2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix - Change Spark Plug

[@joemeyer5482]

I pulled out the coolant reservoir (just loosened and set aside, hose stayed connected) to get at that back passenger side plug with a lot more ease. Also using a flex head ratchet made a world of difference for the job.

[@NexusAuto]

Thats a great idea! I didnt even think of going in from that end. Hopefully someone will read this and give that a try. At least you dont have to lean over the entire engine bay lol. Thanks for sharing!

[@tomsteve3804]

@@NexusAuto i read it today! picked up an 08 a couple days ago and doing a tune up,fluids,and all that good stuff. ive been using your video to see if there was an asier way to do the back plugs. got to that plug on the back right and got stuck just getting the wire off. thankfully i decided to read through the comments. pulling the reservoir out of that way made is extremely easy! thanks, joe for that infoi!

[@NexusAuto]

That's awesome news Tom, and I am glad to hear it all worked out. This is one of the reasons I love KZbin as a platform...there is always someone out there who may have thought of something else or a better way to do things...there always is, and I am glad @JoeMeyer shared and it has helped you out. Glad to hear of your success as well. Thanks for watching.

[@tomsteve3804]

@@NexusAuto you got that right! youtube would have saved me a lot of grief 20+ years ago. now onto radiator flush and hoses then trans filter and lines. :)

[@NexusAuto]

@@tomsteve3804 wow, you are going to have a new car by time you're done! Love it!

[@missychevious3137]

Well, all I can say is piddle on it. I've spent the last 2 hours trying to find the discussion I had about the gas mileage I got with this ole Grand Prix. I just can't find it. Soooo, here I go again. LOL A good day to you my friend. I hope your summer has been a good one. Hope you're staying out of mischief (NOT). How are you and the family doing? Hope all is well. Wellll, here we go again with another long winded post. I spent Tuesday trying to track down a problem with the ABS and Trac Control systems. I ran into a problem trying to get the plug in on the right rear sensor when I replaced the hubs, sensors and quick struts back in the spring. I kinda figured that was the place to start. Wrong. I installed a new hub bearing and sensor. Wasn't the problem. I figured sc**w it till next week. Then I took on the alignment. When I went around a corner the tires squealed like I was doing 90 around the corner. I duct taped a string to the back of the rear tire and strung it up to the front of the front tire in the middle of the tire. Left wheel was towing out to the left about a centimeter at the front of the tire and the right wheel was towing out about a cm to the right. I'm not sure what the proper tow-in is supposed to be but I was pretty sure it was out just a smidgen. I adjusted them so the string was touching the back and front of the front tire and locked them down. The center hub of the steering wheel was as close to level as one can get it and locked in. I took it for a drive and it steered straight down the road when I let go of the wheel and no more squealing. Mission accomplished. I should have done this when I put in the new struts but what the hay. It's me right. LMAO. Next was the headlight alignment. I installed new headlights when I got the car. However, the idiots sent me smoked headlights. So this idiot decided they would look pretty good on the car so I installed them. I don't think idiot describes me. No damn good outside the city and they weren’t aligned properly. Problem was that I couldn't find anywhere with level ground and a fence to align them so I said to heck with it. This is leading somewhere and I'm getting to that. LMAO I was heading up to Port Elgin on Thursday to meet my daughter. She was doing some union training for her work. I filled the old girl up and headed out. I figured so long as I got back before dark and it didn't rain the headlights should be OK. Yepp. Not one of my brighter ideas. 299.8 miles round trip and I was meeting her after her class at 4:30 Pm. I didn't head home until around 8 or 8:30 that night. The car just happened to be facing a fence at the back of the Wendy's parking lot at an angle so I figured what the hell. I set the headlights as best as I could and headed out. That was the most frustrating drive I ever made. You couldn't see shi...nothing unless the high beams were on. Somewhere along the line I missed a curve or turn on 21 hwy and wound up down some road that ended at a T in the road with a gravel road and a one way sign pointing to the left. I didn't realize that I wasn't on 21 Hwy until I hit this huge speed bump followed by 3 more. I turned around and went back north until I saw a sigh to Kincardine. OK. Now we have to have it right. Yuppers, about 10 or 15 miles of rough road with no visible lines and it started raining out. I couldn't see jack shi...poop. Finally got to Kincardine and headed the right way home. I always use a turn off at Kettle Point to come into town along the Lakeshore Rd. (I used a different route going to Port Elgin) 2nd mistake. About 10 miles down there's a detour sigh and a warning that a bridge was out. Soooo, I took the detour. That's where things really got interesting. I went along for about 10 miles on another hastily laid black top road with literally no white lines and again it was raining out therefore I couldn't see shi....crap again. I came to a lit corner with a stop sign and a sign that said "Detour Ends" but no indicators on which way to go.. Couldn't go right due to construction, wasn't sure about the left so I went straight through. Wound up in some stupid multi million dollar house subdivision out in the middle of butt pluck no where. Got lost trying to find my way out. Finally got back to the turn at the detour ends sign and went the other way. Next came the round about. All signs pointed the wrong way. LMAO Go figure. Finally got it figured out and wound up on London Road. FINALLY. I knew where I was. Then when I got in town there was construction along London Road that I hadn't seen before. I got around it, no problem. Remember what I told you about the luck of the Irish??? Total total total luck of the Irish that night. LMAO Got home after midnight. All in all, a pretty good drive. LMFAO I should mention that I ordered new headlights for the old girl yesterday and no more smoked headlights. Should be in tomorrow and 10 minutes to install. I've had it with these crap headlights. Now, where all this was leading. I filled the car up before I left and when I got home I parked the car until this afternoon. I went and filled the car and then sat down at my trusty computer. 299.8 miles (482.5 Km). Took 7.840 gallons (35.642 L). So, 299.8 miles using 7.840 gallons = 38.24 mpg (16.26 km/l). I filled up at the same self serve and used the same pump. How is this kind of mileage possible with an 05 Grand Prix with the 3.8 L V6 engine and 91,889 miles ( 147877 km) on it???? I know the alignment was bad but last somewhat long trip averaged 31 or 32 mpg. This one 38.24 mpg. Last one was 400 series hwy with 1/3 of the way max 100/km/h and the last 2/'3 max 110 km/h. This one varied between 50 km/h and 80 km/h through a bunch of small towns. I know I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree but this isn't making any sense to me at all. Don't get me wrong. I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. This is just so wacky. The mpg in the city absolutely sucks but the hwy is unbelievable. My question to you is (you know these cars better than I do). What would you do? Sell her before the other shoe drops or just count my blessings and be thankful?? I must admit the old girl ran amazing, went like the wind, handled like a dream and rode like a car with new quick struts. LOL There's my conundrum for this time. Let me know what you think. I'm totally baffled. Till Nexus time MEEEEE

[@NexusAuto]

Haha! We've had so many conversations on here, I know it's on here. But finding it...that's a different story! I am doing great, and summer was great too. I moved locations (more on that in the future). My family is great as well. I hope the same for you too! Nice work on the alignment! Sometimes it's just the small little things we don't even bother with, and a few adjustments, and problem solved! Looks like that was the trick! LOL Smoked headlights are a hilarious fad. I did it once on my first car...25 years ago! But it was just the snap on covers. So I could take them off if I didn't like them. Unfortunately, the person you bought it from left you with a much heftier bill LOL. All to actually make the car operate worse! Glad you got that fixed up too! Whoa! What a shi...unfortunate situation. All because of those damn headlights. It's amazing you made it out at all! That could have gone so much worse. That was a wild story! And what was that...4 hour drive? Luck of the Irish is right! Whoa...again! That's some amazing mileage! She's running about as good as she could! So, I drove a couple of cars up to my new place..about 1.5 hrs from my old one. Out of all the cars, the GP (which is the oldest of the bunch) got the best mileage. I didn't do the numbers, but I used less fuel vs the other, newer cars. It was all highway too, so it was smooth sailing all the way. Honestly, as long as the engine and transmission are good, why get rid of it? You may not get much on the used car market right now (it's still a hot market, but it is cooling as inventories are getting better). I've seen more people write these cars off for the rotted rocker panels vs the engine/transmission(problematic as the transmission can be at times). If it were me I would keep it (and I'm a good example of this, since I bought another car and still kept the GP LMAO). A lot of it is driving style too. I don't know if you've seen it, but check out this video from Top Gear on an M3 vs Prius. You'll get it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGGXfoubpb6ceNUsi=sHBTGjgNMM41fXlm Anyways, it's great catching up with you again. Until Nexus Time, Sir Miss Chevious!

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto Unfortunately it wasn't the guy that sold me the car that was stupid enough to put in tinted headlights. It was yours truly....Meeeee. LOL When I had the safety done they told me the headlights had to be restored and wanted over a hundred bucks to do them. I decided to do them myself. I've done many in the past. However, they couldn't be restored. The problem was on the inside. There was fogging, water and algae inside the headlight housings Never seen that before. So I decided to order new ones. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention and wound up ordering the tinted headlights. I figured what the hay. I had no intentions of driving outside the city so what could it hurt. If by chance I was outside the city I just made sure I was home before dark. So, when my daughter called and asked if I could meet her in Port Elgin I couldn't get there fast enough. If I ever decide to put smoked headlights in a car again I hope somebody hits me in the head with a big long 2 X 4. I got the new headlights and installed them. What a difference. I took a drive down some gravel roads south of the city and I could actually see the road, the ditches and a few cattle and it was raining out. AWESOME!!!!. Good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise I should be heading back up to Port Elgin next summer. My daughter will be returning to finish the last of her training. I know I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree but I can't believe how utterly stupid I was to put those tinted headlights in the car. The tinted ones were around $150 and the new untinted ones were approx $198 shipped to the door. Now I'm sitting around wondering who I know that I can give the tinted ones to. LMFAO However, I did take a couple of sleeping bags with me just in case there were problems and the old girl broke down on the highway. I try to always be prepared. A few years back I bought a Dodge van. The day I put it on the road I got rear ended about 40 miles from home on my way home and the car that hit me was a stolen car. Hit me so hard it tore the bottom mount out of the right side of the rad and even flattened the back of the drivers seat. There I was, stuck out in the middle of no where. I managed to get it into a little town and parked in an IGA parking lot. Nothing but a spring jacket to cover up with and the temps were middle to upper 30's and I couldn't run the engine. Think I go unprepared now??? LOL I do drive like a little old man....hey wait a minute. I am a little (ok the little part is a lie) old man. I shouldn't be admitting this but I drove for just over 20 years with no insurance on the vehicles years ago (statute of limitations is long past LOL). I learned to drive very well. I only got stopped 2 times in all that time and only to let me know a light was out on the car. Needless to say, I am a slow and cautious driver today and the cars have been fully insured for over 22 years. BTW, I just watched that video. I never liked Prius anyway. LOL Again, you take care and stay safe. Till Nexus time....

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 LMFAO oh...now that was the plot twist I didn't expect! HAHAHAHA. Funny thing, I see how this whole thing came out...ordering the wrong by accident after trying to restore it and all. But I swear that was the Irish luck again...except this time, it was a long term Luck of the Irish! LOL. Hey, that's definitely one of those hindsight things. Seemed like a good idea at the time. At the time being the main thing there LOL. Awesome news to hear it's all fixed up. What a huge difference! Great news to hear. And loved the preparedness. Can't be too careful these days. But what a story! How did you survive a hit like that? Imagine getting rear ended so hard that the back seat was flattened out. Rad mount torn? It's amazing to hear you even made it to the little town! Don't blame you at all for being prepared. Something I should really start practicing, to be honest! Haha, don't worry, these chats are safe... I hope LOL. You have a great driving record and history there (and especially with some of the stuff that happened to you too). Glad to see you're still going strong all these years later! And I never liked the prius too, although I will admit, the newest ones look surprisingly nice. Still wouldn't own one...ever LOL. Great talking to you, as always. Stay safe, and until Nexus Time, Sir Miss Chevious LOL

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto I think I better explain a little better. I was in a hurry so I think i screwed up a little bit . It wasn't the back seat that got flattened, it was the back of the drivers seat that got flattened. LOL The 2 occupants of the stolen car asked which way Mount Bridged was. I told them and they took off running up the highway. The operative part being Up The Highway. The police got them before they got 3 miles. If that had been me I would have been running through trees, fields and along back roads....not up the shoulder of a 400 series highway. And I say I'm not to bright. LMAO Believe me, it was a long cold night. Great chatting again. I always look forward to our chats. You take care and be careful taking care. You never know who's watching. Till Nexus time....

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 Whoa! That's even worse! Crazy! HAHAHA not the brightest bulbs, were they? They're about as bright as tinted Grand Prix headlights LMAO. Makes me wonder about some of the things people do. I occasionally watch those dashcam compilations, just to see the wild things people do on the road! Take care too, my friend. Until Nexus Time, stay safe and out of trouble. Gotta protect that image LOL

[@bryndon_barrett]

Just wanted to let you know even in 2024 your videos are still SUPER helpful. Just replaced my coils, wires, and spark plugs with your help on my 07 Grand Prix. Thank you so much for all your detailed vids. Throttle body next!

[@NexusAuto]

That's awesome! Pretty cool to see the videos are helping out even now! Thanks for watching and the great feedback!

[@jonmo2694]

Clean your EGR hole in the intake behind the throttle body when you take it off or check it, I had an EGR code and I wish I had cleaned it when I took the throttle body off.Make sure to check that make sure the EGR hole is clean or clear, it's kinda like a drain but for air, carbon is real shitty behind your throttle body, mine looked like TAR!

[@jonmo2694]

I have an O5 did you have to change your leaking cheap plastic coolant elbows from the pulley tensioner yet? Get the aluminum ones if you do.

[@NexusAuto]

@@jonmo2694 Great advice for viewers.

[@NexusAuto]

@@jonmo2694 Also great advice for sure. I wish the aluminum ones were readily available when I did mine...I would have changed to those at that time.

[@alannasutherland2426]

Well, it looks like my 06 might go to the bone yard. It was so messed up when I got it. I've done a lot to her but she needs a lot more. And started spitting and sputtering the other day so I'm about to give up. I have plugs and wires but to chicken to try changing them out on my own. But I'll never forget learning how to and installing a window regulator from Nexus!! There wasn't even one in the door when I opened it up to see if I could fix the issue. Trying to find a Camry I can afford.

[@NexusAuto]

@alannasutherland2426 oh nooo! Damn, that's sad to hear. But sometimes these things happen, no matter what we try. For what it's worth, that does sound like a throttle body cleaning issue (if you haven't done that already). But sometimes, we gotta move on from a car if it's becoming more of an issue that it's worth. I do know we've had quite a few interactions on here. I'm really happy to hear that these videos helped out. Camry is a great replacement choice. Hopefully you find a suitable one at a great price! Thanks for the great support and for watching!

[@legendpotato]

Crazy how u posted this 7 years ago and it’s still being used lol I’m doing the coils sparks and wires for the first time

[@NexusAuto]

@legendpotato It's pretty cool to hear how these video still help people out to this day! Great to hear it will help you out too!

[@missychevious3137]

I gotta say, I've never read all the comments to the end on any video I've ever watched....that is until now. I had a lot of fun on this one. Made a few....comments. Just good wholesome fun. The best part is being old. You get to say whatever you want and people just put it off to "The Old Fellow". Kinda puts a whole new perspective on things. "I LOVE IT". LMFAO Also....Do some stretches....... LMAO With this old body....There'd be a lot of old spare body parts laying all over the place. LMFAO Till Nexus time.

[@NexusAuto]

HAHA that's awesome. That's a great first! If you ever check some of the other videos, you'll notice some...interesting folks. For every 20 great comments, I get a weird or bad one. Not very many, but the bad ones are always hilarious. Especially when people try and tell me something and they're completely false. I just had someone tell me that all 3800 engines use 10w30 and I was wrong for putting in 5w30. Well, he was right...up to the series II. Series III is 5w30. But he was so sure of himself LOL. Also, love when they never comment back when I correct them. Oh well, it is the fun of these videos. Gotta have thick skin. Can't wait until I'm an 'Ol Fella' and can use that excuse too LOL. I'm getting there. Til Nexus Time, Sir Mis Chevious!

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto I used 5W30 in a 98 Grand Caravan, a 04 Neon, an 85 Dodge B150 van X 2 and in the 05 Grand Prix. Don;t know why, i just did. Seemed like the thing to do at the time. LOL

[@NexusAuto]

@missychevious3137 lol hey, at least the cars worked! I'm not even sure of that's the proper grade for those vehicles, but hey, they still ran! 🤣. Also, noticed you're a bit of a Chyrsler fan before!

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto They were supposed to use 10W30 but the 5W30 was always on sale so that's what I used. It didn't hurt anything. I had an old 74 chev 1/2 ton years ago. It burned so much oil that I used 20W50 in it. Little rough on the start in the winter time but I only needed it to run till I found a new motor. I even used 4 quarts of hupoid 90 rear axle oil in it one summer. It sure did a lot of bucking and farting with that stuff in it but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. LMAO It came with a 350 small block and got 8 mpg. I found a 6 cylinder and it got 6 mpg. Go figure. I got so pissed with it that I held the gas pedal to the floor in 2nd gear on the way to work one morning. I turned it from a 6 cyl engine into a 4 cylinder on the way home that night. Should never have bought the thing in the first place. I just bought it for shaits and giggles. It was a 47 mile drive to work every morning. I got approx 147 miles per tank (approx 18 gallon tank). I averaged 7.83 mpg on the last tank of gas. That's awesome mileage for a 6 turned 4 cylinder......isn't it. LMAO Sure was glad to see that money pit go. I actually traded it in for a Mercury Comet. The one that looked like a Maverick. Came with a 302 with twin 4 BBL carbs. It got a lot better mileage than the pick up. LMAO Yes, for the most part, I've always been a Mopar fan. The only time I drove anything else was when I couldn't find a good deal on a used one. New Ports were my favourite. Had a number of them. Dodges especially the ones with the push button shifter on the dash, Plymouths. Loved em all. I had a 64 Dodge Polaris with the push button shifter. The brakes gave out as I was pulling into dad's garage one day. Shoved the lever into park. There was a lot of loud rattling coming from the transmission and then a loud bang. Pushed it into the garage and had to replace both universals. Drive shaft was jammed up in the frame. Oh well. Got it stopped in the parking lot without hitting the gas pumps. Fastest was my 69 Plymouth Road Runner. Ran a lot of 1/4 mile (illegal street) races and the old girl never lost a race. I sure wish I still had her today. Well, there's another brief history of my antics when I was younger. With that I think I'm gonna get the he he he heck outta here. You take care and for cripes sake....stay outta mischief. LOL Till Nexus time....

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 LOL that's true. Really, it only affects winter driving anyways. And those old american engines would plow through anything. Is a 5w difference going to stop it? HAHA LOL oh wow! 20W50 in a 350 small block? And hypoid oil too? LOL. You really weren't kidding with 'you gotta do what you gotta do'! LOL. But that's the fun with our profession. It's always about just making shi...stuff work. Especially on our own cars! What kinda 6 was it? Sounded like it was a an ol beast of an engine LOL. You figured out something GM couldn't back then...how to get one of their old vehicles to go from 8 to 6 to 4 HAHAHA! Your car history is amazing! Your Mopar run is great, just from the ones you mentioned. I'm sure there's others that you didn't even mention here. But that poor Polaris and it's U-Joints! But hey...you gotta do what you gotta do! LOL. I did something like that twice in an emergency situation...one in a FWD automatic transaxle, and the other in a 6 speed BMW on the German Autobahn when a truck cut me off while I was driving at...interesting speeds LOL. Well, that wasn't going into park obviously, but from 6th to 2nd to engine brake the hell out of the car. It was a rental, so whatever LOL. Everyone lived, and luckily I didn't blow up either of those transmissions! I am jealous that you had a Road Runner. Absolutely amazing vehicle! It would be amazing to still have it! I'll try to stay out of trouble, but make no promises. Make sure not to have too much fun with that ol' guy charm HAHAHA Until Nexus Time, my friend...

[@drtb69]

Getting the wires off is ridiculous hard !! OEM with 238k miles

[@NexusAuto]

I agree. They really get stuck on there sometimes. I've got some bruised knuckles dealing with them. Hopefully everything else went well

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto My dad used to tell us that if you haven't got skinned knuckles when you finish the job......you aren't doing it right. LOL

[@jonmo2694]

Not gonna lie, this was hard as F, mine were seized up boots.Make sure you lube these suckers if you plan on keeping it for a long time

[@NexusAuto]

Same here. I got them off, but the boots were really on there!

[@missychevious3137]

Hello there young feller. Waazzzz up. Well here I am, about to change the plugs but wouldn't you know it, my flex head ratchet has come up missing. Just when I really needed it. I wanted to get the plugs changed today. Oh well. Crappy Tire has new ones. One like the one that's missing about $30 plus since I can't find the gapping tool I better add a new one to the list. Ratchet from CTC is the same price as Amazon so I night as well go get it rather than wait for it to be shipped This is going to be one of the most expensive tune ups I've ever done on a car of mine. Oh, and can't forget the dielectric grease. Used it up on the last tune up I did for a neighbour. It just keeps getting better and better. LOL I think I'm going to remove that pesky lifting bracket on the right rear of the engine. I won't need it. If the engine ever goes so does the car. Engines today cost as much as another car. lol I see there's another bracket there as well. It just might go as well. Not sure it it's needed or not. Time will tell. I remember the days when you could pick up a good used engine from a junk yard for $75 or $100. I bought a '78 cougar once for $75 for the engine. I put it in a '78 Ford LTD. Got the cougar and made a deal with a local junk yard. If they pulled the motor from the LTD and dropped it then pulled the motor from the cougar and dropped it in place in the LTD, they could have the cougar. Gordie jumped at the chance. He needed parts for a Cougar so it was a win win situation for both of us. Motor swapped start to finish and I drove back out 2 1/2 hours later. Did it in the parking lot at the auto wreckers, no power or air tools. In fact there were no battery operated tools at that time. Things were so simple back then. I had a good look a couple of days ago and I don't think it'll be easier to remove the alternator to get at that plug. I'm not even sure I could get to it from underneath. I'm going to take a good hard look at that again but probably not going to do it in fact I really couldn't see the plug so this'll be working blind. I'll just have to go the long hard road and climb up on the engine to do this left handed. One thing you learn early on as a mechanic is to work blind. You have to develop eye balls in the tips of your fingers and sometimes even that can be difficult. Especially when those eye balls get poked with a bolt or something like that. LMAO Well me friend, I's off looking for a few last minute parts and tools. I hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Take care and be safe. Till Nexus time....

[@NexusAuto]

Hey, how's it going? Hope everything is going well on your end! Can't complain over here. Geez...that crazy luck of yours continues LOL. Did you end up finding the flex head ratchet? Bet it showed up after you changed the plugs LOL Oh, I know exactly what you mean with engine costs these days. I remember exactly what you said. You could get an engine super cheap and throw it in pretty easily. Not these days. Even a used junker can bring in a serious bill! And changing it...what a pain. Forget getting the electrical to work, reprogram BCM and ECM, etc. But just changing the engine is a giant pain. Sometimes I miss those old days! LMAO oh I know it. It's weird, and people don't understand it unless you've been in the industry like us, but it's like literally having eyes on my fingertips. I can 'see' things as i feel around or am installing blind. Hopefully you got everything you needed to get the plugs done and all went well. Let me know how it went! Until Nexus Time, Sir Miss Chevious. Take care and be safe!

[@MyTimmy75]

I notice you don't have the metal heat shields on the spark plug boots. I'm just asking. Do you find that the boots still do ok heat wise without the metal shields on? My buick 3.8 litre does have those shields. But to me they seem to get mighty hot anyway. But I was just wondering anyway :) Cheers.

[@NexusAuto]

@@MyTimmy75 hey! They seem to do ok without the heat shields. A lot of the aftermarket wires (and I think even the current AC Delco ones too) don't come with the shields anymore. They are nice to have, but imo, not needed anymore.

[@MyTimmy75]

@@NexusAuto Awe swell. I suspect that they assume you would re use your original shields. But I just did my plugs and wires on my 08 buick allure. And to me. It seems like those shields make the boots hotter because of being in contact with them as apposed to leaving them off . Besides the boots don't contact anything anyway alone. To me they'd stay just a touch cooler if that makes sense. But I see with your engine being identical to mine, Yours seems fine without the boots too. I personally think the boots are better off without those aluminum shields. Due to the shields getting very hot anyway. But Cheers again my friend. And love your videos. You work on cars like I do :)

[@NexusAuto]

@@MyTimmy75 I completely agree. I'm sure when the engineers put them on, they had their own specific purpose. But fix one problem, and create another lol. I haven't used them in probably a decade (at least) and had 0 issues. Sounds like we're on the same page! Thanks for the great feedback and for watching! I appreciate it!

[@MyTimmy75]

@@NexusAuto Well. It is nice to know I have a personality twin. Machanical wise anyway ;) But yeah. I tried it. Ran the engine with the boot covers on. And you couldn't even touch the boots. But without them. Guess what. They were just merely warm. So folks. If your 3.8 litre has those aluminum boot shields. Keep them off. I've even heard of grounding problems because of them too causing misfires. But in the end. THey hold more heat than they get rid of.

[@NexusAuto]

@MyTimmy75 lol same here. It's great to meet like-minded individuals! And thanks for the great info too! You just reinforced the idea of keeping those off! Great tip!

[@joela2669]

Hey I’m currently working on a 2007 Pontiac and have some questions

[@NexusAuto]

I do check in here from time to time. Roughly once a day. What questions did you have?

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto They must have forgotten the questions. LMAO

[@jdrake8738]

Had a 68 Imperial Crown Coupe with a 440 Commando... I could NOT find how to get to one of the plugs.... One day I had to take a wheel off.... there was a cutout on the A-arm to do it... it was magnificently available that way !

[@NexusAuto]

That's awesome! I love when companies make little engineering designs like that. These days...not so much a thing anymore.

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto Car manufacturers are just to greedy today and don't give a damn about the customer. Problem is that we as consumers let them get away with it. It's a whole new breed running the board rooms today. Morals went out the window with this new breed.

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 How true it is!

[@missychevious3137]

Funny, I was at a friends place earlier this evening. We were sitting in the car having a coffee and a smoke (to dang cold to sit outside and she doesn't smoke in her house). I mentioned that I wanted to change the plugs in the car. I have no idea when they were changed last so it's time so I wanted to look and see if you had a video just to find out what's involved in getting at the 3 back plugs. They look like a royal pain in the arse. Could you think of a better time of the year to pull this stunt. LMAO Anyway, I was watching another of your videos while I was working in the kitchen. When that video ended it jumped to this one. Imagine my surprise. Just the video I wanted to see. I dropped what I was doing and came in and had me a seat. The front plugs are a walk in the park. It's the back 3 that I was wondering about. I'm not sure what brand of plugs are in the old girl right now but I want to throw in a set of NGK platinums. Used them in the last 3 vehicles and was impressed with how good they worked and lasted. Big problem for me is having to do this left handed. Got s torn rotator cuff which limits the reach with the right arm. I'll figure it out even if I have to crawl in on top of the engine. One thing I would like to mention. I use a flex headed ratchet for changing plugs. It has a longer handle and the head tips forward and backward for tight places like that. Might help to make it easier for you. I'll let you know once I have a chance to get the plugs done in my old girl. I sure hope they aren't to difficult to get out. If necessary I'll try a trick I found to get the alternator out of a Pontiac...I believe it was a Montana a few years ago. Cut the time by more than half and didn't have to remove anything else but the alternator. It's amazing what you can figure out in times of desperation. LOL Anyway, gonna run. Getting late and I have an early morning. You take care and be safe. Till Nexus time....

[@NexusAuto]

Oh wow! I'm telling you, KZbin must be able to read your mind! What are the chances of this video showing up? Great timing, viewing wise. Not great timing, weather-wise! LOL. I can actually see you still being able to do 2 of the 3 plugs left handed. That last one under the alternator...I think you're going to have to take it out. You may be able to get away with removing the coolant resevoir. But at the least taking out the alternator isn't so bad, just like that Montana you mentioned. That injury does suck..must make car work a whole lot more annoying, huh? Believe it or not, I once used NGK wires(which were a nice blue) and plugs in this car years ago, and they were awesome. They would get a thumbs up from me. Thanks for the tip on the flex head ratchet. Since this video, I have bought a set, and they have served me well. You know how it goes...never stop buying tools LOL. Such an expensive hobby! Let me know how the plugs go, when you get around to them. Take care and stay safe, my friend. And don't be 'Miss Chevious'. Yes, I am going to make this a thing LOL. And if we do not talk again in recent times, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto Getting really pi$$ed at youtube. Been kicked out 5 times. No idea what's up. Probably just a glitch but that means that each time I typed and retyped this comment, just as I finished, I got booted before I could hit the comment button. This time I fixed 'em. Typed it into notepad and cut and paste it into the reply. LOL More than one way to skin a chicken. Actually, I can see myself pulling all 6 plugs left handed. You made a point, pulling the alternator. If you remember, I'm really good at pulling the alternator, especially in freezing cold temps. That's not something I thought of but I believe it's doable. The Montana was something else. Made sure it was in park, no e-brake and rocked it back and forth. When the motor rolled down I gave a quick tug and out she came. Did the same thing to put the alternator back in. Desperation is the mother of invention...or so they say. My 98 Dodge Grand Caravan. 2 of the back plugs I got out using a 3 foot 3/8 drive extension with a universal and the plug socket. The one on the passenger side was dang near impossible to get at. Had me a little look see and decided to drop the A shaped alternator bracket and let the alternator roll back. The plug was right there. Approx an hour start to finish to change the plugs. Manual said 3 or 4 hours. What do they know anyway. LOL You'll find short cuts periodically. Just take the time to ponder the situation. If it hadn't been so dang cold out today I would have been under the hood having a look see. Who knows what I might have gotten myself into and it may not have been purdy. The rotator cuff is a real pain in the buttoosky. It limits a lot of things I want to do. I've been finding ways to accomplish these things without causing further damage or excessive pain. The first thing for me is a positive attitude. A positive attitude can help in more ways than you can imagine. It helps you step back and consider alternatives. I ordered the NGK plugs today. I also ordered a set of those funky blue plug wires. The old girl needs a little funky once in a while. Supposed to be in tomorrow but you can bet your sweet bippy I'm not gonna be changing them till the weather warms up. Blabber mouth (I think you know who I mean LMAO) and I are going to get the plugs changed on our Grand Prix's at the same time when it warms up. In fact I should drag him out and make him change his on Friday. They're calling for blizzard conditions and 15 to 20 cm of snow and dang cold. LMAO There is one other thing I remembered as I was watching the end of this video again today. Spark plug sockets have a hex nut on them. In past I've used a wrench on the plug socket to get at difficult plugs. Just an idea. I'm going to give it a try when I change the plugs to see if it's any easier on this particular application. Decided to take the old girl for a drive yesterday. Was going to drop in on an old friend about 20 km from my place. Got heading down the 402 and totally missed the cutoff. I was thinking about an issue with the snow blower so I just decided to take a longer drive and see where I ended up at. Part of the 402 is posted 100 km/h and part is posted 110 km/h. I set the cruise at about 108 in the 100 and 118 in the 110. Wound up in London so I turned around and headed back home. Set the speeds the same as when I was heading towards London only in reverse. Approx 140 km one way from my place to where I turned around at. When I got home the old girl was purring like a kitten. 3 years of small city driving, I think it did her a world of good getting a good drive for a change. Cleared out all the carbon and cob webs from the engine. OK. I was a little long winded....again. Sorry. I enjoy the back and forth of ideas. You have knowledge with the newer cars and I have knowledge with the older cars. Some of the older stuff is still comparable with the newer stuff. You make suggestions or recommendations. That's what I appreciate more and I respect that. Some of these younger whipper snippers who are still wet behind the ears think they have it all figured out. I was discussing a problem with a GM minivan with a mechanic at the local dealership once. He was about 27 and had a "Certified Automotive Technician" (and I use that term very loosely) on a piece of paper. I told him it was a wiring problem He said it was the fuel pump. Then he had the intestinal fortitude to tell me that when I have as much time under my belt as a mechanic as he did then I could tell him where the bear sh!t in the buckwheat. A friend was with me and got all up in his face and told him that when he had 30+ years in the business then he could flip off till then it would be a good thing for him to keep his mouth closed. The "tech's" jaw hit the floor. I had to leave. I couldn't hold the laugh back. As it turned out, it was a ground on the tail light housing that was broke. The fuel pump draws it's ground from the light housing so when you hit the brake, the fuel pump lost it's ground and the engine quit. Ohhh the fun times we have. Took about 2 weeks to figure that one out and only found the solution by accident Anyway, I's outta here. To many long nights this past week and I have to be up early in the morning again. Gotta get the issue resolved with the snow blower before the big storm hits. You take care and stay safe. Just for the halibut....Merry Christmas again. Until Nexus time (that's a thing now too LMAO) As for the don't be 'Miss Chevious', I've gone way beyond being Miss Chevious. LMAO Take care my friend.

[@missychevious3137]

It worked...IT WORKED. Going to use notepad from now on. LMAO

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 Just reading about the typing issue sounds frustrating, let alone having gone through it! It's crazy that was happening. But you know how it goes with DIYers, mechanics and technicans...we always find a way! LOL. I do remember your experience pulling the alternator! Time sure does fly, doesn't it? we had the conversation a while ago...can't believe this year flew by so quickly. But hey, it wouldn't hurt to give a try...especially for that last plug. Those Montanas/Ventures/etc were a lot of fun to work on...sarcasm implied LOL. Actually, they weren't that bad, but you had to know the tricks, just like you said. Sometimes the General makes simple things way more complex than they need to be. I worked on an 04 Tahoe recently...changed some spark plugs. 7 are really easy to do. The 8th, the rear right one, is a pain. Only because GM put the AC Accumulator on the firewall, right near the plu. There is more than enough room along the right firewall to more the AC Acc over. Just needed an inch more clearance. But nope, they mounted it where they did. Took 2 short extensions, a U-Joint and some patience to get it done. Was the 98 Grand Caravan the 3.0L engine? I heard those and the 3.3L were no fun either. But shows how once again, we always find a way to make things work. Makes you wonder how they right these manuals sometimes LOL. I 100% agree with the positive mindset. That is such a game-changer! It also motivates to find solutions to problems, whether it's a car problem or a health problem! Another example of finding a way to make things work hahaha. LMAO, I will neither confirm nor deny knowing who blabber mouth is, but sounds like a good idea getting him out there with you for sure! Awesome stuff getting the NGK parts. But I don't blame you on the cold. I have to change my washer fluid pump on my other car, but I have the same weather conditions to you, albeit not quite as bad as your area. And I am not in the mood to be heading out into the cold/rain/wind/snow LOL. So I can wait anyways. Oh, that's a good point with usin a wrench on the spark plug socket. I never even thought of using it on the GP. I wonder how that would work out. Especially if you have ratcheting wrenches (another of my best friends). Let me know if using the wrench made a difference for access! You know how you know you have a great car? When you can just go for a drive, get lost in some thoughts, and just comfortably cruise along without even noticing. And she sounds like she is running great too! That's awesome news! LOL that's quite all right, I enjoy reading your posts. Lots of great insights, stories, and questions. I like hearing about your past experiences too. Your story with 'Mr. Certified' made my laugh. Oh, how I've encountered many people like this, on KZbin and especially face to face> I always like when they get put in their place, not because they need to be embarrassed, just because they need to be brought back down to earth sometimes. And look...all that talk, and he was wrong, in the end. I just had a friend buy a 2017 Golf...beautiful vehicle, low KMs. A couple of days after she bought it, the horn stopped working. She described the symptoms and how it stopped, and told her it was likely the clock spring very common on those cars. Since she just bought it, told her to go back, and just let them know to check that out. Of course, the shop wanted to do their own diagnoses, and they must've checked everything BUT the clock spring. They had the car for 2 days! On the 3rd day...they confirmed it was the clock spring. They changed it out and problem solved. But even if I encounter an issue a hundred times, and 99 times it was the same fix, I never it is the same fix all the time. I made that mistake once in my younger days myself, and learned from it. I may check what I think it is, but I checked other things too! Especially with electrical. I didn't confirm to them that it was clock spring, because I know there could be other things, but told them they should start there. They could have saved themselves a lot of time if they did. But that's how it goes! LOL Hope you get that snow blower fixed...Looks like it really comes in tomorrow, so time is short. Good luck with it. Merry Christmas, my friend, and don't me Miss Chevious! LMAO

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto Time Time sure does fly by. I believe the first comment I made that you responded to was back on June 21, 2021. Where has the time gone? I always say "To er is human. To really screw up, own a computer". What are cars today....rolling computers. LOL That Montana was a bugger to work on but in the long run we had a good laugh. Who would think that rocking a vehicle would help remove an alternator in record time. It was just a fluke that I figured it out. Guess it sometimes pays to lean on a car. LOL The Caravan was a 3.3. Never really had any issues working on it till I decided to change the plugs. What is it with cars today? That right rear plug is always horrendous to get at. That's why I used the platinum plugs. NGK claimed they would last a 100,000 km. Manuals are a joke. I remember the one in my 67 Chrysler Newport was only 75 or 80 pages. Now they're hundreds of pages of wasted paper. Speaking of the Newport, I had to change the transmission in it once. Borrowed a friends small wrecker, lifted it up in my front yard, placed a couple of stacks of tires under the front end, crawled under and removed the bolts. The transmission fell on my chest and I couldn't move. There just wasn't enough room to roll the dang thing off myself. No problem breathing or pain or anything like that. I had to get the wife's attention and get her to call my dad. He had a wrecker at the garage so he would know how to operate the dang thing. Before she could make the call Eddie showed up to get something out of his wrecker and saw what was going on. He raised that car dang near straight up on it's back bumper and asked if I had enough room to move me arse around now. I couldn't move the transmission I was laughing so hard. Those old transmissions weighed as much as a car today. LOL As for "Blabber Mouth"....who said anything about me being out there with him. I planned to stay inside where it's warm and cozy. Somehow I think he would have had 2 words for me and it wouldn't have been Merry Christmas I'm teaching him very well. LMAO. One thing I do like about the newer cars is the capacity of the washer fluid containers. My last 3 vehicles held a whole jug of washer fluid. The Grand Prix even tells you when it's empty. The operative word being empty. I was about 20 minutes from home one evening last winter with mounds of wet slushy snow on the road. A car went past and the dirty slush wound up on the windshield. I hit the switch for the washers, there was a little squirt and the indicator came on. Fat lotta good that did me. My spare fluid was in the basement at home. Now it's my constant traveling companion. I should have known better. LOL I hear what you're saying about other mechanics. Sometimes they don't want to take advice from (in their books) a nobody. Love it when it comes back to bite them in the arse. When someone brought in a car for repairs, I always listened to what they had to say. If there was even a remote chance that what they said made any sense, that's where I started. If that was the problem awesome. If not I went on to diagnose the problem, called them to let them know what I found and got authorization to complete the repairs if they wanted them done. Sometimes they wanted a second opinion and I had no problem with that. Sometimes we all have to get that dreaded second opinion. If it wasn't for you and your channel I'd probably still be trying to get that interior light fixed. LOL I don't deliberately set out to embarrass anyone. It just sometimes happens and when it does, I honestly believe they needed it as a wake up call. Sometimes others have more experience than they do and they need to realize that. I love it when it's a garage or dealership. Sometimes they try to make more money by doing a full diagnostic and then charging the customer for the wasted time. Anytime I've figured out the problem but figure I either can't do the job or I'm just not qualified to do the work, I give the person a written explanation of how I reached my conclusion and what the problem is and they hand it to the mechanic. If they try to charge more money for the unneeded diagnostic, the customer points out the problem to them on the paper and refuses to pay the diagnostic charge. In most cases they take it to someone else that isn't desperate for money that day and just does the repair. I hate when it gets to that point. I always seem to get dragged into it and I hate it. As for the snowblower, I know what I have to do. I just couldn't get it done today. Should only take 5 or 10 minutes to do tomorrow. Pretty sure it's just an adjustment on the drive cables. I replaced the drive belt and the auger belt last week as well as the plug and the recoil rope. Tomorrow will tell. Don't expect to need it until Saturday to get rid of the accumulation of snow but I'll have it up to par by then. Sheesh. I just looked up at the security cameras and the snows already starting to come down. Guess mother nature just couldn't wait to show who's boss. Again, I reiterate, I'm way past Miss Chevious. Now I'm a full fledged....A** hole. I've earned it and I love it. LMFAO You take care my friend and have a Merry Ho Ho. Until Nexus time...

[@jdrake8738]

a ratcheting wrench over the end of your spark plug socket might help on some of those tight spaces...

[@NexusAuto]

Oh, absolutely! I didn't have a set at the time (they were so expensive back when I made this video) but I have so many ratcheting wrenches now lol. Would have made life easier!

[@cheefn4u217]

I seen someone use rachet straps to pull the engine towards the radiator to get to the back spark plugs just loosing the engine mount then rachet the engine towards the radiator you'll get about 5 more inches

[@NexusAuto]

Yep, that is 100% true, and it works very well. I made this video deliberately not following this method, as some people either do not have ratchet straps or feel uncomfortable with ratcheting the engine further (although it is not a hard task) and wanted to show it can be done without tilting the engine. But if you want to use the straps, it is an excellent method.

[@cheefn4u217]

@@NexusAuto If you ever have a chance to do a video on it would be nice I have a 2008 grand prix base with 168000 runs great learned alot about my car watching your videos

[@NexusAuto]

@@cheefn4u217 Sure, no problem at all. Next time I get a chance, I will make a quick video on it! That's awesome, btw. That is exactly why I make these videos, and I am happy to hear they make a difference. Thanks for the great feedback!

[@cheefn4u217]

@@NexusAuto That would be awesome

[@marcrobichaud4877]

Great video, it helped and made the job go much smoother this time. I did the plugs and wires on my wife's '06 GP GXP at 110k mi and 3 years ago. With my son to help it took hours! I just did it again at 170k miles in 2 hours! I removed the coils and bracket AND removed the "dog bone" so I could ratchet the engine forward about 1 inch. Plenty of room to get to the back 4 plugs. One additional suggestion, to get the boots off I used my 8" needle nose vise grips and a pry tool. Open the vise grips to about 1 inch lock them in the notch on the heat shield around the boot, not hard enough to deform them, just enough to get a decent grip. Then pry against the vise grips and BAM! the boots pop right off! I found that plugs in cylinder # 1,7,4 & 6 were full of carbon deposits and wear while the others were worn but looked good. I am assuming the Displacement on Demand disables 1,7,4 & 6? Can someone confirm?

[@NexusAuto]

Awesome! Thanks for watching, & glad to hear the video helped out and made the job a bit easier. Ratcheting the engine forward is a great idea also. Very easy to do on the W-Body cars. Great suggestion too. The boots are a bit of a pain at times, so your suggestion is definitely helpful for those watching :) You are right on those cylinders shutting down with DoD. 1, 4, 6 & 7 do shut down with DoD kicks in. Great observation!

[@cheefn4u217]

Did a tune up on my grand prix for misfire and its still doing it should I do the coil packs as well

[@NexusAuto]

Before you do, do you know which cylinder has the misfire? If you do, that is ideal. Then I would say to swap 2 coils, and see if the misfire moves to a different cylinder. If it does, you have a bad coil pack. If the misfire stays at the same cylinder, then there is something else going on

[@cheefn4u217]

@@NexusAuto I took the plugs off the bottom coil there wasn't any spark from the 2 wires

[@cheefn4u217]

@@NexusAuto it ended up being the ICM

[@NexusAuto]

@@cheefn4u217 ah I see. I was wondering if it were a coil or the ICM...would have likely been one or the other. Kinda sucky, but at least you know the issue now. Happy to hear you located the issue.

[@cheefn4u217]

@@NexusAutoAppreciate your time nexus auto

[@joela2669]

Does the metal sleeve around the spark plug actually thread into the engine?

[@NexusAuto]

As in, the threaded sleeve? That does go into the engine itself.

[@GixxerRider1991]

I just did mine today and it wasn't all that hard, but I cut my hands pretty badly in a couple of spots haha. The devil's spark plug that everyone dreads doing is much easier if you move the coolant reservoir out of the way and reach down on the other side of the bracket. Really the hardest part is just getting the wire off. The thing that helped me the most with this job was the rotating 3/8 drive ratchet I bought at Lowe's (part of Craftsman's new tool line). You just twist the handle side to side and it rotates the square through a series of gear sets inside the head which is a godsend in tight spaces when you just need to thread something in or out. The ratchet is about $40 and you will be glad you bought it. That being said, the head of the ratchet is too big for the rear plug on the far right because of its proximity to the oxygen sensor. For that one a 3/8 drive breaker bar is best.

[@NexusAuto]

Thanks for the great feedback and tips. Glad to hear you got it done, even with the cuts. Think of them as battle scars LOL

[@vanwrinkle-01]

@@NexusAuto And if you're in the automotive trade you'll have many many more battle scars before it's all said and done. LOL

[@NexusAuto]

@@vanwrinkle-01 LOL how true that is! I have too many to count

[@robertbarnhardt9792]

What no antiseize on plugs alum head what

[@cidkramer]

I'll repost my comment for plug changes here: Once the wire is removed off the plug, it's worth giving the spark plug area a blast of compressed air to get rid of any debris that may have collected there and may prevent you from getting your plug socket completely on the plug hex area.. Last thing you want to do is break a plug end off or round off your plug hex area

[@jaybeans2198]

Cylinder 2 spark plug Remove engine cover/o2 sensor bracket two nuts. Will give you plenty of room. Done this job probably four times same on all 3800's. You could also remove engine hoist hooks no need to put them back.

[@NexusAuto]

Very good point. Sometimes, it is easy to miss some of the simplest solutions. Great tip for future viewers. As for the hoist, I just like people to restore things to factory if possible as part of my filming procedure. It does nothing unless you need to pull the engine as you know. But still. :)

[@arminzahrooni6876]

I can’t seem to pull the boot out of the spark plug. Can anyone help me

[@codyj101cj]

Pull harder

[@MotoStringer]

@@codyj101cj I am having the same issue. I have tried using grip pliers and can't get the boot off. There is a tubular heat shield around the wire with the square part of the boot exposed to pull on. Don't want to break anything. And these are the front wires. If it is this hard for the fronts, the backs will be nearly impossible. The GP has the original plugs and wires in it with 36K miles.

[@codyj101cj]

@@MotoStringer the only thing you can break is the boot and maybe the tip off the spark plug....you should be changing all that anyway so pull harder and break it off it doesn't matter

[@MotoStringer]

@@codyj101cj I was only intending to change the spark plugs right now. But, can see your point of changing both the plugs and wires. Does the metal heat shield attach to anything? Or does it just slide down the wire around the spark plug? I can't seem to get under the square boot to pull on it because the shield is in the way.

[@codyj101cj]

@@MotoStringer I really couldn't tell ya I didn't have that problem but try and twist and pull sounds like those are factory wires which should be changed out anyway and I recommend ac delco nothing else

[@Nicole-dj3jf]

Is silanoid 3 and is it hard to get at! My code said silanoid 3 not firing! Please help lol

[@NexusAuto]

Solenoid 3? I'm not sure what solenoid you're asking about. Do you have the code? It would give me some ideas on what's going on

[@Nicole-dj3jf]

I can't remember the code I just know it said silanoid 3 not firing!! Its a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix sedan 4 door 3.8 v6 I don't know the firing order I hoping it's not in back of the engine cause no one wants to fix it if it is ugh I'm shocked I got a reply thanks I can get the code again if needed but that's what it said 3 not firing if that helps

[@Nicole-dj3jf]

I've noticed it going just a line past the middle for the temp but drops when I turn on the heat or it will just drop under the half mark in seconds even if I don't turn on the heater some days it starts no problem some days I have to put a little pressure on the gas for it to start idk I have a good mechanic but I can't get under the hood it seems it jammed so he never got to look at it just said get the firing order ugh I don't want to pay 200 for one spark plug to be changed at a shop lol also my head light turn off at night with no warning first the dimes then the brights will stay on but the dimes you can see flashing while the brights are still on I got the car from a family member cheap it's just these 3 thing seems cheap with my retired mechanic the shop said 200 for the spark plug and wirer

[@NexusAuto]

@@Nicole-dj3jf hmm, I am assuming you have cylinder 3 misfire? There is no solenoid on cylinder 3, so I assume the cylinder 3 is not firing. That cylinder is the front center (middle) cylinder. Luckily, it is not in the back. That is the cylinder you're looking for.

[@NexusAuto]

@@Nicole-dj3jf If you have to press the gas slightly to get it to start sometimes, you should look at cleaning the throttle body. Very common issue on these cars. There can be other causes, but the throttle body is one of the most common. For the head lights, another very common issue is the turn signal stalk/switch on the steering wheel. I cannot say 100% for sure that is the issue, but it is also very common for it to give issues.

[@noahlutgen849]

What kind of wrench do I use?

[@NexusAuto]

Wrench? For what part? I don't recall using a wrench?

[@timothycarvelli2436]

Also bent the lift bracket on the back of the engine, bend it forward allowing more working space. Tempted to use angle grinder to remove all the lift/hook brackets from the engine. It's like they installed some of these brackets to make it more difficult to access the plugs. BTW a recall related to engine fires calls for the removal of the "pretty" plastic engine cover with 3800 Stage III (or whatever). Seems that plastic cover burns causing the car to burn. Someone at GM decided to make the engine nice looking with no regard for fire prevention.

[@XxMalabooo]

Cant really see what your doing in this video

[@NexusAuto]

I know. The angles are not great at all. One day I'll remake this video with better shots

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto I'll take a couple shots of DP. LMAO Oh, that's diet pepsi. LMAO

[@timothycarvelli2436]

Couldn't remove any plug boots. Gave up and just broke off the plugs with big screwdriver or vice grips to break the plugs. Boots come right off once the plugs are broken. Did remove the coolant overflow tank and was able to get at the passenger side plug with ease. Mine had 152K on plugs and wires in a '07 Grand Prix. The electrodes looked like new, white part of the plugs was black, arcing.

[@SentinelEx]

My sparks are pretty seized up would PB blaster help loosen them up? I heard its a great product I plan on giving it another shot when I'm free.

[@NexusAuto]

PB works very well, and is very effective. But a few things to note (some may be obvious, but I will mention it anyways). Be caerful with getting PB blaster in the ignition chamber. If some gets in there, it actually wont do anything and will burn up once you turn over the engine. But if you have to really saturate the plug to get it out, then all that fluid will get in there, and can cause some issues. Try and clean up as best as you can if you need to saturate. Also, be patient with the plug...dont damage the threads (I know, obvious, like I said LOL). If taking one plug means slowly moving it back and forth while adding PB and it takes all day to get one plug out, so be it. Good luck...seized plugs are no fun. Hopefully it is one of the front ones!

[@SentinelEx]

@@NexusAuto Thanks I appreciate the info and another thing would be ok if some bp oil got on the exhaust manifild since they're right there? Is it flammable or would it just burn off to smoke?

[@NexusAuto]

@@SentinelEx it's shouldn't catch on fire or anything. It should oxidize enough to not burst into flames, and should just burn off. But make sure to clean up as much as possible, just in case

[@dahliaron]

can a person take the upper motor mounts off the front and rotate the engine slightly forward to have more access to the rear plugs? i have used this method on my 98 olds cutlass. Not sure if i can do that on my 08 grand prix or not. thanx and i like your do it yourself videos. great job.

[@NexusAuto]

Thanks a lot, Glad the videos help and thanks for watching. You can also do the same thing with the motor mounts on these Grand Prixs. Just disconnect the dogbones and rotate the engine a few degrees. Definitely helps. Just exercise the same caution that you would have with your 98 Olds!

[@Deadbuck73]

I was reading these comments for same question! Used to rotate my Chevy venture forward...

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto That was the only way I was able to change the back 3. Spent 5 hours on the first attempt and gave up. A friend who works at a dealership sent me an email with a short video that shows how they do it at the dealership he works at. About 30 minutes to change all 6 plugs on the second attempt and that included the time it took to roll the engine forward. Big problem was that the plugs were last changed in 2010 and the boots couldn't be removed on the back 3 even after twisting the crap out of the boots. I've only had the car for 3 years and put very little mileage on it in the time I've owned it so it weren't my fault. LOL

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 Ah. So that was the trick huh? I've always said I would make another video showing this method (with and without using a ratcheting tie down) but never got to it. That's amazing! Looks like the 2nd attempt was a complete success!

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto I'd go do a video using this method for ya but since I just did it (without the video) Yer on your own. I never want to have to change the plugs again....unless I have to. LOL Take care my friend and Merry Christmas. LMFAO Until Nexus time.... Cya

[@tmlangan]

Love your videos man thanks a ton!!

[@NexusAuto]

Awesome, thanks for the support. Glad the videos help! Appreciate it!

[@jenon111]

Will this work the same for a 01

[@NexusAuto]

More or less, it should. Some things like brackets and whatnot may be slightly different, but removing the plugs should be pretty much exactly the same on the series II engines.

[@rickcarp5453]

any one take off oil filter housing the spring and cap came out and trying to figure if it goes back in cap then spring or spring then cap

[@NexusAuto]

Are we talking about the oilpressure relief valve and spring? If so, it is spring then valve.

[@jusshupbb]

Cross treading? Or THREADING lmfao

[@NexusAuto]

I have a Caribbean background, and its very common to say cross treading, which is just patios for cross threading...that's all. For videos, I try to keep it 'American English' as much as possible, but sometimes the Caribbean comes out.

[@MrUnique33]

my 07 grand prix gt super charged just recently started starting ugly .. when i start ot its spudders n low n high idle even when i press the gass .. then after while it kinda runs normal.. anything i should loom at first ..

[@NexusAuto]

I would almost guarantee that is the throttle body. It can be a few things(including something in the ignition), but check out my video on cleaning the throttle body on Grand Prixs. I had a similar issue, and after cleaning the throttle, car ran like new. So I would recommend trying that first.

[@trayahzz537]

seem to hear this a lot and mine is doing the same thing.

[@MrUnique33]

Trey Ahzze change the crankshaft sensor.. its start like new .. let me know if this fixes it .. worked for my car. . good luck

[@antpooler]

Just did mine and it was extra hard to do because they were corroded and its still misfiring so I will have to double check the gap, double check the wires in order and may just change the ignition coils.

[@rondoschiavoni8840]

get at those rear spark plugs 2003 Buick lesabre custom is it the same way you done it?

[@NexusAuto]

More or less. The 3800 engines (yours would be a series II though) are pretty much the same, and it would be about the same amount of work to replace the plugs. I haven't looked under the hood of a Lesabre for a while though, so I am not sure if there is any restrictions from anything being in the way. But I dont recall there being anything that would interfere.

[@Locosparosnegros]

The videos are helpful, but I wish you all could talk tho us as if we've done something similar, meaning, I work on cars but some cars we/I just wanna know if something is possible, or how did you do it,,,, not that I've never seen a wrench and a break over wrench etc... trust me, it's alot more to explain if you was teaching someone that was new to being a mechanic... Most say ya gotta pull engine forward and your the first I've seen not doing that,,, and I've already weighed out who's why is better. So next time communicate with us as showing us and not teaching us and you'll get rid of that "teacher's voice".

[@NexusAuto]

Unfortunately, I have found taking the teaching method works best for most, overall. Having been making these videos for a few years, I listen to all feedback, and tried to adjust videos. When I made videos that were more 'teachy', I had people like yourself who were knowledgeable who said the videos are too long and too much talking, which is a valid point. Then I made shorter videos, and people who were new to mechanics said there wasn't enough info as they were new and felt like I cut stuff out (as simple as some of that is). So I came to this conclusion...if I made the shorter, showing only videos, people like yourself are happy, but new people miss out. If I made longer 'teaching' videos, those new get what they need, but people like yourself are a bit inconvenienced. But at least you can move the scroll back and get what you need. So it can still get what you need out of the video. So I chose to keep the longer method (if it called out for it). A few years ago, I did a test. I made short versions and long versions of the same videos. One was straight showing stuff, the other was teaching. On almost all the videos, the longer ones got more videos, more engagement, and more likes. So long ones will stay. Really appreciate the feedback and thanks for watching!

[@Bigdaddy0622]

how do u take the rubber boot off the #6 plug

[@NexusAuto]

chris m the rubber boot? as in the spark plug wire boot?

[@dreamemcee]

You have to remove the 02 sensor. it was the only way i could get it. that was the hardest one for me.

[@jacob06141]

I have an 07 grandprix cant get the 2 back plugs off seem to be stuck on any ideas

[@dreamemcee]

I had the front 2 motor mounts off and had the engine tilted forward just a bit for more room (optional). Try turning them left and right to break the corrosion up and use a pair of angled hose pliers to rip those suckers off. You really got to get mid evil on it and not be afraid of breaking shit. #6 was so corroded when i finally ripped the boot off the metal conductor was still stuck to the plug.

[@arminzahrooni6876]

Josh I’m having the same problem. How did you figure it out

[@rockpusha]

Love it thanks

[@NexusAuto]

No problem!

[@arminzahrooni6876]

I twisted and pulled on the damn boot but the wire is still stuck on the spark plug

[@NexusAuto]

it can be a real pain sometimes. Unfortunately, there is no true 'right way' to remove the stuck wire, as it depends on what the issue is. Here is a couple of things that has helped me. 1. When pulling and twisting the wire, try bending it as well, Kind of like 'twist bend twist'. This works sometimes, and is surprisingly effective. 2. Use a pliers to give yourself extra leverage. Grab the top of the spark plug boot, and pull and twist, even using the same 'twist bend twist' method. 3. Get a spark plug boot removal tool. I dont have one personally, but I know they are out there, and I know mechanics who use them. It may be something you have to get. 4. If you were not planning to replace the wires, you will have to get another set. Get a utility knife and cut through the boot as best as possible (and as always the case when working on electrical components, make sure the battery is disconnected) or cut through the spark plug wire at the boot, and then use a snips to try and cut through as much of the boot as possible, spray some wd40 in to the opening and allow it to permeate into the boot and plug, then try pulling again. MAKE SURE to clean up the wd40 that may collect around the spark plug before taking the plug out, or installing new wires. It has to have 0 wd40 left over. this is a last resort option. Hope this helps.

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto I did a tuneup on a car for a friend a few years back. As I pulled each plug I squirted a little oil in each cylinder before putting the new plug in. I made sure he was here when I started the car. He saw all the blue smoke and almost fainted. It was sooooo well worth it. LMAO

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 AHAHAHA I am so doing this to a friend next time I get a chance. Hilarious!

[@missychevious3137]

You can also use a medium flat head screwdriver and put it against the bottom of the boot and pry out gently using the screwdriver on the side of your hand. I've had to do that many many times over the years. I've also use a pair of needle nosed pliers the same way. Just don't pry to hard or it can cause you to do a little cussing cause it hurts like an SOB. It usually doesn't take a lot to get the boots off that way. Just be sure to twist the boots to be sure they're not glued to the plugs. When I say glued I'm just referring to the way the heat causes them to stick to the plugs. @@NexusAuto

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 great tips as always!

[@tylerlampert5332]

Ever have a coil pack explode on your Grand Prix. Mine did on my 08. Replaced it and icm and still issues. Tips?

[@NexusAuto]

Yikes. I can honestly say i never had that happen. Thats pretty crazy. What problems are you still having? How bad was the initial damage? Was a cause for the explosion determined? With this info, I may be able to provide some more specific tips.

[@missychevious3137]

Hello there. How are things going?? Hope all is well in your sunny hot humid metropolis. It's hotter than an old whores heart here today. 92 F with 62% humidity and guess what I decided to do today. If you said plugs you'd be right on the money. I laughed when you said 45 minutes. I've been 2 hours so far and I haven't got the first plug out yet. I started on mr wonderful on the right rear. I finally got pissed and bent both those brackets forward. Created some room. I'll bend the big one back but I couldn't care less about the bracket for lifting the engine. There's still plenty of clearance to get a valve cover off should it ever be necessary. I can get to the plug a lot easier but the bloody boot won't let go. I've turned it about a full turn so I know it's not glued to the plug but it still won't come off. There's what looks like a heat shield on the boot and I think that may be the problem. If memory serves me correctly it crimps in at the end to keep it from coming lose. My next trip out and I'm going to try to get a hold of it with a pair of channel locks and see if I can get it off that way. If I didn't have to be at the hospital in London in the morning I wouldn't be trying to get these damn things changed right now. I had to go pick up the tires and rims about 3 weeks ago. I still can't believe the gas mileage. 84.1 miles. 2.43 Imp gallons works out to 34.609 miles per gallon (12.334 Km/liter). I've checked and quadruple checked and the numbers never change. I found a site online that will figure it out for you as well. It even gives you fuel rate. Fuel rate is 0.1903 gallons per mile (0.1175 liters per Km) I'm going to check the mileage again tomorrow. Longer trip on a 400 series hwy for the majority of the trip. That should be interesting. I still can't wrap my head around the mpg. tomorrow will tell. Anyway, I'm headed out to try again so I'll drop you a line later on and let you know how it went. Take care for now and be safe. So, till Nexus time ....

[@missychevious3137]

Had to give it up. I couldn't get the plug wire off. I pulled one of the front ones off just for the halibut. I had to use channel locks to get it off. Pulled the heat shield off the boot and the boot goes on and off easy. Put the heat shield back on and had to use the channel locks to get it back off. All 3 back plugs are going to be a nightmare. I'd like to get my hands on the idiot(s) that designed this thing. They'd have a neck like a giraffe. Oh well. Next week or over the weekend. I'll get it off if I have to snap the plug. This is the first real problem I've had with this thing. I don't think I'll be putting the heat shields back on. I noticed yours doesn't have them and they're nothing short of a pain in the a$$ Anyway, I'm off to the rack. Morning is going to come early and it's going to be a bit of driving with no A/C. Not sure what's wrong with it but I think I'll try to give it a recharge. It's never been touched. You take care and be safe. Till Nexus time ....

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 Well, hey there! Things are going well on my end. Lots of changes coming, but i'll actually have a video on that in the near future! How are you? Hope all is going well, aside from the those spark plugs! Speaking of them, what a day to choose to do them! It's just as hot here! Damn! I would not be looking forward to changing those plugs in this heat! Sounds like it didn't go as planned either! Looks like the 45 min mark is just a little longer than planned LOL. Those heat shields are a giant pain in the ass! I couldn't be bothered with them, for exactly the issues you're having! What a headache! While you ring that designers neck, I would record it for KZbin! They deserve it! I know you've heard it many times how mechanics hate engineers...oh how true it is! Hopefully the trip to the hospital is just routine maintenance and not an major overhaul LOL. Hope you're all good, Sir Miss Chevious! LOL You're getting some crazy mileage. That is interesting. I wonder what you will get from a highway run. That number seems off for sure! Good luck when you take another go at those plugs. Hopefully it goes much better than these last couple of times. And hopefully the weather will be a little more favorable too! Till Nexus time, my friend!

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto Hello thar young feller. (I'm an old geezer now so I get to say that). I is doing well for a man of my low caliber. LOL I have to agree. I could have picked a better day to attempt to change the plugs but what the hay. I never claimed to be the brightest bulb on the tree. My dad used to tell me that sometimes he thought I fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down. LMAO I spent about 5 hours trying to get the damn boot off one plug yesterday and finally got so ticked off that I put the tools away, cussed a lot, closed the car up, cussed a lot more and called it a day and cussed some more. Believe me when I say that the air around the front of that car was awful blue yesterday. I have put a new game plan together to attempt to get the boot off tomorrow. I have a pair of channel locks and a 2 foot pry bar. I can get the pliers on the boot so I should be able to pry the damn thing off with the pry bar. Failing that I'm going to lock a pair of small vice grips on the heat shield and try to pry it off. I don't give a rat's petootie if I crush the rukafrussin thing. If all else fails I'm going to snap the plug off and hopefully the boot will release. If that doesn't work I'm going to drop the mounts and let the motor drop so I can get in and dynamite the damn thing off. LOL Dropping the front of the motor should give me plenty of room to get at the plug in the event I have to go that route....I hope. Bet your sweet bippy I won't be putting those heat shields back on. I'd love to stick them up the design engineers.......... Supposed to be 73 F (77 with the humidex) so it shouldn't be to hot to work on the plugs tomorrow. I'm going to get an early start though. The driveway is in total shade until about 1 in the after noon. After that I pull up a chair, drop a case of beer in the cooler and sit back and swear at the car a lot more. Didn't say I was going to drink the beer just swear at the car. LOL Right now it's 68.9 F outside and the humidity is 93%. I just checked the weather channel. It says 68 F out and feels like 72 F so I looked over at the weather station on my desk. Yupp. They're right. 68 F outside, feels like 72 inside. LMAO I think the worst car I ever changed plugs on was a '62 Lincoln with a 430 CID engine. There was absolutely no room between the engine and the inner fenders to get at the plugs. I wound up cutting holes in the inner fender wells, changing the plugs and making some covers and screwing them in place. I sure as H E double tooth picks wasn't pulling the engine. That was until I met a certain 05 Grand Prix. It has gained the distinction of being the worst car I've ever attempted to change plugs on and the first plug still ain't changed. The trip to London was just a follow up. I had an idiot for a family doctor about a year and a half ago. He told me I had a skin tag on my lower eye lid. He retired and moved back to Scotland. Good thing for him. My new doctor said it wasn't a skin tag. It was skin cancer so she sent me to an eye institute in London. A surgeon removed it last year so I had to go back to be sure he got it all. He did. All gone now. Just a tune up (pun intended). LOL It was a hair raising trip though. According to the weather channel there was supposed to be a "Trace" of rain today. I got about 5 miles up the highway and I thought I was driving under Niagara Falls. The wipers couldn't keep up but I had an appointment so I kept driving (slowly though. 45 in a 110 km/h zone). About 40 miles up the hwy and it cleared up. Left the hospital in London and it poured out again. Drove in to Rotton Ronnies and grabbed a chicken sandwich and sat in the parking lot till it let up (about 1/2 an hour). I had to squeegee the inside of the windows. The heater couldn't clear away all the condensation. Headed out again and as soon as I hit the 400 series hwy it poured again. 45 km/h in a 110 km/h. Pulled into the self serve here and it quit and hasn't rained since. See what I mean by the luck of the Irish?? If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. LOL I checked the mpg on the car today....again. 160.5 miles, 22.015 liters of gas (4.84 Imp gallons) 33.16 mpg. This is crazy. I got a hold of a friend that's really good with the numbers when I got home. He did the math as well and came up with exactly what I did. I filled up this morning and reset the B tripmeter as I was heading out. Filled up when I got back at the same self serve and even used the same pump. Did the same thing when I went to pick up the tires. This is some wild mileage. I'm starting to think I should skip changing the plugs. My luck it will drop when I change them. LMAO Anywho, that's about all for now. As I said I'm going to give this thing another go in the morning and see what I can get done. Keep an eye on the news. If they run a story about a huge explosion west by south west of you you'll know I got the plug boot off. ... the easy way. LMAO Take care for now and have an awesome weekend. Catch me later. Till Nexus time. OK. Hold on a minute. I just got an email from a friend who works at a GM dealership in eastern Ont.. He just gave me the lowdown on how some dealers deal with changing the back plugs. I'm going to give it a try in the morning and if it works, I'll drop you another line with the poop on how to do it. Keep your fingers crossed. He claims they can change the 3 back plugs in 15 to 20 minutes tops. I'm a gonna try this.

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 Haha, I am a bit older now, but you have the leg up on me there. I don't mind being called a Young Feller...while I still can be LOL. LMAO your dad was not messing around with those one liners, huh? Too funny! Well, damn! It sucks when a repair goes wrong, but even worse when it's supposed to be a simple repair! And all because of those damn heat shields! (Also, I have heard of and used petootie before, but rukafrussin is a new one, and i'm stealing it LMAO). Of course! The beer is just there for show, right? right? Yeah, definitely LOL. Today was a bit of cooler day, so hopefully things went well and the temperature was more manageable. Oh wow! What a giant pain in the ass that 62 Lincoln was. The things a mechanic had to do to get a simple thing done. And now that the GP has taken the cake....wow LOL. One thing I hate is new FWD V6 engines. These days, they put the intake manifold on top of the engine, and it often covers the plugs directly. Along with all these small vacuum and fuel lines. It's so much unnecessary work just to change a few plugs. Whoa! Good thing the new doctor caught the skin cancer for what it was. The old doctor was definitely an idiot...and that's being nice LOL. At least it was just a tune up LOL. I hear you with the rain! I was in Brampton and went in a store with bright sunshine and a few clouds in the sky. Came out shortly afterwards and it looked like night and it was a crazy amount of rain! You got stuck right in the thick of it! Between the work on the plugs, the storm, the hospital and the non-functioning AC, I see what you mean about the luck of the Irish HAHA That MPG is wild. It's almost like you don't want to touch anything to mess with it! That's so interesting though. I would be interested in seeing where the number is at after the plug change. I am also interested in hearing what your GM buddy had up his sleeve. Let me know how it goes for sure! Until Nexus Time, Sir Miss Chevious...

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto Well, here it is, another day. 3 Am and I'm still awake. How was your day?? Hope all was well and you had a nice day like we had. Not to hot, nice cool breeze coming in off the lake and a nice gentle rain. I wasn't to impressed with the thunder and lightning but I survived it. Got wet but what the hay. Helped to cool me down when all I wanted to do was stick a stick of dynamite in the gas tank, light it and run like hell. LOL Finally got the plugs done today. It was so simple. Remove a couple bolts, slip in a ratchet strap and pull the motor forward and down and pull the overflow reservoir. Total time on the 3 back plugs 20 minutes and that included the time getting the bolts out of the dog bones and pulling the motor forward. I grabbed that plug wire that was giving me all the trouble and it pulled right off. Think I was pissed?? LOL All 6 plugs in under 40 minutes. That's where it turned into a three ring circus again. First I forgot to pick up some dielectric grease so off I went to the parts store. $8.46 later and I came home with a little tube of grease (not bad considering they used to give it away for free in little packets LOL). In fact it was the same stuff you used in your video. Permatex if I'm not mistaken. Good Stuff. I've always liked Permatex products. They've been around forever. I have a habit of using a little more grease than is required so I think I used not quite a half tube. Got cylinders 2, 4 and 6 plugs changed then 5 and 3 (3 was only finger tight). As I was doing 3, I couldn't remember if I'd put the grease in the boot of 5 so I pulled it off to check. Bad mistake. Pulled the metal cap right off the wire and the boot right along with it. I was so mad it took me about 10 minutes before I could explain to a friend who was helping me just how badly I'd screwed up. So, I came in and looked the wires up on Amazon. 1 set was around $63 but wouldn't be delivered until the 27th. Another was $58 and was guaranteed "to be shipped" within 2 to 3 weeks after they received payment. That's 2 to 3 weeks AFTER they received payment and you could figure at least a couple of days for delivery. Then I found a set that would be delivered the next day however, the price tag was ........$209. Needless to say I called Parts Source and they had the wires for $67.79 tax included. I went and picked them up. NGK wires and they were the nicest shade of blue. Now came the hard part. I managed to remove the channel the wires were routed through at the front of the engine at the bottom of the valve cover but still had to pull the bracket on the passenger side which I didn't want to do. The nut on the bottom didn't look so healthy so I came in and looked up your video on changing the plug wires. Did I ever feel stupid. Didn't have to pull that plastic channel. So I went back out, put the channel back on and ran the wires through the channel. I wound up pulling the bracket and the nut came off easy but I used some never seize to put it back on. The back wires were a royal pain in the ass. I had one hell of a time getting the clips open and what really ticked me off was that I had to pull the bolts out of the dog bones and ratchet strap the motor forward again. I always reassemble things as I go along so I had everything put back together before I pulled the front plugs. I couldn't believe it when I went to pull the number 3 plug and it was loose. How the hell could it be lose for all these years and not blow out of the head and take the threads with it. At that point I did a compression test on the front three cylinders. Compression was over a hundred and forty five so as far as I'm concerned that's excellent and all three were within 2 or 3 pounds of each other. The only place that stocked the Iridium plugs I wanted was good old Crappy Tire so that's where I got them. I specifically told the little turd behind the counter I wanted Iridium plugs. When I went to put them in they were Platinum plugs. Oh well. I shouldn't ever have to change them again anyway. Also, none of them was gapped properly. They were set to about 45 and the specs called for 60. I regapped them but I really didn't want to. I also wasted all that dielectric grease. The new wires came with a little packet of the grease. Go figure. LMAO It turned into an all day job mainly because I didn't rush. Decided it might be better if I just took my time. The plugs themselves were actually quite easy to replace once I pulled the motor forward. I did put the heat shields back on but only because if I ever have to change a plug at the back it's quick and simple if you ratchet strap the motor forward. The other thing I forgot was to pick up a new flex head ratchet. As it turned out I didn't need it. There was more than enough room to get in there with a regular ratchet with a 1 inch extension and the socket. Easy as hell. (Just like a woman I once dated LMAO) Well, if all goes well in the morning and the rain doesn't start to early I should be able to get the oil changed. I had just started to route the wires today when it started to rain. I kept on working until the thunder and lightning started. At that point I figured it just might be a little bit safer to move my fat ass inside until the storm passed. Then as I was finishing buttoning the job up it started to rain again. It was a warm gentle rain so I went ahead and finished up and closed everything up and came in and sat down to a much needed relaxing session and froze because my clothes were wet and the A/C was blowing right into the living room and the ceiling fan was on. Now the last thing. Last week Sean (a friend of mine and yes I do have 1 or 2 LOL) brought his 2016 Kia Soul over for me to look at. His brake pedal was going to the floor. He took it into a local garage and asked them to check the fluid level in the master cylinder. They told him if was full. He asked them if they could give him a general idea of what it might cost to fix the brakes. They quoted him between $600 and $1000 without even looking at the car. They must be clairvoyant. He brought it over and I took it for a drive about a block up the road. When you pushed the brake pedal it went almost to the floor and the ABS felt like it was going to shake the car apart. The thing is that the pedal felt as if it was pushing against a light spring. I've never felt that in a brake pedal before. It didn't feel as if it was pushing fluid out. I turned around and came back and pulled into my gravel driveway. My driveway runs parallel to the road between the sidewalk and the road. I pulled in at about 25 km/h. I hit the brakes and only one wheel locked up (or as much as the ABS would let it). Just for the halibut I checked the master cylinder. It was bone dry. No way was it full they day he had it checked. I filled it up and had repeatedly had Sean pump the brake pedal 3 times and hold it down and I bled the master cylinder until there was no more air coming out. The brakes came up where they should have been and were good. I started the car up and held the pedal down somewhat hard and there was absolutely no fading so I know it's not leaking back into the vacuum booster (I also pulled the master cylinder off and checked inside the booster because these cars are notorious for leaking back into the booster). I held it for about 10 minutes. I had him hold the pedal down and I crawled under and looked for any leaks. None so I know there is no fluid leaking back into the vacuum booster and no leaks. Where the hell did the brake fluid go and why did the pedal come up to normal? There should have been air in the lines but there can't be. The pedal is solid, not spongy as they would be if there was air in the lines with no fading. This one has me scratching my head. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I checked the fluid today before he left today. It's at the exact level I filled it to. Master cylinders don't just go dry for no reason. Apparently this one did. I'm going to be keeping an eye on it for the next couple of weeks but if things stay as they are, I'm going to be at a loss. I have no idea what the hell is going on but so far it's only cost him for a bottle of brake fluid. As it stands now, he's saved between $600 and $1000. I've posted this in a couple of Kia forums. I've gotten many responses and all have been the same. If it's not leaking anywhere you can see it then it has to be leaking into a I believe they called it a sensor but don't hold me to that. However, if that were the case it would short out the sensor and cause a fire. Kia did a big recall on the Soul because of this. His was replaced in the recall according to the previous owner. I updated the posts in the forums and no one has any idea what could be going on. I guess I'm not the only one scratching my head. Even the Kia dealer is at a loss to explain this. They've never run into this and they can't find anything in their database that even comes close to explaining this. This may just turn out to be something that will never be explained. I'm at a total loss. One thing I forgot to mention. The plugs I took out today were still in excellent condition. No deposits or discolouring and the gap was 60 thou. 13 years in that engine and if it wasn't for the rust on the outside base you would think the plugs were just put in. I've given up trying to figure out these rolling computers. I don't know what they're doing but in the case of this car....it's doing it right. Ok my friend. As usual I got a little....OK a lot long winded. Now it's time to go to bed. It's now 6:00 Am. and I'm going cross eyed looking at this keyboard and monitor. You take care. If you can't take care just do the wee one a huge favour and don't name it after me. LMAO Till Nexus time....

[@kellymarzofka9879]

tip for future videos. Make a list of everything needed in description. I can't understand what the name of the grease is that you said I need.

[@NexusAuto]

That's a great suggestion. I did not think of that for my previous videos, but I will make sure to implement that for future videos. Thanks for the great feedback. I believe the grease you are referencing is Dielectric grease. Thanks for watching.

[@mikec8086]

I think petroleum jelly is also used in place of dielectric grease.

[@zzzhuh]

@@mikec8086 petroleum jelly IS dielectric grease.

[@mikec8086]

@@zzzhuh petroleum jelly is hydrocarbon based, dielectric grease of contains polydimethylsilixane(PDMS). Main difference is that hydrocarbon based lubricants will swell and soften rubber while the PDMS based grease won't.

[@PureBlood42]

I'm not too lazy to watch the whole video. It's just every time I start to watch it, my stupid roommate keeps talking and interrupting. Can you please tell me at what point in the video you do #4 (middle cylinder - firewall side).

[@davidm8464]

Good video👍. I have a 05 supercharged and it stalls every time I crank it unless I'm pressing on the peddle. Any idea what might be causing this

[@NexusAuto]

Thanks!As for your issue, check my video on cleaning the throttle body. While it is not the fix all the time, it is a notorious issue with the 3.8L and 90% of the time cleaning the throttle body fixes the issue. Check it out and let me know if this works for you!

[@NexusAuto]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYiYoHx3ZdaLZ5J8ere is the link

[@davidm8464]

Thank you. I'll try that this weekend when I change the plugs and wires. Il let you know 👍

[@ratagris21]

After cleaning your throttle body check IAC valve.

[@drtb69]

Dirty throttle body and/or MAF sensor

[@dreamemcee]

I did all the work up top from the passenger side of the car. i removed the 2 heater core hoses from the engine for room. also i removed the 02 sensor to deal with #6.

[@NexusAuto]

Awesome. Glad to head everything worked out and you got around it for sure. It is such a tricky spot..especially number 6. As a heads up, you may want to bleed out the coolant system, just in case some air got trapped in the system with removing the Core hoses. It may be fine, but it wouldn't hurt. Thanks again for watching.

[@MzCretia11]

nexus where did you get your cold air intake? or is it a DIY?

[@NexusAuto]

Lacretia Jackson it's a dyi.... sort of. i bought it off of ebay about 4 years ago, but its not a true intake system. they sell them for this car, but they are hard to come by and about $350 USD. K&N Filtercharger kit. for 2017, i will be building a custom enclosure so it is a true cold air system

[@patrickedwards4147]

Work 3 in 1 Trivac

[@marypoet1]

How easy is it? I'll be doing this for first time as i don't want to pay $275 for mechanic to do

[@NexusAuto]

Its actually not a hard job, but it can be a bit time consuming for first timers, and there is a few things to mention. Always make sure to thread the new plugs in by hand, so prevent damage to the engine block. The plug that is at the back passenger side (under the alternator) is by far the hardest. Someone here mentioned taking out the coolant reservoir , which I wish I had thought of at the time and will be pretty helpful. So thought I would mention it. Do one plug at a time, and keep track of the wires. Do not overtighten the plugs. And of course, anything else mentioned in the video. I am sure you will be able to do it. Take your time with it, and dont rush it. Taking the time to do it properly will pay off both in cost savings and with being able to say you got it done. Good luck!

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto OK. I'm going to play devils advocate here although I won't be correcting the spelling or mispronunciation of a word as some seem to think is a necessity. Here goes....spark plugs don't screw into the engine block. They screw into the heads. Just sayin... LMFAO. (I just couldn't resist).

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 HAHAHA you got me there. Not gonna lie, I just reference the engine block instead of cylinder head as it's simplier. But very very much incorrect LOL. You caught me on that one. I'll give you that one though...🤣🤣🤣

[@dhelatham4267]

omg!!!! video editing geesh

[@NexusAuto]

I hear you. I could have definitely edited this to be more time efficient. Learning as I go. I think my videos these days are a bit better.

[@rafaelgomez9308]

Thank you for the information, I am going to try that on my Pontiac tomorrow. I appreciate you help.

[@kevinmcdonald1985]

Most of the video skipped but tapped out at 23:13

[@dj_illeagle]

Tool issue my ass. Looks like those plugs are way over torqued and the extension is too damn long.

[@NexusAuto]

No. Legitimately those were new sockets and the rubber boot inside would not go on to the plug. Oh, but you were there. So you obviously know better than the guy working on it. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto Doncha just love armchair warriors. I could never be a you tuber. I'd get booted for telling them where to go and it wouldn't be a purdy sight. LMAO

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 My friend, this happens. Luckily, I don't get many comments like this, but it comes up from time to time. Maybe some of these people need your...insightful blue language

[@tazman6483]

Hey for a camera in those tight spots use a go-pro on a goose neck clip and clip it over head on the hood and you can them position it via the goose neck and it will be great.

[@NexusAuto]

Thanks for the awesome tips, and thanks for watching. I am always looking for ways to improve filming quality and techniques. Appreciate it!

[@nationaltruthnetwork5452]

You’re completely welcome, it may not be better than the camera you are using, but it will get you closer and at angles you cannot get the tripod to see.

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto I never thought to pull out my action cam and video my experience with the plugs. You could have seen blue air and heard frosty language that would make a sailor blush. LMAO

[@NexusAuto]

@@missychevious3137 HAHAHA I would've loved to see this footage!

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto I don't think I'd want to shock you that much. Besides, it would ruin my image. LMAO

[@TheGeneral..]

I hate trying to work on my car in the cold it makes things three times harder..

[@NexusAuto]

Same here. I cannot stand the cold. I avoid doing car work at all costs for sure.

[@Big_LosF]

here's a game. take a shot or drink a beer for every grunt u hear. hahaha.. all bullshit aside, great video

[@NexusAuto]

Carlos Sanchez i...agh....found...uhhh....this....ummm...comment....argh....funny. lmao. Thanks for watching too!

[@DustinManke]

I'm so pissed off right now.

[@NexusAuto]

Damn, that sucks. What's up?

[@DustinManke]

@@NexusAuto haha it's all good, I kept burning myself and I couldnt get a good grip on any of the plugs. I still have the back three to do, but I'm putting it off.

[@NexusAuto]

@@DustinManke LOL no worries. It is a bit of a pain in the ass to do those back ones, especially under the alternator. Good luck!

[@brandonyork9651]

Lotta hate and pickyness with your vids but you’ve helped me so much, thanks man

[@NexusAuto]

Hey Brandon thanks for the great comment! I do get the occasional hater, but i've got tough skin with these things. Plus, for every ass who trolls my comments, I normally get quite a few more from people like you who genuinely enjoy the vids and find them useful. It's why i keep doing what I do. Thanks for all the support. I definitely appreciate it!

[@nunrgtrance2]

Thank you

[@trayahzz537]

im not looking forward doing this. I had the same trouble with one sparkplug on my moms truck.

[@NexusAuto]

Sorry for the late reply. The front 3 and back 2 are actually not very hard to do. It is the one under the alternator/power steering area that is the pain in the ass. But all in all, it took me about an hour. Let me know how it works out for you(or if you have done it already, let me know how it went). Thanks for watching.

[@trayahzz537]

I'm still waiting to do it

[@trayahzz537]

All the plugs are stuck...and I mean stuck. I thought the dealership had changed them when I had work done on the car..but found out they didnt.

[@amdent2]

@@trayahzz537 a double crecent wrench helps a lot it creates a are shift breaker bar or if you have a long metal tube as a breaker bar will help a lot.

[@kevinmcdonald1985]

Waaaaaay too much time in this video.at least 20 minutes can be edited

[@NexusAuto]

Meh, to each their own. I made an earlier video, around 2014 I think, and there was some complaints that it did not have enough content or info. I remade it in 2016, and it was far too long, but tried to include everything. Still some complaints, yourself included. I get it. I may remake it again since my editing skills are better, and I have better software. But I always say, better to be longer and you can just skip to what you need with the video slider, than be not long enough and there is no way to get the info. The views and like do show there is a market for informative videos. Can't please everyone.

[@missychevious3137]

@@NexusAuto There's an old saying. "You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time". Just keep doing what you're doing the way you're doing it. It they knew what they were doing they wouldn't be online looking for answers. I was in the business for over 30 years but sometimes I need a refresher where these new rolling computers are concerned. When I need that refresher I check out your channel. If you don't have a video I'm not afraid to ask. There are a couple others I can go to but I hate all the bull they add in where it isn't necessary. Your videos teach, theirs just ramble on and sometimes don't touch on what you need to see or they cut out the part where they do the work and just tell you about it afterwards. That doesn't teach. That just gets them views.

[@detroit12870]

It's not "cross tread" it's cross THREAD

[@NexusAuto]

Great thank you for the great comment. i see you have never dealt with someone with a west indian background before. Thank you for providing this great and useful automotive tip. LOL SMH

[@kevinmcdonald1985]

I left at 23:13