Spark Plugs

[AZ-Z71]

Well I've been tinkering with the truck lately and decided to check the plugs. 87,000 miles on them. First let me say that those boots are a real PITA to remove. You would swear that they were glued on or something.

 

Anyway checked all 8, and they look great. They are the Ac Delco Platinums, all the little discs where still intact. Only light carbon deposits on them.

 

I did find this a little odd though, all the plugs on the drivers side were a little under gapped, 0.053 to 0.055. All the plugs on the passenger side were 0.060 to 0.061.

 

I just cleaned them up, re-gapped to 0.060 and replaced them. They still looked like brand new.

 

When is it a good time (mileage) to change the wires out?

[ridnlow]

My dad and I usually make it habbit to change them at 100,000 miles.. we could be idiots though

[gmcjoe]

When I pulled my orig plugs at 85K milies, they were pretty much toast. I replaced them with NGK TR55s.

 

The wires should last you a long time. I replaced mine with Taylors for the hell of it

[GnatGoSplat]

My plugs and even gaps were fine when I pulled them at 100-something thousand miles. Only thing is a disc fell off a side electrode when I put my feeler gauge in the plug, good thing it didn't come off in the engine!

Anyway, I replaced them with OEM replacements and all has been well since. I didn't change the plug wires because their resistance was still plenty low when I checked them with my multimeter. I would say the plug wires being as short as they are, can go a long time.

[Joe C]

Guys,

 

Just a few Q's about removal.

 

Were the plugs hard to take out after being installed for so long?

 

Do you think putting anti- sieze on the threads prior would be a benefit for future removal with the aluminum heads?

 

I only have 8,500 on mine and am considering this to avoid any difficulty.

[RyanbabZ71]

it wouldnt hurt to put some dialectric grease on the plugs before installing

 

I was playing around a few weekends ago and i couldnt get the plug off. I stopped tugging because i didnt wanna break it

[Joe C]

sounds good for the boots, what about the threads?

[Mike C]

I always put a little never seize on the threads on plugs, also probably you guys already know is to let the engine cool off before removing spark plugs from aluminum heads.

[GnatGoSplat]

I have always used that silver colored Permatex anti-sieze grease and never had a problem.

I'd recommend it.

[Black02Silverado]

Guys,

 

Just a few Q's about removal.

 

Were the plugs hard to take out after being installed for so long?

 

Do you think putting anti- sieze on the threads prior would be a benefit for future removal with the aluminum heads?

 

I only have 8,500 on mine and am considering this to avoid any difficulty.

Putting antiseize on the plugs is a very good idea. You don't want to have 2 different metals contacting each other. Not a good thing. The antiseize will help for later removal and keep the chemical reaction between the two metals to a minimum.

 

Dielectric grease is the way to go to making plug changes a breeze. Those boots can really be a pain to get off. The grease makes life so much better.

 

I do both on mine to to make life better for myself and to keep from having to buy new wires because I have a short temper and if they don't come off easy I tend to just yank and that leads to damaged wires.

 

The antiseize is something that I learned about hear at work and have seen what can happen if it isn't used. Not a good thing. Better to be safe than sorry. There might be a ton of people out there that never installed it and had no problems but with my luck I would not be one of them.

[MarkD]

Do you think putting anti- sieze on the threads prior would be a benefit for future removal with the aluminum heads?

 

Putting antiseize on the plugs is a very good idea. You don't want to have 2 different metals contacting each other. Not a good thing. The antiseize will help for later removal and keep the chemical reaction between the two metals to a minimum

Definately!

[AZ-Z71]

I didn't have a problem getting them out of the motor, just the boots off the plug. It probably is a good idea since you have them out to use the anti-seize. Definately recommend something for the boot as well.

[bigtruck21]

Use the antiseize, but know they will allow more torque to be applied if using a torque wrench, so go by the lower torque range when installing. Also take care not to get any of this around the electrode which can lead to misfires. Apply it lightly to the threads with gloves and keep your hands off the tips. Lube those boots too with dielectric grease

[OUMike]

Is there one set of plugs that is truely better than the others. I've got 157k on my 4.3, and I've always used Delco plugs. Maybe make a swap to something Bosch?? I was thinking of replaceing distributor, when should this be done?

[gmcjoe]

I had no trouble removing the stock wire boots, just a good tug in the right direction.

 

I've always heard it is not a good idea to use anti-seize on plugs No worries.