I've got a '99 Dodge Ram Van 1500 with a V-6. I need to change the plugs and wires.

Are they easy to get at after removing the engine cover?

Do I need a special plug socket or regular plug sockets like years ago?

Which way does the compression washer (ring) go? Flat side up on plug or Tapered side up on plug?

I'm also replacing the plug wires. I replaced the distrbutor cap and rotor last week.

It still has a slight rock (miss) when idling and in gear. I can feel it slightly at highway speed (60mph).

The van only has 35,000 miles.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

These plugs are fairly easy to access. In addition to your 3/8' drive socket wrench and the correct spark plug socket you'll find having an extension will come in handy, and possibly a universal joint, too.

As far as I know the tapered end of the washer should face the engine - which means the flat side faces the spark plug. Put a dab of anti-seize compound (such as Permatex Never-Seez) on the threads of the new plugs before you install them. What kind of spark plugs did you buy that don't already have the washers pre-installed at the factory? That's weird.

There is a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) regarding how to route the spark plugs wires when you change them. The people at Mopar discovered that using the black plastic clips that hold the plug wires in place can cause random misfires, so it is important you follow the TSB for information on re-routing the new plug wires.

If you put the new plug wires back in the same exact way the old wires were routed your engine will run (obviously) but you may still have your rough idle and misfire issue. That would be a shame after all the trouble of changing everything.

I'll try to post a link to the TSB in the morning - unless someone else beats me to it.

 

I found TSB 18-48-98. It goes into great detail about routing and convolute on the V-8. It shows pictures of the coil wire and 8 individual plug wire routing and use of convolute.

When you scroll down to the V-6 3.9 all it shows is routing the coil wire and using convolute and single wire clips.

Am I to assume that nothing needs to be done to the plug wires and just put them back on as the factory installed them?

Thank you

 

Read the TSB #18-48-98 and seperated and relocated the coil wire from the plug wires. I put Convolute on the whole length of the coil wire and each individual plug wire.

Convolute Dodge part #0364375 $10.00 for a 20' roll is just a big name and price for regular split convolute you can by at any auto parts store CHEAP!!!

I had a bunch of different sizes left over from my many street rod projects.

It runs like a scaled dog (no miss or hesitation) an it didn't cost me a thing.

Thanks for posting the information............Rusty 93 Ram Van...........YOU ARE THE MAN!!!

 

The plug wires themselves go bad and might be the cause of the misfire. I've had more than one young set alight like a light show when running at night.

And it appears the new economy priced wires can be bad right out of the box.

 

No problem - glad it helped. Landyacht318 is correct to warn you about the OEM style plug wires. They are cheap to buy and most of the time they work OK but there have been some problems reported. On a recommendation from Alloro I now run Accel Extreme 9000 ceramic wires on my 3.9 and they are incredibly good. But they cost over $100 for a set.

 

Well worth it IMO because I believe they will last the life of the van.

It is also a great idea to get those spark plug shields out of there.

 

Kind of curious as to why you would be changing them with so little miles but anyway, good luck with that! I began to do mine in Sept. of 11 and found that the front 4 were easy being inside the van and doghouse but that there was no way I would be able to get to the other 4 neither from underneath, around the tires nor from the top under the hood. Good thing I couldn't tho. I paid a shop to do it and they charged me 3x times what they quoted me because they were so badly rusted, extreme caution had to be used so as not to break them off!

 

Ditto here. Once buying the Ram van, went to change the plugs. One broke. Drove it 1 mile to a shop. Cost me $300 to change them all out. They broke two more and two EZ-out tools they had. Took the guy three hours to do the job.

When I got the van back, I was able to take the new plugs out, suck the holes out with a shop-vac, put anti-seize on the plug threads and reseated them. Since then, no more frozen plugs in the block.