well F&%# me....

[BigNic]

so i was cruising my way to work today just had filled up with gas everything normal.....i hit the highway and get to thrird gear my car stutters and jerks and the SES light comes on begining to flash. I pulled to the side of the road hoped out to check. No sounds no smells no nothing..... went over to my folks house called work telling them i probably wont be making it today took it down to pep boys to have the code read.(21.45$) it came back P0304 which is a misfire in cylender #4....my car just crossed the 40k mile mark so i was like okay its a sparkplug....nothing huge so i went and bought a set of 6 expensive plugs(35.70$) gaped em and got ready to put em in.....well with the car up on rhino ramps laying on my back for two hours just trying to find #4 and curseing at the top of my lungs scareing the little kids in the gernal area i had to give up.....#4 should be the first plug on the passenger side correct? well i found that but threading my big *** arm through the control arm and pulleys and belts to get to that thing is like well like getting ron jeremy through the eye of needle frankly....is there some trick im missing or somthing here i really dont wanna fork up the 100 bucks just to have to have some kid do it in 20 mins little help here guys?

[youngsc]

Re: well F&%# me....

Don't know what year you got but I did them all from the top in 45 minutes. Got a 2000 btw. To pay to have it scanned, sorry you got ripped off, and 30+ for plugs holy mother of god. Sorry to sound like an *** but GL on finding it. You could just follow the path of the wire, could help ya.

[Moses]

Re: well F&%# me....

if you have a 3800 Series II it should be: (IIRC)

Rear of Vehicle

6 5
4 3
2 1

Front of Vehicle

Looking from the front, it'd be the second on the passenger side. If you go from up top you shouldn't have a problem finding it, just reach a little below the exhaust manifold and you should find it.

[3.4 slow to go]

Re: well F&%# me....

iirc (no tech manual here) #4 should be the pass side middle plug. and Schlep boys charged to pull a code???? :eek:

[Aquaboy]

Re: well F&%# me....

Ive got a 99 3.8 had a misfire on cylinder 5. turned out to be the coil pack 20 bucks from the zone and i was good to go. i was told that the 3.8 requires iridium plugs and dont really need to be changed till around 105-110k.

[DAS BOOT]

Re: well F&%# me....

If you don't have tubular manifolds I hear its a pain.

[BigNic]

Re: well F&%# me....

i should have claified i do have the 3.8 in a 97. i was under the nose of the car absouletly flabber gasted like i said i think i found the wire connecting the plug but getting to it look like it requires gremlin assitance should i be removeing somthing or somthing. oh yea i was rather pissed when they chaged me to read the freaking code was not warned about it they said well have it done in an hour. when i got back "that will be 21 bucks" i about punched the guy in the mouth....

[tkoforpresident]

Re: well F&%# me....

Don't know what year you got but I did them all from the top in 45 minutes. Got a 2000 btw. To pay to have it scanned, sorry you got ripped off, and 30+ for plugs holy mother of god. Sorry to sound like an *** but GL on finding it. You could just follow the path of the wire, could help ya.

hahahahaha

anyhow, not sure why the 3.8 plugs are so hard to get to. Myself, i have a 3.4 and the only thing that hinders changing plugs is the EGR valve which makes the 1 plug a bit tricky. i usually take it out when doing plugs. Is there something on the 3.8 that can be removed?

btw i have headers as well so plugs on my ride is now a piece of cake.

maybe you should get some headers? :naughty:

[cam98aro]

Re: well F&%# me....

If you don't have tubular manifolds I hear its a pain.

not really

i did mine in about an hour, it was the first time did it on the car.. it wasnt as hard as everybody makes it out to be IMO

[Crazed98Camaro]

Re: well F&%# me....

I took my heatsheilds off and it was easier. (I have log style manifolds)

Went from bottom for a lot of em. Got plugs, wires, AND coil packs done in 5 hours, f*cking around for a long time inbetween.

[LETZRIDE]

Re: well F&%# me....

easiest way to change em in our cars 96-97...get either tubular manifolds or headers....makes life a hell of a lot easier....never changed the plugs before my headers were in though so yea....

[kylerobison]

Re: well F&%# me....

its prolly ur coil pack. same thing happened to me and i just hit 68k and it was a coil pack. i had the shop do it (120$)

[Blizzard242]

Re: well F&%# me....

its prolly ur coil pack. same thing happened to me and i just hit 68k and it was a coil pack. i had the shop do it (120$)

You had a shop change a coil pack?!?! Those are wayy easier to change than spark plugs are.

You guys seriously need to read a lot more because you're getting ripped right the **** off on almost everything you're having some company do. Getting charged to read a code is absolutely unheard of by me. You can get a scanner yourself for that much money to pull a code any time you want. I've saved over 200 for my brother because I can remove 2 screws. My gf over 400 in one day. READ READ READ READ READ READ!!!!!!!! Then ask questions.

BTW, to get to your plugs easier go from under and behind the engine.

[xmetallicaxguitaristx]

Re: well F&%# me....

Yeah you can scan a code for free at autozone.. just lend them money to cover it, and you get it all back.. etc. Most of the time they just let you borrow it either way.

[N2OEQIP]

Re: well F&%# me....

did you know I can have my heads off my 97 in 2 hours.....

I would rather , well do alot of other things then ever change out plugs on a stock 96-97 3.8.

100 bucks to have someone else change them is well worth it to me.

First time changing plugs on my car was a 6 hour deal. now with modded everything it takes 20 minutes.