I was wondering if anyone out there has experience changing the spark plugs on a 5th gen (2008+) Grand Caravan, specifically what if anything you did to get at the plugs on the firewall ("right") side of the engine. I know that a lot of folks on here recommend removing the windshield wiper arms and the cowl on the 4th gen (2000-2007) Caravans, but on my '08 it looks like I could get away with removing only the upper IM plenum and maybe using a 3" socket extension with my spark plug socket.

FWIW I have changed spark plugs many times on SOHC and DOHC 4-cylinder engines, but I've never done it on any kind of V engine, let alone a FWD V where half the plugs are insanely hard to reach.

Any thoughts?

 

If you have the 3.3 or 3.8 engine there is no need to remove anything. There is more than enough room to get at the plugs with a standard ratchet and extension.

George

 

I agree. Total cake job compared to gen 4. I took the extra precaution of using a scribe to clean the grit from around the plug base then vacuumed before removing them. The plug recess will otherwise let grit fall into the motor. Let the engine cool to reduce the chance of tearing out threads. Use anti-seize on new plug threads but be careful to avoid getting any on the ceramic insulator because it's highly conductive.

 

Thanks guys. And Lscman thanks for the tip on cleaning out the plug area. Do you think a can of compressed air would do the trick just as well? I'm used to the DOHC engine on my Honda where the plug wire boot seals out the plug chamber so debris is not as much of a problem on that engine.

Now I just need time to work on the GC between all the stuff I need to do on my Honda lol.

 

Almost a month later, I finally got around to doing this at 94k miles. After cutting up my hand trying to break the rear plugs using a 6" socket extension I added another 3" extension and was able to break the rear plugs loose with just my 6" ratchet. Had to use a breaker bar on the front plugs (same 6+3 extension setup). I'm pretty sure I broke the rear wire separator where it attaches to the valve cover bolt (?) so I'm going to call around to see how much those cost.

I used Champion Double Platinum plugs since I usually use OEM brand for plugs. Plus an added bonus was there is a rebate on them if you buy them before the end of June. I also added anti-seize compound to the threads (it didn't look like the OE plugs had any). I used Bosch wires mainly because of the lifetime warranty from the local parts store. The downside to most non-OEM wire sets (with the exception of NGK, which I use on the Honda and would have bought for the GC if they made it) is that the wires aren't numbered, so I had to pull the wires one at a time and compare lengths. I ended up making a mistake and switching 5 and 6, but that was easily fixed.

I did visually inspect the old plugs before putting in the new ones, just to make sure that there wasn't some other problem with the engine. I compared the firing ends to the pictures in a Haynes manual and they most closely resembled "worn". I take that as a good thing, since the remedy for that problem is merely to replace the plug. Hopefully this improves my fuel economy a bit.

I also noticed that my spark plug socket left the rubber grabber on the plugs after I installed them and I had to pull it off either by hand or with pliers, so it's now time to test the Sears lifetime hand tool warranty. This might not be such a big problem with the GC but I can't have the socket do this on my DOHC Honda.

 

Should be about $3.50 from the dealer (part number 5149053AB).

George