"Service Engine Soon" after Spark Plug change

[tiy]

Fuel cap's good, Disconnected pos. cable for 1/2 hour and still on , uh........ possibly the boots? (How tight do those damn things have to be put back on there anyway?) Also, I MAY have cross-threaded no. 1 plug. I've been tryin my darndest to get that plug back out so I can try it again, but .... well it's tight in there. Oh yeah, those little clips that snap onto the plugs, how come some plugs had them and some didn't? I forgot to put one back on(?????) (I"m worse than a kid, I know.) I surfed this forum and grandamgt.com and no such luck.) I haven't driven it yet to see how it is. Scared I f&$#ed something up!:lol:

[HeyDace]

Does it mis fire? Skip?

[RocketFast321]

Take it to autozone or another free code reader place. Even when I cross threaded the front two on the malibu I got no SES light it just burn gas.

[Old Guy]

The only things you could have done are:

Not gotten the boots back on tight enough - yes they have to be very tight. As Dace asked.....does it misfire?

Gotten the plug wires crossed and on the wrong plugs....again, misfires?

Did you check the gaps on the plugs first or did you possibly "regap" one by accident when you were putting it in? The back three are a bear to get to.

What little clips that snap onto the plugs are you talking about?

You really need to drive it. Sometimes they'll seem to idle fine but as soon as you put a load on the engine it'll misfire. And as you're driving it, stop by autozone and have them read the error code as RocketFast said.

[tiy]

Thankx for the help guys. Those clips... they were on I think 3 or 4 of the plugs (got a 2000 gagt)and I had to pull them off the old plugs with needle-nose pliers before I could unscrew them. They clip onto the end of the plug that goes into the boot. I was guessing they could help conduct current or something (?). Anyway, I'll have to drive it and pay close atteniton. Thanks!

[jpit]

Sounds like the "clips" are the ends of the spark plug wires. They may have broken off from the wire. If that's the case you will need to buy some new wires.

[Old Guy]

That's exactly what I thought when I read about "the little clips."
Yep....sound like you pulled the connectors off of the wires. I'm surprised that they stay on the plugs at all.

[tiy]

I drove it today and I MEAN DROVE IT. I slapped it and it graciously opened up for me. HOwever, when I was going slow, i heard a somewhat faint rapid "ticking" sound coming from the engtine area. The sound would "accelerate" as I lightly pushed the gas pedal. This wire business would make sense! Those clips were still visible on 3 or so of the plugs after I pulled the boots off! Anyway, thanks a million guys. By the wya, I find this site more helpful than *********. AND I'M NOT JUST SAYING THAT. Much more pure knowledge and less ego. REAL!

[brsexton]

You are getting spark knock. Something is NOT AT ALL right. Replace your spark pulg wires.

[Old Guy]

Originally posted by brsexton
You are getting spark knock. Something is NOT AT ALL right. Replace your spark pulg wires.

And....don't let them talk you into some high priced. "high performance" wires. Just buy the AC/Delco replacements. Unless you're heavily modded, wires are wires.

SO.....what are you waiting for????? Get your butt over to Autozone....NOW!!! :D

BTW.....thanks for the kind words. :)

[tiy]

Another twist (a good one I think), the light didn't go on today at all and I drove around the city for an hour or two. Everything seemed normal, didn't hear any noises. Ah..... the strange world of cars. ??????????????????????????????????????????????

[Old Guy]

They'll be back if the wires come loose from the plugs......change the wires. :thumbup2:

[tiy]

I'm an optimist;) I don't mean to be rude, but everything seems fine. My father in law seemed to think so. Well.... What COULD happen, worst case, if I just leave them?

[Old Guy]

Originally posted by tiy
Well.... What COULD happen, worst case, if I just leave them?

Worst case? It's about 2:00 AM and pouring rain The connections draw miosture since they're not tight and your car stalls. You have to walk 2 miles in the rain or wait for a tow truck who charges you $150.00 ......plus you still need to buy the new wires. :)

[tiy]

Could I have possibly yanked too much on a wire, or (it's got 95,000 km's) are they just due for a change? I don't know when they were changed last, I got the car with 58,000 km's. Had it for about a year. (I'm stubborn, I just phoned the local Pontiac dealer and (sigh) $80 CAN. for AC Delco wires! I shouldn't have even touched my plugs. ONly one of them had almost no electrode left) :) Oh well, I'll end my rant.:lol:

[jpit]

They can be found for a lot cheaper at other places. Here's one.

Rock Auto (http://www.rockauto.com)

[GaSC/Tnfs]

Worst case? It's about 2:00 AM and pouring rain The connections draw miosture since they're not tight and your car stalls. You have to walk 2 miles in the rain or wait for a tow truck who charges you $150.00 ......plus you still need to buy the new wires.

:iagree: