Spark Plugs/Misfire - Wow!

I can remember someone trying to teach me to gap spark plugs back in the 80s. That’s when you could easily do most of the minor car maintenance tasks yourself. I changed my air filters, flipped the flapper inside the carburetor, touched a screwdriver to my starter and a screw to kick start the car, and some other small things.

This morning I had to make a few stops. I needed to drop a large shopping bag (about 8 to 10 skeins) of yarn to one of our charity crafters, and stop at both Smiths and Walgreens.

“Service Engine Soon” light kept coming on and staying on for long periods (a dear friend calls this his "Spend Money Now" light).

Visited my guy and his team. Now, we bought this used car, a 2001, in 2010, off a used car lot. We found out quickly during the first year that the previous owner either didn’t have a clue, or didn’t care. Today's diagnosis showed that it is misfiring. I seriously doubt those plugs were ever changed. These are probably the 2001 originals.

These days, plugs are not always easy to get at. Apparently not in my car. The parts are cheap enough, but the labor is painful. They will need half a day, and they must move “things” off from over half of the plugs. They showed me the setup - definitely not easy to get to. Must disconnect this and that, etc.

What used to be easy is now very complicated in many vehicles. I’m thankful, though, that mine doesn’t require them to do an almost complete tune-up just to do the plugs. If you’re facing something similar, to help you guesstimate, it will be $397.

I don’t need to rush this one but I want to do it this month, if possible, to avoid damage to other parts, like the catalytic converter, etc.

So, I’ll finish some food prep today and continue pulling things out for my upcoming yard sale...looks like good timing for that!