Hi all,
I will do my best to describe what is going on.
2018 Chevy Equinox LT 1.5 liter
~93k Miles
several monthsbago, i started to notice a very small sputter (most people probably would not have noticed it). I put a fuel cleaning system to see if that would help. There was not improvement. My gut feeling (I used to work on cars in my teens a little backing the 80s) was spark plugs. Original spark plugs are still in. Now, because i have no money and have been looking for a job with no luck so far, a woman from church volunteered her son to change them since he tankers around with cars. She said she would pay for the parts. So we got adelco plugs and he installed them. At first when I drove home it felt OK, probably because it was going downhill a bit and didnt require much from the engine. As I got closer to home, I started to feel some sputtering. I took a longer way home so I could feel what was going on. It got worse as I drove it. No check engine light until today. The 3rd day driving it anywhere since the plugs were changed. I took it back to the guy and it barely made it there as it did not want to get up the small inclines to their house.
he removed the plugs and the porcelain on 3 of then had cracked, chip and in 1 completely fell apart. So he put the 3 old ones back in. The car is running about the same as it was before he replaced the plugs with maybe just a bit more sputtering when requiring more power. So I am wondering if I should just replace the spark plugs and coils at this point with a better brand? I am open to suggestions. I am just an old gal trying to survive out here
thanks in advance.

 

The random replacement of parts can be a frustration and expensive. Not only that but with so many counterfeit parts out there you run the risk of introducing new problems, compounding the ones you already have, as you have found out. Seek out someone with a professorial grade scan tool [not just a OBDII code reader like the auto parts store has] and it should provide enough information to track down and effect a repair. Guessing at what is wrong will only lead to disappointment and unnecessary expense. Remember a trouble diagnostic code is not a parts list, it is a starting point for diagnoses. Good luck.

 

Yes, have it scanned! That's always going to be step #1 with cars today. They're computers with wheels now days. Otherwise, you just waste a lot of money on things you don't need.