The truck was running ever so slightly rough the last month or so. I hadn't changed the plugs in awhile, so I figured I'd swap them out. I'm at 149,091 miles now. Here are a couple of tips for the 3.2L V6, mostly so I can refresh my memory and not waste any time next changeout.
1) The old Autolites were in for 20-30K. The gap had gone from .044" to about .049". The electrodes were tan in color. Until the last month the truck ran great with the cheapo Autolites.
2) Changing the spark plug tubes and seals didn't seem to make much difference in oil getting to the plugs. Plugs 2 and 4 were pretty wet on the threads. The rest were dry. Only #6 was getting much oil before I changed the tubes and seals.
3) Removing the coil packs is fairly straightforward. 5/16 for the hex head or a phillips head screwdriver. I had to use a small wrench for #6 near the brake booster. A 1/4" drive would work, but my 3/8 drive with a 5/16 wouldn't fit.
4) The only plug that is a little challenging to remove is the #6 plug by the booster. The easiest way I found to get it is to put a 3" extension on the plug socket and drop it in the tube. Then use another 3" extension to get the ratchet on it.
5) I put Champion 3701 plugs in. They are single electrode platinum. They are $3 each at Advance. I had planned to pick up the Champion truck plugs (4701), but they didn't have any in stock. Here is the Championsparkplugs.com page for the '97 3.2L:
http://www.championsparkplugs.com/re...p?AAIA=1176982.
The plug recommended by Isuzu is the double platinum RC10PYP4.
We'll see what happens with the single electrode platinum... Right now it's running smooth as butter!