Hey, guys im in the middle of changing my spark plugs i just can seem to get to the 3 in the rear, what do i have to remove to get to them? should i replace anything while i remove anything.

 

You should just have to remove the coil packs and you can get them.. I do remeber them in a PIA spot, but you can reach them without removing anything.

 

it kind of looks like a PIA I was wondering if you could remove something just to make it easier.

 

This isn't my write-up, but it might help you:

http://www.picshed.com/tanman/

 

dont remove anything, just get a socket extension and reach in there, yes its a PITA but only takes 10 min once u finf the spot. trickiest part is not to drop the screw that holds the coils.

 

For cylinder #5, I removed the bracket that holds the throttle & cruise cables, there are 2 screws that hold the bracket in place. I couldn't get the coil pack to come out otherwise.

 

I few of the plugs were black or greyish white, that means I'm running rich correct?

 

long extentions are a must!!

 

And I also lost one bolt, and got a hamstring cramp.

A magnetic rod helps with getting the plugs out or if you drop a bolt somewhere.

 

a blackened or oily plug does indicate that cylinder is running a bit rich yes. the greyish-white is actually about right, however a very light ashen plug indicates too lean. How many miles you got on your max btw?

 

I guess mine is running rich too, cuz the plugs looked oily and black, especially cylinder #1. How do you cure or fix the problem? Does too much idling have anything to do with the plugs being black?

 

well, there are a few things to try. i guess the best thing to do would be to sit there with a laptop plugged into your ECU and play with the A:F mapping. While the best, it's going to be more difficult to do. I *THINK* running a hotter plug or adjusting the spark gap can lead to a more complete combustion of the A:F mixture and alleviate the oiling some. Try yanking the plug and regapping before trying the other stuff. it's the easiest, cheapest (especially if you already have a gapper) and could turn a percieved rich mixture into the right one. who knows? you might pick up an extra HP or two...

 

Well, before I replaced my plugs, I made sure all the new ones were gapped correctly. The old ones I yanked out, especially the 2 which were the most black had an incorrect gap. It was wider than what it should be, @.046 so would the .002 really make that much of a difference? I'll have to yank one out after some driving to see what she's like.

 

Good stuff SerjVQ... really helpful!

 

For the daily driver don't get carried away analyzing individual plug condition. You could drive yourself crazy. If the engine has been operating with no obvious issues such as SES light, missing, pinging, unstable or incorrect idle, an increase in oil consumption or a sudden increase in fuel consumption, don't sweat it. What appears as some difference in the look of the plugs can be a red herring. It is not uncommon to have some variation between cylinders. A lot of idling, intake valve deposit variation (very common), cylinder head and piston deposits or a slight spray pattern/flow variation between injectors may cause this. Oil from the PCV system does not always get evenly distributed to all cylinders, is also my theory as well. Install ALL spark plugs with the gap the same (.043"). If you want to do something, throw in something like Techron in the fuel tank and go for a good safe "blast" on the freeway. Also be aware that the spark plug gap on the old removed plugs is NEVER going to be the same gap that it was when they were new. The gap is ALWAYS going to be bigger, a LOT bigger depending on how long (mileage) the plugs were operating (and what type). I've seen gaps of over .080" on high mileage plugs. And with today's ignition systems they were firing just fine.