Spark Plug Boot Removal

[rcgolfer]

Sorry, guys, I am sure this question has been asked many times, but I have done "search" and found nuttin'.

 

2001 Yukon 5.3L. Rear spark plug boot on the left side as you face the engine from the front. I have tried it myself and can't get my pinky in there with enough leverage to pull it off. I have held my granddaughter over the engine while she reached down. She got hold of it but lacked the strength. I checked with Rent-A-Ferret to go in there and chew it off, but they ain't got no GM certified ferrets. I supposed if I mess around with it for another hour I'll come up with something, I always do, but I've got other things I can be doing in the meantime while somebody here hopefully helps me out.

 

So, whatta I gotta do here? Grrrr...

[Shaners]

I've never pulled the boots off of mine, but I know they can be difficult. They are also hard to get back on...

[SilveradoWV]

Dont let no Ford Ferret in there! Maybe you can find a ferret and send him to an ASE Ferret School!

[Rotorwrench]

Go buy a cheap set of spark plug wire pliars at Autozone or someplace like that. When you put the boots back on use a dielectric grease like Dow Corning #4, helps keep water out and makes them a heck of alot easier to pull off next time.

[Pewter Pro-Tec]

Go to Napa or Mac Tools or Snap-on or whoever is around you and ask to see the spark plug pliers. They may be of help. This one looks like it's got the right offset for you.

 

 

 

 

Edited to add: You might have an easier time if you twist the boot back and forth a few times before you pull up on it. Also like Rotorwrench says use dielectric grease to prevent them from sticking in the future.

[MountaineerTom]

Crawl under the truck, and reach in from the bottom. Alot easier, for me at least.

[AZ-Z71]

Those pliars really helped. I used those on the back ones of mine. But at the same time mine were also a little easier with the 3" body lift because the fire wall was not as close.

[Black02Silverado]

Sounds like I might need to go out and pull mine off and put some dielectric grease on them so when I do have to change the plugs they will come off easy. That is with 35k on them now hopefully I can get them off.

 

Thanks for the tip on the pliers.

 

rcgolfer did you ever get yours off?

[rcgolfer]

No, I haven't tried again. I'll give it another shot this weekend. I already have a spark plug boot pliers but it may not be big enough. I can also try getting at it from underneath, as suggested. If all else fails, I think that if I remove the dipstick tube I can get my hands in there enough to pull it off. But then I will have to figure out how to do this - things should be this contorted.

[MountaineerTom]

Hmm, I forgot about the body lift, that might have made it a little easier for me too.

[smimi10]

No, I haven't tried again.  I'll give it another shot this weekend.  I already have a spark plug boot pliers but it may not be big enough.  I can also try getting at it from underneath, as suggested.  If all else fails, I think that if I remove the dipstick tube I can get my hands in there enough to pull it off.  But then I will have to figure out how to do this - things should be this contorted.

I just did this two weeks ago, and yes, that one plug is a real pain to get to. I had to eventually just cram my hand in from above, and yank the fire out of it to get it off. It did come off, though, so you know it can be done. :-)

 

The next fun part was getting the plug out, and the new one back in. Took a combination of swivel head ratchet, u-joint adapter thingy, and spark plug socket to do it, plus getting underneath the truck for parts of the exercise. Lots of fun.

 

I thought about the dipstick tube getting in the way, and if I do this again, I will figure a way to get around that thing.

 

Mike

[rcgolfer]

Hey, I got that boot off and it wasn’t that tough, thanks to the ideas I got from this board.

 

I crawled under the vehicle and looked for the plug/boot. There it was, but I couldn't get to it with my hand. I used a big screwdriver, put it between the metal boot cover and the block and twisted carefully. No problem, it pushed back easily. Then I pulled it the rest of the way from the top. There is a combination of socket parts that will allow you to get the plug out. You put a 1" extension on a spark plug socket, reach down and put it over the plug, then slip the drive handle onto the extension. There is enough clearance to do it this way.

 

I was pretty sure I was going to replace these plugs, but first I wanted to see what each one of them looked like. I’ve got about 60K miles on the vehicle. The GM recommended interval is 100K miles, as you know. My concern has been both about the 100K service interval and the horror stories I have heard about plugs getting frozen inot the block. These plugs were in perfect condition - unbelievable! With one exception, they all gapped between .055" and .060". The exception was one that gapped at .050" (must have been a "Monday"plug-gap, ha ha).

 

I decided I might as well changed them out anyway, since I was going through the trouble. I took one over to my local Autozone. No Delco or NGK replacement stocked, only things like Motorcraft, Bosch, Champion, etc. He says they are going out of the Delco business. Then I went to Checker. Same exact story. Seems as though Delco is cutting off a lot of the aftermarket. Mo Jo, you know the story on this?

 

I wanted OEM plugs. So, I said I would go to the dealer on Monday. The Checker guy, who seemed to know quite a bit or at least thought he did, said that this is a triple platinum plug or somesuch, and that GM would charge $22/each for them. (When I told the Mrs. about this, she asked if triple platinum was the type of plug or the type of credit card you need to pay for these things. Good one, Wifee.)

 

I decided to put the plugs back in and run the vehicle down the road another 40K miles. I lubed them with no-seize and dielectric, which is one of the main things I was wanting to do in the first place.

 

That’s my spark plug story.

 

What are you guys using for replacement plugs, and are you having good luck? Every time I used to do non-OEM plugs they would work fine for a couple of thousand miles, then give me problems, so I swore them off.

 

I’ll tell you something. After performing transmission service earlier and now checking these plugs, I am getting to be of the opinion that GM’s service intervals may actually be realistic for a vehicle that gets the type of use mine does. My tranny fluid and pan looked great, and I really don’t think that there would have been much risk to going another 40K, then doing a filter and complete fluid change. The spark plugs could just about pass for new, if cleaned-up. I had been planning to flush the coolant, but now I read in the manual that this is a special 5 year/150K coolant. I looked closely at the coolant, and there ain’t nuttin’ in it and the color is still good. Brake fluid looks the same (GM doesn’t even recommend changing brake fluid, every, from what I can determine - wow). Ditto for the rear axle fluid. Belts and hozes are fine.

 

My use of this truck is probably not typical. I never pull anything. I don’t drive in a dusty environment. The truck never sees cold weather. Most of the miles are highway miles. So, I am getting to be of the opinion that maybe all I need to do is what GMC says - change the oil and filter, lube the chassis, change the air and fuel filters, check the fluid level in the rear end, rotate the tires, and be happy for another 40K.

 

It just doesn’t feel right. After a lifetime of doing all these preventative maintenance things, I am going to feel guilty if I do only what the manufacturer recommends.

 

The one problem I now have is that the emergency brake cable is too loose, and I am at the end of the adjustment. Has anybody run into this problem?