My 07 Tahoe was just about to hit 200K, 199,983 to be exact. So I went ahead and did the sparkplug and wire change today. This was my first time doing this myself, the dealer did my 100K tune up. So I had been watching youtube vids on how to change out the plugs and wires, ESPECIALLY the dreaded #8 plug. I decided to attack the #8 plug and get it out of the way first. Took me 20 mins to get it out, but I had to be a bit of a contortionist to do so. I had one knee on top of my passenger headlight and the other knee on top of something over the grill area, it held me up so I went with it, lol. I had an even more awesome (sarcasm) time trying to put the new #8 plug back in. To get #8 out I used my 5/8 sparkplug socket with a 1.5 3/8" extension and my 3/8 socket wrench, and it gave me enough reach and room to remove and replace the #8 plug.

The back of my left had is swollen and bruised, lol. After some time I managed to find the sweet spot and tightened it down. I also had an awesome (more sarcasm) trying to put the new plug wire on the #8 plug. My gripe is that I wish AC Delco made the rubber boot a bit more stiffer and not so squishy, I wasn't able to really feel the boot "pop" onto the sparkplug. It just didn't feel right. Plus there is no room to give a good push on the #8 wire. So I kept fighting with it, pulling the wire back off and trying to put it back on in order to feel/hear the "pop". But it just didn't happen.

So then I moved on to the other 7 plugs and plug wires. The others weren't a bear like the #8, but I managed ok. I may have had an easier time if my stupid step stool would slip out from under my feet as I leaned over to reach in the engine bay. After I finished the odd numbered plug side, I still had not started on the even numbered side, and since my OCD was going off about whether or not I got the plug wires completely onto the sparkplug, I went ahead and started the car, and it idled fine, no CEL, so I assume all was well on the odd numbered side.

All be told it took me a little less than 3 hours, and that's just b/c I was fighting my OCD and double, triple, and quadruple checking each plug wire connection. Afterwards I took a about a 50 mile test drive, all seems well. No issues at idle or WOT, no stuttering, nothing.

I spent about $67 on the plug wires (748RR) and $43 on the spark plugs (41-110), and there a $2 rebate per AC Delco iridium professional sparkplug, so total including rebate of ~$94. If I remembered correctly I paid a little over $500 (parts and labor) to the dealer for the tune up @ 100K. So I figured I saved myself about $400 dollars doing this myself. *fist pump*

Good luck to anyone who will be tackling this tune up!


Here are a few pics of the old plugs:

 

I forgot to mention, I didn't use the silicone paste that came with the new plugs b/c I didn't even know it was there until I was done and putting the old plugs into that box, lol. Should I use it? If so how do I apply it? Put some on the outside edge of the coil pack and just slip on the wire? TIA!

 

It will make the next replacement of the plug wires a lot easier if you use the silicone.

Personally I put it on the inside of the the boot on each end. The plug end is the one that really needs it as w/o it, the boot wants to become one w/ the plug.

 

Aww mannnnnn! lol! I'll probably put the grease on in a week or two, I'm super sore right now from yesterday's Tahoe work, lol!

 

ok I went ahead and added the silicone grease to both ends of the wires. OCD level down to zero! lol!

 

Plugs looked pretty good. Those iridium plugs are amazing. They last forever

 

Here is the write up I did on my 100k , I did #8 through the wheel well
https://chevroletforum.com/forum/tah...07-5-3l-63215/

 

I agree, my old plugs look pretty good. I looked back at my 100K tune up, and it was done at ~105K, so there are only about 95K on those old plugs. I'm almost tempted to run this set as far as they'll go until they start giving me problems, lol.

I thought about going through the wheel well too, but I was a bit lazy to go get my jack and jack stands, then pull the wheel off, and then possibly have to remove part or all of the plastic wheel well liner, lol.

 

I can't get the boot off #8. Do you have any suggestions. It seems to be stuck.

 

Welcome to the forum
Give this thread a read

https://chevroletforum.com/forum/tah...07-5-3l-63215/