Changing rear sparkplugs on 1998 Grand Voyager 3.3

I was asked if I could change the plugs & leads but a quick peek under
the bonnet and the rear 3 plugs look a right bastard of a job to get at!
Any tips at getting at these without dismantling the engine?

 

My friend has that vehicle and he tells me the dealer accesses the rear
plugs from underneath, after letting the engine cool.

 

If you have appropriate swivels, sockets, and extensions, you can get one of
the rears from the top. Another you can also get from the top if you remove
the top alternator bracket (not the entire alternator!) Now the middle one
is the last and for that I jack up the vehicle, get underneath and if you
have long, somewhat thin arms, you can reach that one from there.

No doubt about it that these are not easy, but they are doable if you spend
the time and don't mind a few scrapes on your arms/hands.

Good luck.

Bob

I have a 3.8L 1999 so this is the same basic vehicle as yours. Change the
wires too when you do the plugs!

 

They are fairly easy from the bottom if you don't mind disconnecting
the exhaust at the manifold and dropping the pipe. Be sure to take the
harness off the O2 sensor first! It sounds much worse than it is. Can
be done from the bottom without, but you have to hold your mouth just
right and say a few magic words. Have also done them from the top after
removing the wiper module...which, again, sounds tougher than it is.

 

Christ on a bike what a nightmare just to change plugs. I'll have a
crack at it once I've psyched myself up.

 

This isn't quite as bad as it sounds. But then again, it is certainly no
picnic either. This takes me about 10 minutes for 4 plugs and another 2
hours to do the other two. With wires, it is an afternoon's work.

Good luck...

To compare, my son has a '96 4-cylinder Saturn and I can remove, gap, and
install new plugs and wires too in a total of about 10 minutes. I also own
a 6-cylinder '91 Mitsu 3000GT and it requires complete removal of the air
intake manifold to access the rear 3 plugs, then installation of a new
gasket. Those plugs only give 60K miles service, unlike the T&C minvan that
actually is supposed to give 100K miles. So the van is roughly in the
middle of the difficulty factor.

 

I've changed the plugs on my '97 Caravan several times.

Here's how:

1. Remove the windshield wipers......yes you read that correctly, start by
removing the windshield wipers.

2. Remove the cowling cover.

3. Remove the cowling.

4. With the cowling removed you should be able to reach the rear plugs just
fine, although the one beside the alternator might be a bit of a challenge.

5. Go to the fridge and get a Bud.

6. Put everything back together in the reverse order. Remember to attach
all the hoses, including the windshield washer hose.

7. Finish the Bud.

It sounds like a helluva job, but it's actually not that bad. I can do mine
in about an hour and a half, including the Bud.

Good luck.

Ed

 

Me too. I only do one plug (the middle rear) from underneath.

 

Ed () gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying :

How's the total job time compare if you have a proper beer instead of
pisswater made with rice?

 

can be done from under vehicle if u have a hoist
most folks undo alt and then slide thru that opening

 

Some time ago, someone posted something here about how difficult it
was to change the spark plugs on various cars. As I recall, there
was one car which required the removal of the exhaust manifold for
this procedure!

 

Which is that then?

Plenty of V6's require the inlet manifold / plenum to be removed which can
be a nightmare...

Tim.