duckvett

I plan on changing the spark plugs in our 2000 this winter and need some advise on the removal procedure. The Corvette has about 42,000 miles on the original plugs and I am concerned about damaging the threads in the head if the plugs are too tight. Should I spray a little penetrating oil around the base of the plug a few times before attempting to remove them? (I found an old post from 5 years ago about using Liquid Wrench on a stuck plug)

Any advise from the pros would be helpful and much appreciated.

Milan

Honestly I think you will be fine. It's more important to be careful when tightening the new spark plugs than removing them.

LoneStarFRC

Just make sure the engine is cold when removing and keep a tube of anti-seize handy and use a little dab on the threads.

HTH

Tip: Since you will be removing these over the winter and can take your time, go ahead and unbolt the coils bracket (5 bolts), unplug the main coil connector and lift off the coils and bracket as an assembly. You can leave the coil wires plugged into the coils if you like. You may want to release tension on the alternator belt and move it off the pulley, loosen (do not remove) the main alternator mounting bolt and swing the alternator out a bit for better/easier access to one of the coil bracket bolts.

Only need to do this on the driver's side. It only takes a couple minutes and you will be pleasantly surprised how much extra room this gives you for reaching #7 plug.

DeeGee

Choice of plugs and wires is always a discussion point. I went for NGK TR-55s set at the factory gap and GM Performance Parts Red wires (part #12495519). I’d strongly recommend replacing the wires at the same time as the plugs. Maybe I’m ham fisted but removing the wires without damaging at least one of them is almost impossible.

Start by removing the fuel rail covers. They are fixed with clips and just need a firm pull to remove them. Ease the plastic apart carefully on the driver’s-side cover to get the cover free from the braided hose.

The plugs nearest the firewall are the hardest to remove so it’s a good idea to start there. To reach the back plugs you will definitely need a swivel socket or a “wobble bar”. There’s a hose which you can disconnect and move out of the way to give better access.

I removed each wire, replaced the plug and refitted the wire as I went along. So all you need to do is remove the old wire, remove the old plug and refit the new wire – easy! Unfortunately it’s easier said than done! I found it easier to disconnect the plug from the coil first. The wires are protected by a heat shield which you need to re use so don’t damage it. Using long reach pliers or your hand if you can get in there, gently push the shield towards the motor leaving the wire exposed. It’s tight in there so there’s not much room to loosen the wire. Wiggling and coaxing may not work and you may need to resort to using a screwdriver to ease the plug wire clear. Once you’ve removed the wire remove the heat shield from the old wire and transfer this to the new wire. Hopefully once you’ve done the back ones the rest of the plugs are easier to get at.

When you refit the plugs its worth coating the thread with a small amount of anti seize. For bedded-in cylinder heads, torque the spark plugs to 11 lb ft. If you have greasy hands make sure the ceramic and plug caps are clean. Refit the wires remembering to refit the heat shield. Refit the FRCs.

This should be an easy job but I found it quite tricky and lost the skin on a few knuckles. I have to admit, it wasn’t the best job for quality time with my Vette.

Harry Bilgewater

IANAP (I am not a pro) but can tell you of my experience with a shop when asked to replace the plugs.

ME: I would like to replace the plugs and wires.

SHOP MANAGER: Any particular reason you want to replace those parts?

ME: The vehicle has 100,000 miles and figured the plugs need to be replaced. Wires are old to and figured they would be brittle.

SHOP MANAGER: Unless you are seeing the check engine light I would leave it alone. We will check it on the computer and be sure but unless you have a code popping up I would not bother.

10 minutes later:

SHOP MANAGER: We connected it to the computer and there was only a history code for the ABS. I recommend leaving well enough alone. There is a high risk of damaging the threads and to repair that is expensive. The computer will alert you of plug problems long before it is a real problem. Unless you want a different type or brand of plug it is better to leave it alone.


A couple of years later I replaced the plugs. That was done at the same time the engine was replaced because the oil pump checked out of the hotel. Mileage at the time of engine replacement was 175,000
miles. Tough plugs.

YMMV.

vettenuts

Slow and cold. If you take your time and remove the plugs slowly you will be fine. Penetrating oil won't help unless you turn each some amount to allow it to go down the threads, otherwise it won't make it past the seal against the head and will only make a mess. As for wires, you will soon find out that getting the stock wires off in one piece is near impossible. The new GM wires are excellent. I got the LS7 (Z06) wires because of the 90 degree end and the better fit with headers. Proper tools are key. I also found that removing the rubber AIR hoses near the #7 plug (rear driver's side) helps a lot when working on that plug. The clamps are just plastic finger clamps and they come right off as do the hoses. Makes things much easier. I would start in the passenger side since it is easier and see how things progress before tackling the harder side, namely #7.

Gradient

I am a new vette owner (2003 Z06). Do mine have the bedded-in cylinder heads? If not, what should the torque be set to?

Thanks in advance.

crainholio

Use your compressor or a canned air to blow any debris away from the plug bases before removing them, so it doesn't fall into the cylinders when the plugs are removed.

cruisemon

VERY important plug wire installation tip: When the plug wire goes on correctly you will hear/feel two distinct clicks as the boot seats. It is likely you will have at least one boot not seat properly. This happens because the boot seals tightly around the plug, air gets trapped in the space above the plug in the boot and creates enough pressure to affect the boot seating but not enough to "burp" the boot. I use a small wire tie slipped up along the side of the plug as I put the boot in place to make an opening to avoid trapping an air bubble. After hearing/feeling two clicks, I remove the wire tie. Don't EVEN ask how I know all this.

Charlie

lucky131969

bedded in ?

dougbfresh

Sure is amazing how complicated people can make very simple things.

Quicksilver Vert 01

My guess is that this refers to the tapered seat of a spark which has previously been mated with the tapered seat of the cylinder head's spark plug hole.

It's similar to bedding-in brake pads to rotors, however, in the case of spark plugs, it would be the aluminum head material being very slightly "shaped" by the spark plug seat.

As I said, it's just my guess of what DeeGee is referring to.

joe Villarreal

just use a/c replacement plugs and good set of wires dont be cheap this is your toy expense has no limits just wait till engine cools down and you will have no problems you can also use vasaline on thread ends and inside of the wire boots so they will not stick

zulatr

Don't put vasaline on the threads, it will cook and glue the plug in place.
Use a good qualitly anti-seeze compount.

I'm guessing Joe meant use the vasaline on just the boot so it doesn't stick to the insulator.

PetersC5

I have great luck using a large flat blade screwdriver, i slip it inbetween the manifold and the metal shield on the plug. One counterclockwise twist of the screwdriver it locks against the manifold and catches the notch on the shield and the boot pops right off.
Never seize on the plug and dielectric grease on the boot for the new stuff on reassembly.

Ikester

I just tackled this over the weekend. Not that hard to do!

The best tip I learned was to remove the coil pack assembly attached to the valve covers. There are 5 small bolts holding it in place. Unplug the main wire harness on top. Its white colored. The coil pack assy comes out in one piece.

After you remove the coil pack assembly bracket, you have alot of room now available to you! You still need swivel socket, for some plugs. Get a few small extension sizes so you have more options to work with.

For NGK plugs, there is no need for anti-sieze per NGK themselves. Use a 3/8 drive TQ wrench and set it to 11ft lbs. I also had to use the large tq wrench to remove the plugs for better leverage. they are tough with a normal socket wrench.

Alley Oop

I changed the plugs on my C5 in Sept, first time ever. It was a PITA. My advice is use a pair of offset needle nose pliers, as short as possible because you ain't got a lot of room to move around. Do the plug with the most room first, the easiest, it will give you confidence for the plugs against the firewall which are a bear. Don't try to save the wires. Try to rotate the spark plug boot 180* to break it loose from the plug. Before getting advice from the forum, I spent 2 hours trying to get the first plug out. Was ready to call my mechanic but instead I went to youtube and googled spark plug removal Corvette Forum. The following is the advice I found...Thanks for all the comments on this subject. While I do have a C5, I've not yet gotten into the spark plugs on it. But today I started to change the plugs on my daughter's 2004 Grand Prix GTP, and ran into the same issue, same type of connectors. I finally got all six off without breaking them, but it was not easy. Here was my approach, which uses some of what was discussed above:

1. Get the heat shield loose from the boot. It is held down by a spring type device. With your hand, rotate the shield clockwise as if you were tightening it (because the wound spring is like a left hand thread). This should break the shield loose from the engine and the boot.

2. Use a large pliers, set it to allow a big opening. Pull the heat shield back down toward the engine and clamp the big teeth of the pliers on the rubber boot, between the large molded hex on the boot and the metal heat shield.

3. As said before by others, wiggle and manipulate the boot with the pliers. If possible, rotate the boot 90 degrees in one direction, then 90 degrees in the other. I suspect that is what the rubber molded hex is for, but in some locations on the engine, I couldn't turn it with my hand, but could with the pliers.

4. While keeping the pliers tight on the boot, use the other hand to pull outward on the pliers hard while wiggling the boot with the pliers.

5. Here is the tough part. Keep doing #4 until the boot finally comes loose and pops off. It can take several minutes or more of putting heavy force on it. It is tiring and can cause parts of your body to ache intensely. Especially when laying across the top of a transverse V6 to get to the back row of plugs (much harder than the Vette). But eventually it will come loose.

6. There was one plug on the GTP where there was not enough room to get the second hand on the pliers. Eventually I took a 2 1/2 foot long 3/8 inch round rod, and got it behind the pliers and pried the pliers away from the engine while keeping the pliers clamped on the boot. It popped right off.


If I can get all six off the GTP using this technique on boots that had never been removed in 100,000 miles, any Vette should be a cinch with this method. But you have to be persistent and confident that it will eventually come loose. Don't give up

I just did this job on our 45K mile 2000. One thing I have not seen mentioned in this thread that may help somewhat is to pull the wires off the coil packs first. Grab the top boot and twist it both way (doesn't require much turn), it will then easily pull off the coil pack. Now you have a tiny bit more room to work on the bottom end of the wire. Now grab the heat shield around the lower boot and turn it from side-to-side. Pull only on the heat shield or the boot, I guarantee if you pull on the wire you will break at least one of them, probably more.

Many people have tried to help you (in their own inimitable ways), so without being a "smart-aleck" I will tell you the awful truth: You would be foolish to attempt this project without knowing you want to change the plugs and wires. This is not a project you want to be doing just for practice. You will sweat, you will curse, you will bleed - make it worthwhile and change the damn plugs and wires.

Hardest part, getting the old wire boots off the plugs. After doing one side, reading about the angled needle nose - I used that idea on the other side... gripping the heat shield with the angled needle nose and along with tugging on the wire boot itself, they popped right off. No room for me to twist and turn them on the plug to free them up, so the pliers helped me alot. Good tip there.

I used small, angled needle nose pliers to grab the edge of the metal shields. You could try taping the pliers if you're concerned about marking the shields. Just be patient and work at it.... the only wires I destroyed met their demise when I was really good and aggravated.

try using a light coat of dielectric grease on the plug tip and ceramic. Since I started doing this, I have never had a problem with sticking wires.

I replaced my wires and plugs on my 2002 Z06 a few months ago at 32K miles.

The wires were indeed a PITA- even with a special plug wire puller. Lot's of twisting and pulling and choice english language helped. Several of the wires pulled apart - one boot almost got shredded.

Once the wires were off removing the 8 year old spark plugs was a piece of cake. New GM red wires installed with the dielectric grease stuff to hopefully help the new wires not stich as hard

I used pliers designed to pull the boots. Grab the boot low, squeeze hard, twist, pull. Heat shields, wire/boots, were all removed undamaged. This was when they had 50k+ miles on them and been on since built, which made them 10 years old at that time.

You can do it!

Lisle 51410 spark plug boot pliers and GearWrench 80546 wiggle plug socket.

Lisle 51410 spark plug boot pliers and GearWrench 80546 wiggle plug socket.

Just like a stuck bolt.. push it ON first, then it will free to pull if OFF.

With the metal sleeves on, I found it was really easy to pull the sleeve and the boot as one.......

A tool I used was a needle-nose vise grip. Get it in between the boot and grab the metal insulators and pull. You'll still tear up a couple wires but they will come off.

Google Spark plug wire boot removal tool and you will find what you nee


I use hose pliers. They look like needle nose pliers with a bend to grab a hose with out crushing it. Grab the boot NOT the wire and twist-pull

I found a pair of long-handle needle nose pliers in the $4 bin at Adnvance Auto Parts. Work perfectly for all the plug wires. Haven't broken one yet. Attach them on the boot and pull on the pliers.

Make sure you put some gloves on, grab by the boot the best you can and keep twisting and pulling ........... evenutally they'll slip off ........ it's a very tight fit and actually feels like a suction releasing when they free up.

Be sure to squirt a little dielectric grease into the new boots before putting them on.

They make spark plug wire removal pliers but the problem is in the construction of the wire. In most cases when you latch onto the plug wire boot your also squeezing the terminal that is gripping the spark plug as well so the harder you squeeze the more it grips.

http://www.mcssl.com/store/cc-perfor...81a6a08596362b

We always ship 2nd day priority for free

. I've also seen t-handle type pullers that hook to the end of the boot, which adds no clamping pressure.

I didn't remove anthing extra. I just removed the red beauty covers. Disconected the wires from the coils. Heres the hard part. At each plug grab real tight on the boot and rotate one full turn to break loose. Then continue to rotate and pull. Its tough but works. I cound not find any tool to help on this part

adjustable spark plug wire puller, part # 51750. About $ 25. 00. Lisle Corporation, Clarinda, Iowa, 51682.

A tool I used was a needle-nose vise grip. Get it in between the boot and grab the metal insulators and pull. You'll still tear up a couple wires but they will come off.

I use hose pliers. They look like needle nose pliers with a bend to grab a hose with out crushing it. Grab the boot NOT the wire and twist-pull.

I can tell you from experience that you will more than likely break or mangle a plug wire or more.. I broke 3 on my Ls6 and 4 on my Ls1.. The wires get really brittle over time, from the extreme heat and literally weld themselves in place, and a few are a down right bitch to get off, even with a plug wire puller tool, which you will need.. A few of the wire boots did come of really easily. Just remember when you break a wire you will have to buy a whole set of wires or go to the dealership and buy 1 individual wire for $33.00 (rip off).. Just a heads up before you start.. Gene Cully has the RED GM Hot Wires for $56.00 for a set of 8.. Superb performance wire at a steal of a deal price http://www.gmpartshouse.com/chevy/chevy-parts.html



I had to change the plugs in my new '00 vert that had 25k on it after i got it in March, the plugs had never been pulled and I to, wanted to insure they were removable, and never seize the threads etc.

With the metal sleeves on, I found it was really easy to pull the sleeve and the boot as one.......



if you have a pair of long needlenose, you can use the head covers as a fulcrum and remove it with lever force.



I'm doing my plugs/wires as we speak (or type/read). I have the driver's side wires ripped (and I mean ripped)out and all the plugs (AC-Delco 41-110 iridiums) changed out.

#7 is a PITA, for sure, but #1 is fun to get leverage on with a ratchet. That alternator seems to freeze you up from moving the ratchet very far.

I'm using the anti-seize compound on the threads and dielectric crap on the inside of the boot and on the white porcel-- spell that! of the plug.

Moral lesson today, always PLAN on buying new wires when changing plugs on a C5 for the 1st time. My 02 has 67k on it and the wire boots are/were so frozen to the plugs, I had to pop the contact off the plug and grab the boot with channel locks and tug.

WEAR GLOVES and put something over the fender to protect it from your legs, beer belly and tools.





08-10-2020, 11:44 AM

#10


I changed spark plugs and wires on my 02 with 50k miles that's all original. 18 yr old plugs and wires didn't come out easily. I only changed out for peace of mind. I believe the plugs would of lasted to 100k but not the wires. Since I was changing wires anyways I pulled on the wires to get them out. The ones that ripped apart, ripped with minimal force. Maybe #3-6 get the most heat from headers? After all of this the idle completely smoothed out. Went back with AC Delco plugs and GM performance red wires (added wire boots).

666lisa

Great recap of a 12 yrs old tread.