'96 Grand Caravan plugs... ick!

Alright... am I REALLY gonna hafta pull the alternator and throttle body
to get at the back plugs on this 96's 3.8 liter V6??

 

It is a pain, isn't it?
i believe if you pull the wiper cowling off, its accessable, OR you
can get at them from underneith.

 

Yeah, I found that suggestion on autozone.com... I haven't looked at the
van with that in mind yet, but I can't imagine that helping thinking
about how the intake wraps over the plugs.

Interesting, I'll have to give that a look too... the exhaust manifold
isn't in the way?

These plugs are LOOOOOOOOONG overdue for a change in this beast...

 

Its not jsut that one. I've gott his 87 with a 3l engine, as well to
try and check. That one you have to get at from underneith. I should
pull the plugs in my 97 T+C too. the delivery price sheet says it has
100k plugs in, its now got 135k on the clock (or thereabouts) and
probably didn't have the plugs done by the previous owner at 100k

 

I was able to do my '99 3.8L (same design) without removing anything other
than the alternator bracket. It took a lot of time, but with the right
extensions and swivels I was able to get to all but the one near the
alternator from behind/underneath. My arms showed the scars from the pain
afterward, but the job got done. With the vehicle jacked up on the body
(not just on stands), there was more room between the engine and the
firewall to work.

Good luck.

Bob

 

Thanks for the tips, everyone... I ended up being too sick all this past
weekend to deal with it, so hopefully next weekend I'll be able to give
it a go.

 

Bob,

Can you explain that. What do you mean by jacked up on the body? DO
you mean stands under the jack points on the unibody rather than on
ramps?

Frank

 

Frank,

I just meant that with the weight of the vehicle supported on the
body/frame, the front axle and wheels are allowed to drop lower. (As
compared to if you simply drive the vehicle up on ramps and the full weight
is still on the wheels so the springs are compressed by the weight of the
vehicle.)

As I recall, the front three plugs (from the front top), plus the rear
driver's plug (from underneath) took 5-10 minutes. The middle rear took ~30
minutes of fumbling and swearing (and once I removed the alternator
bracket), the rear passenger side plug took another 15 minutes or so.

Good luck and report on your experience to benefit others. Most who have
done these admit the job is a PITA.

Bob

 

Bob,

Thanks, that explains it. I'm going to give it a shot this weekend.
Will report on the outcome.

Frank