JBRollo
New Member
This is for the first generation V Max (prior to 2008?). Advanced Auto currently stocks the NGK DPR8EA-9 plugs for $1.99 ea. Thats what my 2001 VMax required. NAPA had the 7mm metal core plug wire in bulk for 39 cents a foot. Roughly $10 total!
For the novice (like me!), the rubber/plastic plug cap has three components inside, a spring, a 8,500 ohm ceramic resistor, and a metal terminal . These components come out easily by unscrewing with a flat head screw driver from the spark plug side. (You can also inspect the inside without removing the plug cap from the spark plug wire.) Corosion does sometime form on the end of the spring so a wire brush cleaning is a good idea.
When removing the plug cap components, be careful you don't drop/lose the ceramic resistor. You will probably never find a replacement. Also, on reassembly, the spring goes in first!
To remove the spark plug wire from the plug cap, just unscrew it with a twist. Easy!
Use 7mm, wire core plug wire of near zero resistance unless you plan on replacing the whole plug & cap combo. Staying near 8,500 ohms is probably a good idea as that what the coils and other components are designed to see. But 7mm wire is always preferred because it fits properly into the coils.
The back two plug wires on #1 & #3 cylinder coils (under the seat) are easy to replace. Not so the front two because the coils are under EVERYTHING!! For access to #2 & #4 coils, the book calls for removing the left side electrical components and electrical tray, plus the manafold panel. The latter reguires draining the coolant and removing coolant hoses. I just refused to do this so I just cleaned the plug cap and changed the plug. However, I did find you could actually change the wire on the #4 coil without removing the coolant manafold, IF YOU HAVE LONG, AGILE FINGERS. So I just removed the airbox, four or five screws from the left side electrical tray and let it hang. But before I put on the new wire, I used a small ice pick to make a small starter hole in the new plug wire end to easily mate with the coil connection.
But as mentioned here on other posts, just shaving about 1/8 inch from the coil side of the existing plug wire and adding conductive silicon lub to the ends is often all thats needed because the wires themselves are almost indestructable if the insulation is good.
Apologies to all you Motor Heads. Us novice mechanics guys have to keep it simple!
For the novice (like me!), the rubber/plastic plug cap has three components inside, a spring, a 8,500 ohm ceramic resistor, and a metal terminal . These components come out easily by unscrewing with a flat head screw driver from the spark plug side. (You can also inspect the inside without removing the plug cap from the spark plug wire.) Corosion does sometime form on the end of the spring so a wire brush cleaning is a good idea.
When removing the plug cap components, be careful you don't drop/lose the ceramic resistor. You will probably never find a replacement. Also, on reassembly, the spring goes in first!
To remove the spark plug wire from the plug cap, just unscrew it with a twist. Easy!
Use 7mm, wire core plug wire of near zero resistance unless you plan on replacing the whole plug & cap combo. Staying near 8,500 ohms is probably a good idea as that what the coils and other components are designed to see. But 7mm wire is always preferred because it fits properly into the coils.
The back two plug wires on #1 & #3 cylinder coils (under the seat) are easy to replace. Not so the front two because the coils are under EVERYTHING!! For access to #2 & #4 coils, the book calls for removing the left side electrical components and electrical tray, plus the manafold panel. The latter reguires draining the coolant and removing coolant hoses. I just refused to do this so I just cleaned the plug cap and changed the plug. However, I did find you could actually change the wire on the #4 coil without removing the coolant manafold, IF YOU HAVE LONG, AGILE FINGERS. So I just removed the airbox, four or five screws from the left side electrical tray and let it hang. But before I put on the new wire, I used a small ice pick to make a small starter hole in the new plug wire end to easily mate with the coil connection.
But as mentioned here on other posts, just shaving about 1/8 inch from the coil side of the existing plug wire and adding conductive silicon lub to the ends is often all thats needed because the wires themselves are almost indestructable if the insulation is good.
Apologies to all you Motor Heads. Us novice mechanics guys have to keep it simple!
