Valuable Northstar/Aurora engine info

[Chuckk1]

....will be found at this link http://www.babcox.com/editorial/us/us100232.htm

[HiLife]

Very interesting read... Thanks..

HL

[Indy8]

Reading it reminded me of a topic I wanted to address in a new thread but I'll do it here. The importance of using AC Delco Professional Platinum spark plugs for optimum performance and reliability. I can almost hear the moaning from everyone. Yes, I know other plugs will work. I've always been an NGK user in everything I've owned. I bought my Aurora with 49k mi. and it ran okay during the two test drives before I decided to get it. 5k mi. later, it developed a misfire and set off the SES light. Took it in without even looking under the hood because of the warranty. Bad plug and wire is all I could get out of them when I picked it up. GMPP will only replace the faulty component so I didn't get a whole set of anything. That ticked me off, so I go home and think it's an isolated thing(bad wire)and decide to put in all new plugs. NGK didn't make any that fit, so they said, so I settled on some mid-priced(2.50 ea.)Champion platinum tipped ones. The ones that were in the car when I got it were standard AC's and looked wet(rich)when I pulled them out. And someone had put in some cheap wires, I couldn't tell what brand but decided to leave them in. Installed the Champs, ran okay for another 6k mi. then the same thing happend, so I pulled out the easy front ones to take a look and the porcelin tips were almost gone. It seemed to only be missing one cylinder again and still under warranty so I put'em in and took it over to the dealer. They detected another bad wire but GMPP denied it, saying it was an excluded component. I showed the service manager my GMPP book that did not list it as excluded. He called them back only to NOW be told that they no longer cover wires or plugs in any circumstance, regardless of the policy your holding. So I yanked the car out of there quick and started digging a little deeper into the design and learned about the car being spec'd with platinums from the factory. Then about the carbon tracking problems and what causes them, and how an incorrect plug or gap can cause the wires to go bad. Several phone calls to my favorite independent shop and AC distributor convinced me of the importance of installing the factory plugs and wires as a new set. This was to be the best thing to do to eliminate the tracking they told me. So I dropped the big bucks and did it right and man am I glad I did! It's so smooth at idle and hits 6200 rpm WOT shift point consistently when pushed to do so. Mileage went up 2-3 MPG, but best of all, no more missing in the 12k mi. since. I pulled one plug out this past summer, it looked new. The wires have been a thorn in GM's side and have been eliminated altogether on 2000 and later Northstars as stated in the above article. The AC wire set has a lifetime warranty however and my guy there said if I even suspect one is bad, he will give me a new set without any questions. Take this for what it's worth. Some of you may never have this problem due to climatic conditions and regional fuel quality as these are factors in having this problem. But if you are, I'd think twice about the parts you select as replacements. Plugs were $6.50 ea. Wire set was $102. Thanks for reading this.

[hoot972]

thanks so much for post. told me alot i didn't know

[jjdewd]

Indy,
I bought my Aurora 5 months ago (it s a'96') and imediately noticed a missfire. About 108000 mi. And your right After doing some reading on forums and stuff I decided to Replace my plugs and wires with original equipment AC delco costing me almost $170. I'm not disappointed because my car runs beautiful. Believe it or not I think I can beat most 0-60 times ...My car flies!!!
This car gets special treatment.
I Don't pinch pennies when buying parts for my baby.
So, its not a cheap car to own ...cause its not a cheap car!!!!
Take good care of it and it will last you forever.

[Indy8]

Almost forgot. Gap plugs at .060, not .050 as the underhood sticker may state. This is a GM update.

[jjdewd]

aw nuts!!! My plugs were gapped at.050 Is it going to cause a problem?

[Indy8]

You're fine. In a regular plug, gapping .010" tighter would be the equivelent of using one step hotter plug. This usually results in faster burn and shorter flame travel depending on the chamber design of the cylinder head being used. This would mean a little more(quicker)power and allowing more ignition advance, but higher cylinder temps,shorter plug life, less mileage. Platinums don't respond the same way. That's why they are gapped differently than standard plugs. The same reasons apply to them, which is why they still require gapping and all aren't the same from the manufacturers. Just not as critical, hence the 100,000 mi. replacement theory. Platinums run cooler anyway, thus last longer. In your case, you might not get all the life out of them as you could.

[t22a44]

Hello,

I am having the missing and popping problems. I am going to take the advice from all of you and change the plugs and wires. One question, How do you get to the back plugs on the aurora? Do you go from the bottom. Thanks in advance

[BKVic]

Originally Posted by t22a44

Hello,

I am having the missing and popping problems. I am going to take the advice from all of you and change the plugs and wires. One question, How do you get to the back plugs on the aurora? Do you go from the bottom. Thanks in advance

The back plugs are pretty easy to get to from the top. Just remove the coil bank that sets on top of that cam cover and they are right below. Not as easy as the front 4 but not hard either!


BKVic

[t22a44]

Originally Posted by BKVic

The back plugs are pretty easy to get to from the top. Just remove the coil bank that sets on top of that cam cover and they are right below. Not as easy as the front 4 but not hard either!


BKVic

Thanks for the Information. I went to my local Olds dealer which is now a nissan dealer. They said try a chevy dealer. Now I just need to find the parts. Question, do you know how to get the error codes out of an Aurora? thanks

[dafrazi]

Take off the vaccum box that sits over the ignition coils too. It makes the job that musc easier. After renoving that, it's real easy to get to every plug. The #1 plug is the only one that requires any effort. There are 4 bolts holding the bracket the supports the coil packs; upon first inspection it looks like there are only 2.

I don't know if this works on the Aurora or not, but the a simple to clear codes on many cars is to disconnect the battery for 30 mins.

[t22a44]

thanks