New plugs and no more Rod knocking sound :) - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

Torchred96 · 05-07-2012

Great news guys. After all the work I did on my car with the injectors, port throttle bypass, porting etc, recall that I put the engine back together without changing the coils or plugs and wires. After putting it all together, I had mixed emotions. It would surge like it wanted to take off but just fell on it's face.., On the other hand, it certainly ran far better than it did, after all I did find at least 6 shorted primary injectors..but I still had a misfire and stumble.

Would you believe that since I bought the car in June last year, I have never checked the spark plugs? (I didn't want to know that the engine was possibly toast inside and it would have taken the wind out of my sails if I found that to be the case. When I decided to do the coils, I bought everything I would need. So I started with the plugs. To my surprise, the wrong plugs were in there (acdelco 41-808) and they were not even tightened down. Though they were ashen in color, probably running lean from leaking air right(?), the good news was that there was no oil on the plugs leading me to believe it's healthy despite the mileage. I found a set of acdelco rapid fire 5 on the bay for about $20 shipped and got the acdelco coils too.

Before tearing the plenum off again, I put the plugs in, cleaned any oil residue off the wires and put a touch of dielectric grease inside the boots and a little antiseize on the threads. When I started the engine, I was completely surprised NOT to hear the flywheel (rod knocking sound) clatter. WHAT????? OOOOH boyy, I was starting to get real excited. Took it for a test drive just to be sure... When I accelerated in 1st, for the first time since I have owned the car, the tires broke loose and gave me that big grin you guys are always talking about...Got it out to open water and went through the gears. OMG what a great feeling, sound andd for the first time, SMOOTH accelerating engine.

I guess the moral of this story is don't overlook the obvious. Though I know the injectors made a big difference, the continued miss at idle and on acceleration turned out simply to be the plugs. I don't know if it was because they had no dielectric grease on them, were not tightened down or that they were simply the wrong plugs..but it was just that simple.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, I just am overjoyed with my new toy.
It's a very satisfying feeling to take a car that sounded very sick when I bought it, pour some loving on it and have it reward you with a beautiful sound and powerband and great looks too. It's almost like she's saying THANK YOU FOR NOT GIVING UP ON ME!!!

Thank you guys for all your help and putting up for my long winded posts!

Sam

05-07-2012	#1
Torchred96 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Homestead, Fl Posts: 247	New plugs and no more Rod knocking sound :) Great news guys. After all the work I did on my car with the injectors, port throttle bypass, porting etc, recall that I put the engine back together without changing the coils or plugs and wires. After putting it all together, I had mixed emotions. It would surge like it wanted to take off but just fell on it's face.., On the other hand, it certainly ran far better than it did, after all I did find at least 6 shorted primary injectors..but I still had a misfire and stumble. Would you believe that since I bought the car in June last year, I have never checked the spark plugs? (I didn't want to know that the engine was possibly toast inside and it would have taken the wind out of my sails if I found that to be the case. When I decided to do the coils, I bought everything I would need. So I started with the plugs. To my surprise, the wrong plugs were in there (acdelco 41-808) and they were not even tightened down. Though they were ashen in color, probably running lean from leaking air right(?), the good news was that there was no oil on the plugs leading me to believe it's healthy despite the mileage. I found a set of acdelco rapid fire 5 on the bay for about $20 shipped and got the acdelco coils too. Before tearing the plenum off again, I put the plugs in, cleaned any oil residue off the wires and put a touch of dielectric grease inside the boots and a little antiseize on the threads. When I started the engine, I was completely surprised NOT to hear the flywheel (rod knocking sound) clatter. WHAT????? OOOOH boyy, I was starting to get real excited. Took it for a test drive just to be sure... When I accelerated in 1st, for the first time since I have owned the car, the tires broke loose and gave me that big grin you guys are always talking about...Got it out to open water and went through the gears. OMG what a great feeling, sound andd for the first time, SMOOTH accelerating engine. I guess the moral of this story is don't overlook the obvious. Though I know the injectors made a big difference, the continued miss at idle and on acceleration turned out simply to be the plugs. I don't know if it was because they had no dielectric grease on them, were not tightened down or that they were simply the wrong plugs..but it was just that simple. Anyway, sorry for the long post, I just am overjoyed with my new toy. It's a very satisfying feeling to take a car that sounded very sick when I bought it, pour some loving on it and have it reward you with a beautiful sound and powerband and great looks too. It's almost like she's saying THANK YOU FOR NOT GIVING UP ON ME!!! Thank you guys for all your help and putting up for my long winded posts! Sam