Well im at 62100mi and my MPG's have been going down the tubes to I decided to change the plugs and wires today, only got halfway done but here is what i found so far.





Im surprised the damn things still fired, and glad I didn't wait until 100kmi when they're "supposed" to be changed. I'll finish up the rest tomorrow but I'm guessing I'll find 2 more nasty looking plugs.

-- Sat Apr 09, 2011 9:40 am --

All done now. Taking off the coil packs made the rears MUCH easier and it wasnt as bad as I thought. Having a pair of long handle pliers with a 45 deg bend in the jaws was perfect for getting the old boots off. Took me about 2 hours to do start to finish and here are all the plugs. The rears weren't as bad as the fronts but still crappy.

Wow, those look like crap! I'm only about 3,000 miles behind what you have. I'm wondering if mine look like that. But I have an 08, so I wonder if age has anything to do with it.

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K&N CAI/Flips Custom Headlights, Tail Lights, Reverse Light,Brake Light/Front STB/Magnaflow Exhaust

2008 Grand Prix GXP

I'd pop off the front ones and see what they look like, just in case.

Wow... I have 64k on my 08. Thinking I might check em out. Wonder if those are covered under my bumper to bumper though?

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All warrantys I know of don't cover maintenance (which plugs and wires are considered maintenance). Pull off the fronts, see what they look like, and go from there. Personally, I usually change my plugs every 2-3 years depending on how much I drive that particular car. I haven't had a chance to change the plugs on my 73 yet but as soon as I have time and an extra 60 bucks or so I'll get plugs and wires done on it. I know modern plugs typically last longer than that, but I don't like to take chances, especially on something I have to rely on. I already took a look at the 73s plugs and while they don't look terrible they don't look the greatest either.

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98 GTP (RIP 11-5-09); 73 Z28 Camaro (350, TKO 600);01 Monte Carlo SS (L36, L67/L32 hybrid in the future)
"Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back"

So, wait, what 4 cylinders fire when in DOD?
And yeah I'm with Drew. 100,000 is bogus for any plugs in any car. Yeah they may last that long, but their performance will be terrible. I also change my plugs every 2-3 years and would change them even more frequently if I drove more than 6,000 miles a year haha.

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Dubs:00 VW GTI VR6, Low and Slow 91 VW GTI 8v, Shave the Bay!! 91 VW Cabriolet 8v, bitch Basket
GP's:04 GP GT, Past now G-Ma's Girlfriend's 97 GP GT, "Project Pink Power"

Matt I think 1, 2, 7, and 8 fire when DOD is activated. I could be wrong which is why I'm going to look it up real quick.

-- 10 Apr 2011 23:06 --

Ok I stand corrected. It's 1, 4, 6, and 7 that are DEactivated. So 2, 3, 5, and 8 fire when DOD is activated.

-- 10 Apr 2011 23:07 --

That would explain why 1, 4, 6, and 7 all look like dog crap. Cause they just have that exhaust gas stuck in there when DOD is activated. Ewwwww lol.

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98 GTP (RIP 11-5-09); 73 Z28 Camaro (350, TKO 600);01 Monte Carlo SS (L36, L67/L32 hybrid in the future)
"Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back"

Thanks for looking that up Drew. Then yes, those plugs condition makes perfect sense. They aren't doing anything so all gases, oil vapor, moisture, etc just collects on them when in DoD since there isn't any "explosion" to burn it off the plug.

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Dubs:00 VW GTI VR6, Low and Slow 91 VW GTI 8v, Shave the Bay!! 91 VW Cabriolet 8v, bitch Basket
GP's:04 GP GT, Past now G-Ma's Girlfriend's 97 GP GT, "Project Pink Power"

Note to self, make sure if I ever get my hands on a car with DOD to change my plugs often. As often as I change plugs that won't be an issue though. I won't put on 60+k miles in 3 years (longest I ever go between changing plugs). At least I hope I wouldn't. Although if I ever go back Active Duty I'm sure I'll put plenty of miles on while I'm on leave.

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98 GTP (RIP 11-5-09); 73 Z28 Camaro (350, TKO 600);01 Monte Carlo SS (L36, L67/L32 hybrid in the future)
"Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back"

How difficult is it to get the plugs in the back 4?

So the dirtier ones are the ones that are used less?? That's crazy.

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http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3882088

The reason they're dirtier is when the cylinders are deactivated it does not let the burnt gasses out of the cylinder. So they're stuck there (the cylinder keeps moving) and they just coat the spark plug and since it's fired less the soot eventually starts sticking since there's no combustion to knock it off half the time.

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98 GTP (RIP 11-5-09); 73 Z28 Camaro (350, TKO 600);01 Monte Carlo SS (L36, L67/L32 hybrid in the future)
"Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back"

Should you do wires at the same time or are they good for the 100,000 miles?

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K&N CAI/Flips Custom Headlights, Tail Lights, Reverse Light,Brake Light/Front STB/Magnaflow Exhaust

2008 Grand Prix GXP

tony, may as well replace the wires, the # 6 boot on mine was torn even before i got it off, plus with taking the rear coil pack off its all off anyhow.

Rule of thumb, always do plugs and wires at the same time. That way you're not trying to keep track of when you've done what. Plus it's not all that terribly expensive for parts. Hell for my old SBC in the 73 Camaro it's like 60 bucks for plugs and wires and those are those long ass wires too.

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98 GTP (RIP 11-5-09); 73 Z28 Camaro (350, TKO 600);01 Monte Carlo SS (L36, L67/L32 hybrid in the future)
"Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back"

What plugs are you running in a 73 that cost $60 bucks! Eeek! Anything that I don't use as a DD gets NGK plugs.

-- Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:07 pm --



ahh... ok.. for plugs AND wires. Makes sense then.

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