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Chad Merry

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Some random thoughts after changing my spark plugs/oil and serpentine belt.



1. I cannot believe they say those plugs last as long as the do. The gap is supposed to be .054 the plugs I took out were so worn out that the gap could not be measured on my gauge, because the gap in the plug was to big, and they were shot. I bought Autolite double platinums.



2. Wow what a pain in the butt to change plugs. First time I have ever changed plugs through the wheels wells, and by removing wheels.



3. Should I have gotten plug wires?? I have had some bad luck in the past with aftermarket plug wires, where the wire pulled out of the boot.



4. The parts guy tried telling to buy a $35.00 belt in lieu of another belt that was $19.00, I was a little short on funds so I had to go the cheaper belt hope it does not come back to get me.



5. I figured I would try a semi synthetic blend oil, never used synthetic oil in my truck before was a good choice? Or should I use the high mileage oil since I have 50K on it?



6. And those K&N filters are easy to clean, mine looked horrible and just sprayed on the cleaner and then rinsed with water and it looked brand new again. Now I am just waiting for excess oil to build up on my MAF.



Sorry for the long post just wanted to find out if I did the right stuff.

 
I would have changed the wires too. Because the job is done, I wouldn't worry about it anymore.



As for the oil, 50,000 is not too late. I am not sold on synthetic oil. The only reason I use it is to keep peace in the house.





Tom
 
Stock plugs, never changed them. Where is the fuel filter? It probably would not hurt to change that as well. The truck is paid for finally so I am trying to make it as long as possible with this vehicle. Plus my gas mileage is just horrible, last 2 tanks I only got 280 miles out of it. Granted alot of stop and go driving everyday in traffic to work and home, but geez that is just terrible.
 
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For what it's worth, I had never used anything but dino oil until about a 1-1/2 yrs. ago because of the good things people on this site had to say about Royal Purple. All I can say (not having it dyno'ed) is that when the engine on our ST runs noticably quieter, smoother and accelerates easier I am definately sold on full synthetic. I run RP in the tranny, power steering, and use the coolant & gas additive as well. :D:cool:
 
I would also change the wires and the filter. This way. You have done a good amount of maintenance that will last for some time.
 
You can use syn. oil as long as you dont start getting leaks. If you do, get leaks, switch to syn. blend. Sometimes I have had higher milage engine gaskets develop leaks, on 100% syn.. The syn blend will give you some of the benifits of syn. While the dino in the blend will condition the gaskets and stop the leaks.....
 

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