i've done plugs on a 94 before but this 97 is the most frightening thing i've ever seen! ...has anyone done this and lived to tell about it?!
really i see no possible way to squeeze my skinny little arms down in there. i took the alternator off and no lie, i seen 2-3 inches of plug wire and that is it!
so anyone with experience on this please enlighten me with some useful info. i have all kinds of time to do this with spring break coming up.
i'm guessing i'm gonna have to drop the ypipe?...and how do i do that? i seen 3 bolts to a flange up by the manifold on the passenger side...they look tough to get to and very rusted.
please give me some help
thanks,
Michael

 

Yeah, you'll need to drop the y-pipe, in fact, I'm sorry you didn't do that on the 94...makes it much easier. Soak the crap out of those flanges and the studs/nuts with some rust eater and wd-40ish lubricant. They're not too bad to get to, liberal use of extensions is a must. I'd advise taking the starter out too. After that, its just a feel your way around task. The first time the plugs take about 3 hours and the wire routing takes another few. AFter doing it a few times, I've managed to get the plug/wires in in under 1 hour....course then its another hour of putting the y-pipe and all back on.

 

i didnt drop the y pipe... it takes some work but you can work your arm in there and do it it just takes a little bit and maybe somebody to hand you the wrench after you get your hand in there. i did it the first time in 1 1/2 hours but my arm hurt then next day from turning the ratchet. heres a little trick for putting the plugs in the holes.. take a length of hose and put it on where the boot would go then use it to thread the plug into the hole. the last guy changed the wires before i got it. so i cant help with that.

 

how do you get the rears (both sides).

 

I would be interested in more information on this too.

Is it possible to do the wires on a dual cat car without dropping the Y pipe? Exhaust bolts SUCK!

 

thank you all.
please keep the info coming, there's got to be more people out there with dual cat cars that have done this.

 

i just did mine 2 weeks ago...got all from the top except the drivers rear plug.

the key is to unbolt the passenger motor mount (18mm nut on the back, 15mm on front i think, use and end wrench to get ahold of the back nut) and jack the motor up a little. i only lifted mine about 2" due to my STB, but if you don't have that you could do more. i did the passenger side ones in about 1.5 hours including running the wires.

i had the alt. out and i also took the tensioner pully off (two small bolts...easy) so that i could run the wires easier.

 

thanks teke184. that's the kind of info i'm looking for...tricks of the trade!

 

I changed my plugs twice when I had the stock manifolds/ypipe. I never removed the y-pipe but I did remove the alternator and the starter. I could do the driver side in about an hour, it wasn't too bad, well compared to the passenger side it wasnt Removing the alternator was a must for me to have any chance of getting to #2. #4 wasn't bad but #6 & 8 were a real b!tch to reach. It took me close to two hours to do the passenger side alone. Removing the y would make it much easier to get to #6 & 8 but that seemed like a lot more work to me and the bolts felt sure to snap if I tried, three of them did bust when I finally removed it to install the headers.
Have fun!

 

trust me, just jack up the motor....

my first time changing wires, did it alone, and i did it in about 4.5 hours, start to finish (not counting breaks...it was 80 and sunny...florida is great).

now that i know how to do it, i could probably do the whole thing in 3 hours, an hour of that being removing alt and motor mount bolt, and then the reinstallation of those parts...

 

when I did mine on my 96, I removed the alternator and belt. Took me and a friend (neither one of us had done it before) about 1 1/2 hours to do the plugs alone...the rear 2 (5 and 7) on the drivers side I did underneath the car, and the #7 on the drivers side I had to have my friend hand me the wrench when I got my arm up there.

 

yeah, probably half the time is used for routing the wires and getting them back in all the stock snap holders.

if all i had to do was change the plugs it would be much quicker

 

Teke you're the man!! That is the first time that someone has suggested that since I've been keeping track and it makes perfect sense! I have already done the plugs (3hrs. and tore up forearms), but I will be doing the wires this spring. Quick question though, where did you jack up the motor?

 

It really isn't all that bad. As previoulsy mentioned, remove the belt, alternator (disconect neg battery terminal first), and y-pipe (penetrating oil a few times a few days before will help breakdown the bolts). With the alt out, you will have more room for the passenger side. You will also have to loosen the power steering pulley so you can remove and re-route the wires. (2 bolts accessed thru holes in the pulley). Consider getting an over the valve cover set (easier to route, and sharp looking as well). If you decide to route the wires as stock, I suggest getting =<8mm wires, or you will have problems routing the wires in the stock location.
With the car on jack stands, you can alternate between going above and below he car. The drivers' side will warm you up for the passenger side. The toughest one to get , IMO, is the #2 plug. You will want a swivel socket for that... Have fun.
I did plugs/wires with h20 pump and opti, and it took me about 8 hours to complete everything. Not a bad way to spend the day.

edit:

Rob's site has this diagram to show how the wires are routed

 

great replies, I really appreciate this. If anyone else has some sneaky tricks up there sleeves like the "jack up the motor" tip, let us know!
thanks again,
Michael.
oh and by the way, i went to NAPA and ordered AC Delco plugs. $50.60 for the set!!!! that was $5.99/plug +tax. is that the going price for these babies?
also, after buying them, i was told that champion, autolite, AC Delco and some other brand of plugs are all made by the same company. a guy that worked at one of the factories said he produced all those brands....which leads me to think i could have saved about $10 buying the double platinum Autolites that are probably exactly the same as the Delcos. Just some food for thought that might save a few dollars.