97 4.6 GT Convertible problem!

dancoy2000 said:

Dont laugh please Bob...I am a computer guy! I am guessing that you have seen the cans of compressed air that are sold to use on PC's...I was thinking that this would be good to use, but I dont know if they have enough pressure to get water out of there?

I am wondering if I should just buy new plugs and wires? I will be sure to get that water out of there before the plugs are pulled....any suggestions on plugs and wires? The car is a daily driver and I dont really dog it out or do any racing.

Thanks for you help!

Dan

P.S. I will probably have to take the car into a garage for them to replace the plugs and wires....sucks I know, how much should I be paying for this job?

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I assume you mean "dust-off" or something similar? (BTW I am a computer scientist, been teaching computer science since 1970 at two different universities). Dust-off is CO2, rather than air. If you notice, when you turn the can upside down or tilt it too much a liquid comes out that evaporates instantly. The pressure to liquify air is horrendous and a small aerosol can won't hold it. That CO2 can won't produce the velocity of a good 100+ psi compressor, but it will probably work, particularly if you first pour in some alcohol to absorb the water.

You can go to advanced/auto-zone/etc and buy a set of 8 plug boots and springs (if you have COP) or a set of wires if you don't. Plugs will cost you about $2 a pop for platinums. Changing the plugs will take maybe an hour, factoring in the time needed to dry/blow out the wells first.

A shop is going to charge you something beyond $100 per hour, and they will probably take a couple of hours when you factor in cleaning/drying the wells and replacing the boots or wires... Would not surprise me to see the bill pass $200, easily, probably closer to $300 or so if you want new wires. You can do it yourself for about $16 for the plugs, $50-$60 for a good set of Taylor wires, a buck or so for the alcohol, and an hour or two of your time.

You can cut the cost a bit by using ACCEL or whatever wires/boots advanced/auto-zone sells. Or you could save a bit more by ordering from the internet...

dancoy2000 said:

Thanks guys and Bob, that is some good info....I didn't give thought to the liquid that sometimes comes out of Dust-off. We do have a compressor, and I guess that it is time that I begin to use it...fact is I am somewhat of a chicken and dont want to make this problem worse. I remember the last time my dad and I changed plugs on my RX-7...the next day I was off to take an important test and the car ran horrible! A bunch of money later, it turned out that we didn't tighten down the plug enough!

I'd really like to get new wires and plugs, I am sure I can get the specs for torque and the gaps off the net…..anything unusual that I should look out for? I am thinking that I need to blow out/dry out the wells, pull the wires (making a layout drawing of the plugs (1-8)), take out the old plugs, gap the new ones, install the new plugs, and then the wires. Did I miss anything?

Thanks for your time and attention!

Dan

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If you have wires, replace them +one+ at a time. Too easy to get interrupted and put one back in the wrong place and that will cause severe drivability issues.

Other than that, it is an easy task. I think the plugs should be torqued to 13 ft-lbs, but I've done so many over the past 30+ years that I just torque 'em "just right" and move on. A touch of anti-seize on the threads will be worthwhile, but just a touch. Don't fill the electrode end with the stuff...

Otherwise, you have it right. Do gap 'em even though the parts place will say they are pre-gapped. I rarely find them gapped very accurately, and if they come in boxes without a cardboard sleeve over the electrode end, the gaps will be wildly off...

price sounds about right for a mechanic price you can get the plugs and wires cheaper. Buy them and take them to the machine if you cant do it yourself.