$282 for new plugs and wires?

[traffic_tom]

My kia had some idling problems and some misfire problems. So I took it to the auto mechanic! Weel they told me the wires are ARCing badly and a plug is fouled. The cost WILL BE $282!

Now I would rather just do this at home. How much and what do I need. Keep in mind I do not know how to gap plugs or what they should be gapped to?

[mark_gober]

Originally Posted by traffic_tom

My kia had some idling problems and some misfire problems. So I took it to the auto mechanic! Weel they told me the wires are ARCing badly and a plug is fouled. The cost WILL BE $282!

Now I would rather just do this at home. How much and what do I need. Keep in mind I do not know how to gap plugs or what they should be gapped to?

Tom,

Very easy problem. I'm not sure what year/make/model you have...but I have a 2000 Sephia w/ 1.8l. The plug wires can be had at autozone for $33. If you can wait a day or two for them you should try rockauto.com. They have great deals on parts and I usually get them in a day or two. For my model, they have a set for $17. Now you'll have to pay shipping, so it may be smart to get several things that you've been needing. Trust me, there might be a cheaper source for car parts, but I've never found it.

Anywho....just pull your plug wires out and replace them with the ones you purchase. Since you'll be in there already, replace the plugs. Plugs are very cheap. You can ask the guy at the parts counter what the gap is supposed to be. They can look it up and tell you. Sometimes.......it's on the emmissions sticker under the hood. You can purchase a handy little spark plug gapping tool to gap them. It's about the size of a silver dollar and it has a gradually increasing edge thickness that is marked with the gap size. So if the plugs are supposed to be gapped at .050, you insert the small part of the tool and rotate it around until it stops. If you aren't at .050 yet, you simply lift the tool up to bend the tab open a little. Keep doing this until the tab on the spark plug sits right on top of .050. If you go to far, simply place the plug on something solid, like concrete and GENTLY close the gap.

All told, this job should cost you around $45. Cheaper if you can wait for the wires. Shouldn't take but about an hour.

One note. On engines with more than four cylinders, it is extremely wise to only change one spark plug and one wire at a time. If you take them all off, you can often get confused about what goes where and it's troubling to figure out. On your car though, you should be fine. The coils are mounted right next to the cylinders and so the plug wires are very short. Good luck.

Mark

P.S. I had this exact same problem on my Sephia and it was the wires. They had very minute holes that had been blown into the spark plug boot. At higher RPM's, the spark would penetrate the holes and ground to the engine block. I'd never seen anything like it.

[Robdaparamedic]

plugs come pregapped so you don't have to do anything. I just did plugs and wires in my sons. $34 for wires (there's only 2) and $6 for the plugs. Total time 15 minutes. Now here's where you might have the problem. Check the coil on your second cylinder. The boots that go down should be blue in color. If it is white and dry rotted, that could be the source of your short. I replaced the coil also. It was $56. Again, all that took less than 20 minutes and a much less than what your mechanic wanted. Good luck.

[jcwit]

plugs come pregapped so you don't have to do anything.

Sorry Charlie. Plugs do not come pregapped. How does the plug mfg. have any idea what make and model of vehicle/engine you plan to install the plugs in.

Always, always gap new plugs to mfg's specs. before installing.

[ricebike]

just some additional pointers

i'd strongly suggest using anti-seize on the plug threads and properly tightened to torque specs

waiting overnight to make sure the cylinder head is totally cool is best

if it's been over 5 years, i'd squirt a penetrant oil down to the spark plugs, just to be sure that they'll be removed easily (something like PB Blaster)

silicone grease on the plug side that goes to the spark plug boots so easy removal in the future

some plugs are pre-gapped, but it just makes common sense to get a feeler-gauge type or wire type spark plug gauge and check them before you put them in

if it's a 4 cylinder engine, it's 3x easier than a transverse v6
---------------------
as for plug gauges, if you're using platinum tipped or iridiums, the ramp style gauges is bad to use
just because it's not "true"

feeler gauges are better because they're even throughout


wire gauge is also better than that ramp gauge if you want it to be accurate


platinum tipped or iridiums should last another 100,000 or another 5 years at least so better be safe than sorry

[jcwit]

Then again the KIA's seem to like the OEM Denso or NKG plugs rather than the super fancy high end plugs.

[RahX]

As long as you're withing a couple thousandths of spec, the engine won't know the difference. I would recommend getting factory plugs or the aftermarket equivalent at your local parts store. Anti seize on the threads and silicone spray in the plug hole and on the wire boot and you are good to go.

[jcwit]

Originally Posted by RahX

As long as you're withing a couple thousandths of spec, the engine won't know the difference. I would recommend getting factory plugs or the aftermarket equivalent at your local parts store. Anti seize on the threads and silicone spray in the plug hole and on the wire boot and you are good to go.

Silicone spray in the plug hole is a good way to kill the O2 sensors.