So after all my frustrations with the Fiancees car, I figured I'd spend my late afternoon doing a little wrenching. Ahhh that set of NGK's I bought last month, ya thats just the trick for the rough running the MAX has developed. Get out the tools, grab the necessary 2 beers the project should take, and get to turning. Clean the connectors, plug and coil ends, lube with new grease, take out first coil, damn thing is cracked 75% of the way down the side! Well damn, that's ok mabye 1 isn't that big of a deal. Famous last words. 5 out of 6 are cracked, and not just some little hairline crack. These look like the are hatching! Awe crap!!!

 

I think I have 5 extras for sale. I don't have 6 as the #3 spark plug blow out deep sixed that one. PM me if interested.

 

I'm following a lead for some already but if that dosent pan out I'll let you know. Good looking out!!

 

How about cleaning the old ones and putting some hi voltage laquer from electronics store? All you need to do is keep air and moisture away. When there is lots of space, like in those TV sets that I repair, I put silicone around the sparking area on the transformers and they work fine. You'd be restricted to the plug wells, so you'd need that laquer.

 

I have 3 good ones and 3 cracked ones at my parents house, and I could get my dad to ship them to you, I wanna say the 3 cracked ones are from the back side of the engine, but I'm not 100% on that.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the cracked coils..Mine has had three cracked coils on it for about 2 yrs, i just put some electrical tape on them....When the coils "go out" so to speak they usually cause the car to be almost undriveable....

What do you mean by rough running?? need more details the problem

 

While on the subject of plugs, do most auto parts stores carry plugs for the Max? I live in Northern MI, where foreign cars are not the norm, but we have NAPA, Parts Plus, etc...

Just curious, have only had my '90 for a little over a year.

 

NGKs are pretty popular...shouldn't be a prob

 

Well I think the term is Dieseling. It seems to have a hesitation, a intermittent dead miss, and overall dosent like to idle smoothly. I now have a set of "new"(used) coils on the way. ( thanks Mr.Gone ) This weekend, or as soon as they arrive, I plan to install them, new plugs, as well as clean out the IVAC, the TB, and if I can locate the damn thing change the PCV valve. Hopefully that should do it. Any further advice or hints??

 

I personally went with the Vpower plugs from NGK.

 

Give me all your mods and then sell the car..

 

Much love but NO

 

see, i told my buddy but he didnt believe me. Beer solves it all.

 

Thanks! Now, I have a project to look forward to this weekend!

 

check your sensor when you are in there,

 

Thanks! Will do...

 

I have been following these threads on intermittent start problems. My Max is a 90 GXE and under wet ambient conditions, it will crank but not start. On a dry day, it fires up like it was new. I changed the rotor several years ago. Wires are original. Plugs are 10 years old. No drivablity issues such as rough idle, but it did stall in traffice one day, in wet conditions.

Any ideas?

 

You need to do a FULL tune up...Plugs/wires/distributor cap/rotor button..

 

plugs that are 10 years old?!?!?!?!? WTF?

 

those are definitly not the problem....

~Alex