRed 98]

Originally posted by MustangEater8251:
I just skimmed it but a suggestion for anyone having misfire problems and thinking of doing plugs and wires...

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...threadid=78028

very, very good suggestion... everybody should do this anyway; it takes a little investment but it is well worth it. i speak from experience! :D

[bradoneill]

Bosch platinum plugs suck in my car. When I used them i had hesitation all the time. I replaced them with AC Delcos and it is all good since then.

[BLLDOGG]

every car is diferent. just like gears and fuel, one car may react a different way than another.

[Digikiller]

I had the same problem. Dad had dealer change the plugs out cause we thought there was another underline problem and didnt wanna pay that much to get it scanned twice. Anyways got them changed and the next day same problem was back. Took it to autozone (My Hero's) to get the new code scanned. Said it was miss fire in cylinder #6. Turns out it was the first coil pack on its way out. $33 from autozone and it ran like new. Since then replaced the other two and it runs fine. Hope this helps.

--Andrew