Spark Plug and wire change 95 LT1

[RangerBob]

I finally got all the goodies and my car is up on ramps cooling off. I tried to find the link to changing wires and plugs but it doesn't work anymore. Anybody have a link to the least painful way to chang plugs and wires?

Bob G
1995 Formula Ragtop
Now home in Tampa FL

[Jeff_in_Atl]

This one http://csce.uark.edu/~jgbertr/rb/alt...age/index.html

Hey Rob (shoebox), what's going on with your web site? http://home.swbell.net/shoebox/ I see you changed it on your profile page to the alternate.

[RangerBob]

Couldn't find a how-to on that site. I just going to try to remove the Y-pipe and go from there. Its now 1300 and I have no cuts or bruises. I'll let you know how it goes..
Bob

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Is it the one on here? http://www.projecttransam.com/Projec...e&Search=False It appears to be a dead link.

[Joe 1320]

* Remove the steering shaft and covers.
* Remove the alternator.
* Remove the flywheel/flexplate inspection cover to the trans.
* Unbolt the starter, slide foreward and rest on the crossmember.

#1 really easy, from top or bottom.
#3 really easy, from top or bottom.
#5 easy, from bottom.
#7 easy, from bottom.

#2 medium, from top. You'll need an inch and a half extension.
#4 easy, from the top.
#6 easy, from the top.
#8 not fun. With extensions, do it from the bottom. this is where the starter and inspection cover being moved really helps.

Some limited clearance area are made easier by using a ratcheting crescent wrench on the end of the spark plug socket instead of a the tradional ratchet/extensions.

It took me less than an hour for the driver's side and an hour and a half additional for the passenger side. Add an extra 45 minutes to reassemble and get ready for a road test.

[RangerBob]

NGK TR-55 spark plugs

They came gapped at .060 inch and I regapped them to .050. I hope this is correct. IF it insn't somebody please warn me before I'm done LOL.

Thanks for the info Joe.

I'm using Taylor 8mm Spiro Pro wires.

[Joe 1320]

.050 is correct gap. The 8 mm wires probably won't fit in the factory looms.......

[RangerBob]

Whoever designed this

LT1 in a F-Body was a saddist. I mean almost everyplace that you need to get access to a spark plug, there is a tube, protusion or framemember blocking the way.

I took Joe's good advice and removed the starter and alternator. That part was easy. 3 hours later I still didn't have my first plug out (I was starting on #8), so I took a trip to Sears to get some specialty tools. A racketing closed end socket made quick work on #8. I got the wires out on the passenger side.

Whose bright idea was it to route those wires through the AC/ PS/Alternator bracket? I still don't know how I will get the new ones in there. That bracket should have been designed better. Like with an 2 inch hole through it for wires.

Well the 3 stock plugs I did get out (45K miles on car) did look pretty good if your ignored the .065 gap.

I'm thinkiing about taking that bracket off and modifiying it with an hacksaw, anybody do something like that?

Bob G

[RangerBob]

oh the pain

still on the passenger side plugs. I'm very wary of cross threading.Too bad of these plugs will go in finger-tight. I might need another trip to Sears for tools. I am contempating removing the Y pipe because my arms are too big to fit in to get to the #6 plug. Forget about the #2, I'm going to come back to that after I have a beer or 3.

I removed the power steering pump so I can run the wires. 8mm wires do fit in the stock looms.

I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER do this again. I'll pay whatever it costs to get some other fool to do this!

Anybody in the Tampa area want to help? I'll pay.

Bob

[markd79ta]

Sorry about the pain this is; I sure hated it as well. I take the underdrive pulley off, and route the wires a little diferently then stock...It works great and only takes about an hour and half. I wished I had pics of it...dang it! The first time is the worst, it gets much much easier after the first round of mistakes. It took me all darn weekend the first time

Good luck!

[Joe 1320]

Bob, I feel your pain. I had a reverse impression of GM in my forearm for two weeks from the passenger side manifold. It felt like the Kung Fu of mechanics where it leaves a scar for life. It's darn tight. Try a length of vacuum tubing slipped over the end of the plugs to tighten them by hand. It bends around things. Look on the bright side....... when you are done, you will feel almost intimate with the motor.

Bob, if I weren't locked into an end of month crunch at work, I would come over and play. I'm live in Sebring and I'm in Tampa regularly.

[flying tiger]

cutting the power steering bracket

Ah, this sounds interesting..... I don't have my car near me right now, but best I can remember, that might help free up some space to get the bigger 8mm wires through.

I have the same problem as everyone else on here, except I have headers too, which forces you to route the unreasonably short wires very close to the hot header pipes.

You have got to wonder what was so bad about a regular distributor up and out of the way instead of this wierd a$$ thing we all have to deal with.

Anyways, sorry to rant, just lemme know if it looks like cutting the bracket would help, or better yet, cut yours and lemme know how it works out.

[RangerBob]

Better Half

My wife loves me. She got her skinny arms all greasy and got the #2 plug in and helped with the #5. Besides it was nice to watch her behind as she leaned over and worked on my car.

We got all the plugs in and the wires on the passenger side. I will wait until next week to do the rest of the wires.

I started it up on the ramps and let it run. Everything looked good and I drove it off.

Then I started smelling hot oil and seeing smoke in my headlights. I was thinking "oh oh, I messed up the power steering hoses". But then I remembered that I had oiled down the y-pipe bolts in preparation for their removal but I lacked proper wrenches.

Whew!

Anyhow the car is running strong and I have the Transgo kit just to put in.

I guess I will wait a couple weeks in case I need some skinny arms to help me out LOL!

Anyhow I just wanted to tell you that my wife of 17 years is so cool and looks real sexy with grease smudges on her face!

Hooah

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

A picture is worth a thousand words, dude...

So you must have been drinking beer and giving instructions when you coulda been snapping away with a digital camera.

Next time, have a little consideration, huh?

[Formulaboy95]

Bob....

yep, just finished plugs, wires, optispark, air pump... Definately not easy. I could not get plug #2 in, and thought I stripped it! I had to move the metal tube that goes to passenger side check valce out of the way, and spun the plug in reverse to line up the threads! I also got the wrong wires.... 8.5mm MSD Super Conductors. Took alot of work but I got it all in. The air pump was supposed to be replaced under the recall, but the opti died before I could get back to the dealer (for them to order the right parts). So, I handed the dealer the old air pump, and installed the recall kit. So Bob, if you haven't already done the recall for the waterpump.... get the dealer to do it for you, before it costs you agony, and a new opti.

Alldata Recall - 1995 Pontiac Firebird