GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Here's some photos of my old spark plugs. I just replaced them yesterday with some NGK (4996) IFR5T11 Laser Iridium Spark Plugs that came pre gapped. A few of the old ones were in there pretty good. I threw some anti seize on the threads before I put the new ones in, and put some dielectric grease on the plug caps before putting them back on. I haven't really noticed a huge difference, but I just drove it around town. Maybe I'll feel a difference on the highway. I think knowing that I have some fresh ones in there has a strong placebo effect. I have Amazon Prime so I get free two day shipping. That's where I bought the plugs. http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...tails So, on a scale of 1 to 5, what would you rate the condition of these old plugs?

Yep, newer automotive technology is absolutely amazing!! I'm at about 105,000 miles and due to replace them. Looking at yours there is very little wear and could most likely still run for a long time!Dave

I pulled mine out around the same milage you did & they looked just as good. I replaced mine with NKGs irridium IX.

tell you what thats a 4 out of 5. those plugs are in great shape considering the age. I can tell you used injector cleaner a couple times. good choice.

Those plugs look great! Were those the OEM's? If so, how hard was it to break 'em loose on an '03? I'm a bit worried about this task on Kari's 9.5 year old Vibe. Only has 76k on it though, so mileage-wise it is in good shape (I noticed they don't specify a time interval for plugs in the owner's manual.) These things will surely be permanently fused if we wait until the 120k mark. It runs great, I'm mainly worried about having them left in there so long.The last thing I need is snapping one off in the head trying to break it loose. I might overpay and have a Toyota dealer do it for me, as bad as I hate to. That poor car is just recovering from an oil pan replacement from my last screw-up.

ColonelPanic - Those are the plugs that were in there when the Vibe rolled off the assembly line. The manual says change them at 120,000 miles. They don't make the exact model # of those NGKs anymore. They've been replaced/updated by the ones in that link. I think the old ones have A in the model # and the news ones have T. The T is for trivalent metal plating which provides long lasting durability and protection against anti-seizing. I disconnected the wire plugs and unbolted the spark plug wire bracket (two bolts) to give me some space to pull the plug caps off. I then removed the screw on the plug cap. I did them one at a time. Had to go buy a 5/8" spark plug socket from autozone. It had a built in extension, swivel head, deep socket, and a magnet in it to hold the spark plug. It worked great! I started on the one closet to the battery and it was a little tight to break it loose but screwed right out. The last one was in there pretty good. Took some force but it didn't break or anything. Then I put anti-seize on the threads and dielectric grease on the plug caps, cleaned up the caps a little and put everything back together. It was my first go around changing out spark plugs. Wasn't bad at all. Looked up some guides and videos online to make sure I had a good idea what to do. Every guide says to hand tighten them in so you don't cross thread the spark plugs. Did that and tightened it till snug with a 1/2 to 2/3 turn to finish it. That's what the instructions said on the spark plug box. I took my time and it worked, so it's not that difficult if you want to get in there and do it yourself.

When I pulled mine out they were REALLY tight. Honestly I thought i was going to break something. Needless to say I used anti-seize with the replacements. I just replaced the plugs on my stepdaughters 07 Caliber @ 109K...and its was like butter getting them loose.

did the plugs from my 03 last month. They looked great, hated to get ride of them. These cars seem to be pretty easy on them for the most part. They weren't hard at all to break loose either which surprised me a bit considering about 116k miles and 8-9 years of use from the various drivers.

Went out and pulled my plugs today. About 55K mi on an '04. Plugs were rather tight coming out, lots of rust looking stuff on the threads. They were Denso branded, Carefully wire brushed the threads with a fine aluminum wire brush and used the tip of a knife blade to get some of the stubborn stuff out of the threads and re brushed. Put 2500°F Nickel never seize lightly on the threads and they went right in. Torqued to 21 lb/ft as called out in Pontiac Vibe factory manuals.Didn't realize the wire loom needed to come off. First COP came right out, second one acted stuck so I levered it out and busted off part of the flange (plastic, on the COP itself) that pushes on the rubber seal that closes off the top of the tube the plug is in. No damaged done except to my pride. Should have seen that one coming. Pulled the wire loom (two 10mm nuts) and the others all came out OK.I have replaced the plastic push studs on the back of the engine cover with two metric threaded bolts of the right thread, about 1" long. Much easier than messing with the push studs every time you pull the cover.Charles

Wow, 55K on an '04? I just changed my '04's with 128K. It had Denso's and I replaced with NGK. Really can't tell a difference. I had no trouble getting the old ones out just had to loosen wire harness. Put antisieze on the new ones but at this rate I probably won't have to change them again.

Quote, originally posted by Charles (in GA) »About 55K mi on an '04. I might be willing to take that under-utilized POS off your hands for you. I change mine once a year whether they need it or not. Yes, I know they're good for 100-120k, but every year about the first weekend of April I replace them and the PCV. I like to pull them after the refineries switch back off "winter gas" blends just to see if there are any problems or issues I should know about. Takes an extra $30 and the same amount of time to just stick new ones in while I'm at it. And if I have the cover off anyway, spend an extra six bucks and do the PCV while I'm there.

Quote, originally posted by Mark »I might be willing to take that under-utilized POS off your hands for you. Thats why I bought the car. It was a one owner by a retired couple who no longer needed two cars. It had 50K on it when I bought it at the end of last September. I replaced a '99 Plymouth Breeze that had 234K on it.Charles

I pulled my plugs at 109K miles. I think they looked similar to the ones above (judge for yourself). Frankly, I think they looked awful. A large part of the center electrode was gone. The car also runs considerably better. I can't speak to the gas mileage yet and my current gas mileage is pretty good - low 30's most of the time (mixed driving). Normally I get mid to upper 30's on the road. The gas mileage seems incredibly sensitive to every MPH you add - 63 MPH is great, 72 MPH sucks. The off-throttle response is so significantly different, I feel like I need to get used to the "new feel". Wow! Change your plugs if you have anywhere near 100K miles!

I used anti-seize on the plugs when I installed them. It kinda scared me pulling them.

I made sure the engine was cool - I've read that pulling plugs with aluminum heads and a hot engine is an invitation to tearing out threads. I set a box fan down on the motor for 20 minutes and the engine went from very hot to cool to the touch.

I was also very careful to keep the extension aligned in the center of the hole and applied force in a smooth "application".

I also blew the holes out with compressed air using a 10 inch tube to avoid getting debris in the combustion chamber. Lots of crap came out of the hole. I made sure to do this after I loosened the plugs.