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Questions about my car~ NEWBIE! please help..

2K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  citm2000 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,

Just bought my 2003 eclipse GTS not too long ago... spark plugs and the wiring needs to be changed... could anyone post some links or show me how to change those? because i'm not going to pay 50-100$ to get the "professionally" done. and i'm going to put on a apexi N1 muffler (fart can) on it but do not feel like welding it on yet. should i just use fasteners? (for now).

please help.. :mecry2:
 
#5 ·
:agreed:

Save up for a catback
 
#12 ·
I agree, tinkering with cars isn't for everyone, and starting with removing manifolds and things slightly involved like that probably isn't the best idea. What if he accidentally drops a nut into the manifold and destroys his engine? Things like that are easy to do as a beginner.
 
#10 ·
What kind of tune up are you getting for that cheap?

Sent from my microchipped cellular device!
 
#11 ·
#14 ·
First thing I ever did to my car was the plugs. And look where i am now... drooped a 3.8L into my bish
 
#15 ·
Just bought my 2003 eclipse GTS not too long ago... spark plugs and the wiring needs to be changed... could anyone post some links or show me how to change those? because i'm not going to pay 50-100$ to get the "professionally" done.
Welcome! Changing plugs is a few hours labor, you'd never find it for $50-$100. 3 of the plugs are easy- 3 aren't so easy and that's where the labor time is.

Many people can't understand the cost of changing spark plugs until you pop the hood and say "OK, show me where the spark plugs are". That's when they realize why it costs so much.

I'm here to help though! :) So you want that original guide? Ever hear of the wayback machine? It's a friendly reminder that the Internet is never deleted. This is how that webpage looked on November 21, 2008: TJC's Plenum Removal Guide for V6 8G Galant's & 3G Eclipse's
 
#17 ·
Follow that TJC guide with my additional instructions and you'll be fine. Plan on spending some time, though. I spent about 10 days total, working a couple hours a night. I did more than just the plugs, though. I did, plugs, wires, valve cover gaskets, spark plug tube gaskets, cap, rotor, cleaned the EGR system, replaced the radiator and radiator hoses, and two oxygen sensors. Not doing the gaskets would have saved me a lot of time. Getting the old ones out of the valve covers was a pain, but it was actually the gaskets that compelled me to do the job in the first place. The plugs were still firing fine after 170k+ miles. The gaskets, on the other hand, were leaking oil like crazy. It was getting to where the smoke from the drips on to the exhaust manifold were making clouds of smoke come from under the hood everytime I came to a stop. The fumes were giving me headaches. There was no way I was going to go to all that work and not do the plugs while I was in there, though.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Just like citm2000 said above, this is another one of those "might as well" jobs- such as, while you're in there, might as well do the pre-cat oxygen sensors, valve cover gaskets, clean the throttle body, etc. If you have to take it off and it's old/leaking/dirty, or it's something underneath that you'll never be able to get to again, you should replace/clean/tune it now, because you don't want to have to go back in anytime soon!

When I did my plugs/wires, I also changed the rear/right valve cover gasket. First the cover didn't want to come off- it took hours of creative sideways-prying and hammer-wood-block tapping (and I did a few club3g forum searches too!) to get it to separate. Then it took me forever to chip/pry the old hardened gasket out of the old valvecover! In fact it took me so long that when I was done, I didn't do the other valvecover gasket (front/left side)... since the plenum doesn't have to come off to change it, I'll do it on a nice sunny weekend this summer. :) (FYI I used the Felpro gasket/plug tube set, with a skim coat of red RTV where it goes into the valve cover, I've had zero leaks from it.)

Take plenty of pics with a digital camera before/during the job so you don't have to remember where things go. Label harnesses with masking tape like "A" to "A" and "B" to "B". Only change 1 plug/wire at a time, don't pull all 6 off! Change your distributor cap/rotor too. And like Gangsta_Man mentioned, when you take off that plenum and see 6 holes pointing down into the engine, cover the holes with a rag so nothing falls in. Make sure you have a "torque wrench" (Sears, Harbor Freight) so you don't overtighten (and snap) the bolts OR the aluminum bolt holes, torque specs are in the Haynes manual for Eclipse and the Tearstone Factory manual online.

If you haven't worked on cars before, I do agree that your first job shouldn't be the plugs/wires- do some easy things first, like changing the air filter/pcv valve/drive belts/hoses, just to get some experience with it.
 
#19 ·
When I did my plugs/wires, I also changed the rear/right valve cover gasket. First the cover didn't want to come off- it took hours of creative sideways-prying and hammer-wood-block tapping (and I did a few club3g forum searches too!) to get it to separate. Then it took me forever to chip/pry the old hardened gasket out of the old valvecover! In fact it took me so long that when I was done, I didn't do the other valvecover gasket (front/left side)... since the plenum doesn't have to come off to change it, I'll do it on a nice sunny weekend this summer. :) (FYI I used the Felpro gasket/plug tube set, with a skim coat of red RTV where it goes into the valve cover, I've had zero leaks from it.)
I don't know why they didn't mold a land for a prybar into the valve cover. Getting it off was a pain. Then while getting the old one off, I slipped with the screw driver and impaled my other hand with it. I have a nice scar from that. I found a better way -- I used a pick set. I also used red RTV on both sides of the gasket, being careful to go around the bolt holes.

Take plenty of pics with a digital camera before/during the job so you don't have to remember where things go. Label harnesses with masking tape like "A" to "A" and "B" to "B". Only change 1 plug/wire at a time, don't pull all 6 off! Change your distributor cap/rotor too. And like Gangsta_Man mentioned, when you take off that plenum and see 6 holes pointing down into the engine, cover the holes with a rag so nothing falls in. Make sure you have a "torque wrench" (Sears, Harbor Freight) so you don't overtighten (and snap) the bolts OR the aluminum bolt holes, torque specs are in the Haynes manual for Eclipse and the Tearstone Factory manual online.
I took lots of pics. I used press'n'seal wrap to cover the intake and over the valve trains while I had it all apart. Order is not that big a deal if you're using OEM wires because the wires are numbered.
 
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