Just changed my plugs & wires...

[Travis2k7]

Bought my non-turbo PT 3 months ago at 45k. Changed the oil the day after I bought it, then again at 48k along with a rotation. Also replaced the downstream O2 sensor after getting P2097 and P0138 codes.

I hit 49k this week and got the transmission professionally flushed. Yesterday I decided to go ahead and change the plugs and wires as well. (I don't have the prior owner's maintenance records so I decided to do this now rather than wait till 60k)

I was a bit surprised when I saw what was in the vehicle.

Champion RE16MC plugs that were gapped at .057 !?!?!?!?!?!? I did find this old thread Spark plugs that mentions those plugs are for this vehicle but what is up with the gap? Are these the stock plugs?

I replaced the plugs with AutoZone.com | | Spark Plug | BOSCH PLATINUM PLUS 4 along with copper anti-seize I got from work (I work in a machine shop) and wires (added dielectric grease on both ends) with AutoZone.com | | Wireset | DURALAST IGN WIRE SET[] and noticed an immediate improvement in power and hopefully an improvement in my current 20 mpg city/ 23 mpg hwy mileage.

Man... .057 ? Seems like too weak of a spark.

[CREWZIN]

The original TSB for the non-turbo called for a gap of .050in and the gap does get wider as the plugs wear out. That's probably why the new TSB for the Chrysler mechanics calls for the initial setting of .040in, that way as the plugs wear out, the gap won't go out of range for decent performance.

[Travis2k7]

Yeah the gap was huge so I'm going to guess these plugs have been in for the life of the car.

As said I noticed an immediate improvement in acceleration... will monitor my mpg and see how that does over the next few weeks. Not a huge concern because I didn't buy the PT for it's brick-like aerodynamic properties but an improvement would still be nice.

I'm hoping for smooth sailing all around until the 90-100k timing belt change comes along.

[halftrack]

you should have kept the chapions give it six months and the bosch plugs will fail. Bosch sucks I cannot tell you how many of them I have pulled for intermittant missfire problems good luck.

[Mean Green]

Originally Posted by halftrack

you should have kept the chapions give it six months and the bosch plugs will fail. Bosch sucks I cannot tell you how many of them I have pulled for intermittant missfire problems good luck.

Using Bosch double plats in my wife's '04 na PT. The first set lasted 40k before I changed them to another set of Bosch for the heck of it. Car always runs great.

[Travis2k7]

Originally Posted by Mean Green

Using Bosch double plats in my wife's '04 na PT. The first set lasted 40k before I changed them to another set of Bosch for the heck of it. Car always runs great.

That's good to know.

I went with Bosch because my only other experience with that brand went well... put them in my Camaro at 77k and they were still in it when I sold the car a few months ago at 160k.

Haven't had much of a MPG increase... still hovering around 20 mpg in city traffic, but the engine has been running great for these first 500 miles.

[Knotsobright1]

Bought our PT and it had 30,000 on it. I replaced all the plugs, wires, etc with champion platinum like I always had and at around 60,000 2 plugs fouled and 1 wire had the connector seperate from the wire itself. I just put new Bosch plugs in it and it doesn't seem to shutter as much. I am starting to think its almost impossible to by normal plugs anymore.