Tune-up @ 70k and Coil Pack Question

[rstinnett]

Howdy, well its that time of year that I do all the preventive maintenance on my baby. A 1995 Chevy Camaro V6 that looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor!

It finally ticked up to 70K miles, and I'm going to have my trusted local mechanic do a tune-up. I've noticed just a TINY, TINY bit of roughness at idle.

I plan on having him put in Bosh Platinum 4 plugs, new wires, new fuel filter, new pvc valve, clean the throttle body plus I've been debating on whether or not to have him change out the coil packs. Any thoughts on that? How much labor are we looking at to change them? (3 total)

Anything else I might want to consider? I believe in PROACTIVE maintenance, so I'm not afraid to spend money to take care of my baby.

Rob

[N20LT4Bird]

I would have your mechanic test the coils with a meter before I replaced potentially perfectly good coils. Also, I would skip the bosch +4's. Im probably openening a debate here, but 4 electrodes dont make 4 sparks Electricity is going to take the path of least resistance. I have never noticed a difference to the positive side with using another type of plug other than stock. Splitfires, rapid fires, accel, etc... Get a new AC delco plug and a nice set of wires. IMOP, wires are where the money is better spent.

You could add a good injector cleaning to the list too

[rstinnett]

Thanks for the feedback.

Any recommendation on wires? The ones I saw at the local Autozone (don't kill me, I don't exactly live in a big city!) had a magnetic core and that was about as "top of the line" as they had.

[Injuneer]

The dual-tower coils should be fine - remember, they only work 1/3 as hard as those in a normal single-coil car. I suspect the ones they use in the V6 are similar to the ones they used in the GN/GNX turbos.... maybe Joe 1320 has some ideas on that. If your mechanic can put then on a 'scope, he will be able to determine the condition.

I also would vote against the Bosch +4's.... strictly a high $$$ gimmick. Although I would also vote against AC/Delco platinum plugs. I have seen far too many of them lose the platinum pucks in very few miles and leave you with a huge gap that eventually fails to fire. If you like GM products, get the Rapidfires in the correct heat range, or otherwise the NGK platinums. My Silverado came from the factory with NGK's.

Look at your stock GM wires to see what size they are. The V8's include 7mm Packard plug wires, that are a very good quality. Many people like to upgrade to an 8mmm wire, but that is a place that you may want to just stick with what they put in at the factory. If you want the "best", IMHO that would be the MSD 8.5mm set. But they may not fit.... on the V8's the 8.5mm diameter makes them a tight fit.

[fastTa]

I would say I agree with N20LT4BIRD. Don't waste your money on platinum, split-fire, fine wire, or any other popularly advertised plug. They simply don't do what they claim.

If you want the best plugs, go with a silver electrode hands down. Silver is a better electrical and thermal conductor than copper, iridium, and even gold. Something like the Nology Silverstone series:

http://www.nology.com/silver.html

Most Bosch Platinum +4's run about $5.99 a plug, so for only $2 more a plug you can have the best plugs available.

As far as wires, MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor's are a very good wire.

[rstinnett]

What about the NKG Iridium plugs? I've seen those come on the market here recently... anyone tried those?

[fastTa]

Originally posted by rstinnett
What about the NKG Iridium plugs? I've seen those come on the market here recently... anyone tried those?

Don't know about the NGK iridium's, but the Denso iridium's are $12.99 a plug and no where near as good as the Nology plugs.