The other day my Vette started misfiring and sputtering a little bit. It's fine if your just cruising but if you give it too much gas all at once it's starts sputtering and hesitating. I opened the hood with engine running and I could here a snapping sound on the driver's side which to me indicates a bad wire. I was going to replace the wires and figured I would change the plugs while I was at it but damn it doesn't look like a very easy job. Some of the plugs look like they are pretty hard to get at routing the wires down to the Optispark . Is this job a major PITA? Any helpful tips or hints would be greatly appreciated.

 

how old are the plugs? its quite possible that one of them is fouled and causing that to happen, or could be wires. If thats not it, then check the fuel system. Dirty or damaged fuel injectors can cause that to happen too.

 

hows your Opticrap?

 

I'm no expert but, I've heard on this forum that the LTx motor is a PITA to do the plugs and/or wires.

As always, something difficult to one individual isn't too bad to someone else.

I would try to track down the wire that you think is grounding and isolate it first to see if it is what is causing the miss. (start the engine in a dark place and look for the light show.)

Most opti failures that I hear of start with a miss/break-up at high rpm's. These are usually a result of engine coolant drowning the opti.

Good luck, hope you find the problem.

Mike.

 

I thought about the Opti and I hope that isn't the problem. My missing problem is mostly at lower RPM's. It's not leaking coolant because there is nothing on the driveway but that snapping sound seems to be a dead give-away. I'm pretty much certain it's a wire I still haven't tried looking for the bad wire but it is on my to do list.

 

if you're gonna do the wires, do the plugs. it was easy for me.. i had a corvette mechanic do mine... it was worth it.

 

Changing the plugs and wires on the LTx cars is not for the faint of heart . A major pain in the azz . Does the car hesitate at idle ?

 

When my opti went it had an erratic idle.

The plugs really are not that bad. Unfurtunately you need to dissassemble a few things to get to them.

If you have the ability & the tools I would suggest you take the afternoon a give it a try.

If you don't curse, you will probably learn to by the time you are done.

 

By the way, how many miles are on the car?

 

The plugs are a p.i.t.a. the passengers side isn't that bad the drivers side gets ya. the drivers side you can get the front two, by taking out the access panel in the wheel well. I couldn't find any easy way to get the back two. You just have to sacrafice your hand. I would check the coil wire first. My car started doing this crap a few months back. The coil wire was bad and it burnt up the distributor cap. The coil wire was corroded inside the cap. I went to check the coil and when I pulled the coil wire it fell apart inside the cap. I changed the whole mess. New plugs, wires, opti, waterpump,coil and I had about 20 hours in the mess.

 

My advice, and I have an l98 which isn't easy either, especially on the passenger side. But, when you get your new plugs, get about a foot of rubber fuel line (I forgot the size) but you want one that will fit snug on the plug..I use 2 pieces 3 and 4 inches long..this allows you to screw the plug in by hand and eliminates the nightmare of a cross thread by doing it with a socket/wrench. I've never in 40+ years of wrenching used a torque wrench on plugs, I just wrench them in snug plus.

 

Fuel Line. Neat Trick!!!

 

Sorry for the late reply I was out all day. It has 39,000 miles. The idle is fine and it cruises fine but it sputters and hesitates if I get into the gas too hard too fast but as the RPM's raise it goes away pretty much. Sometimes it doesn't do it at all .

 

I found out that the words " easy ", & " plug change ", do not go well with the word " Corvette "

 

A quick test of your wires is after dark, open your hood, start your engine and look for fireworks. It there is none, your wires are ok.

Give it a try.

 

Changing the plug wires on an LT1/LT4 Corvette is not a lot of fun, but it can be done. Here are a few tips:

1. Raise the front end of the vehicle to a more comfortable working height.

2. Remove the inner fenderwell center panel on the driver's side. This will allow you to both see and do the job much more easily on the driver's side. You may also find it helpful to remove the wheel.

3. Unbolt the ASR bracketry from the frame, so that you can slide the ASR unit around to get it out of your way.

4. Unbolt the power steering pump so that you can move it forward around a half inch. This will make it much easier to sneak the plug wires in/out behind the pump.

5. Remove the serpentine belt and tensioner.

6. Use dielectric grease in the boots at both ends of the wires. Be sure to "burp" the air out of the boots after you get each of them pushed firmly into place, so that the trapped air doesn't try to push the wires off later.

Some guys report that they've had decent success accessing the Opti-end of the plug wires from underneath of the car, and that this saved them the trouble of removing the belt and tensioner. I haven't tried this, so I can't comment.

Take your time, work with care, and pay attention to what you're doing. The OEM replacement plug wires from your Chevy dealer are high quality parts, and will route (and fit into the wire looms) correctly. Run the new wires properly, and make sure they stay away from anything that moves, is sharp, or gets hot.

The passenger's side is not such a bad job. The driver's side is a Queen Royal Beyotch (mostly because all of the belt-driven accessories are hanging on the driver’s side of the front of LT1/LT4 engines, and they leave little room for you to work or see what you’re doing). With plenty of patience, beer and Band-Aids, you'll get it done.

The spark plugs on the driver's side aren't so bad, when you've got things apart to do the wires. The passenger's side, however, is not so easy. The number 8 plug in particular can be a real headache, but with good tools and enough patience, you can get it done. Because there isn’t room for a ratchet on top of the spark plug socket, I use a plug socket that has a hex head on it so that it can be turned with an open end or box end wrench. It's useful to have more than one plug socket to choose from, as some will work better than others due to differences in length, wall thickness, etc.

Be sure to apply a small amount of anti-sieze compound to the threads of the new plugs before you install them so that they won’t seize in the cylinder heads in the future (this is especially important with aluminum heads). Just make sure none of the compound gets onto the electrodes or insulators of the plugs. I apply a very thin stripe of compound across the threads in one spot, and it spreads itself around the threads as I screw the plug into the hole. Also be careful that you don’t pick up any of the grunge that may have accumulated over the years around the spark plug hole in the cylinder head on the new plugs’ electrodes/insulators/threads while you’re installing them – try your best to get the tip of the plug straight into the hole on the first shot.

For OEM parts at great prices, contact Chris May at Superior Chevrolet (1-800-728-8267), and tell him you're a Corvette Forum member.

Be well,

SJW