Did I make a bad decision on plugs?
 

My car only has a custom made intake and I just bought 6 NGK Iridium IX's. Was this a bad choice and will it work with my car? I just wanted to be cool thats all, lol. Seriously though, help me.

Put your year and model in your signature. It'll help alot.

NGK Irridiums are in fact the same as AC Delco OEM plugs. NGK makes them for GM. Irridiums are ok in supercharged and non-supercharged cars.

Read the "Tech talk with NGK" sticky post in this forum.

So I dont have to worry about the gap thingy since I have pretty much zero mods?

The gap thingy? ALWAYS gap your plugs before installing them. Don't ever trust the factory plug gap.

lol, Im so new to all this stuff cause I just got my car back and barely started modding. How exactly do I do this? Im scared and I most likely wont be installing the plugs myself. Oh and can I grab any set of 8mm wires that are for V6's or do I need them to be vehicle specific. And sorry to bother but where can I get a 180 degree thermostat? Can I just order the wires and thermostat from partsforyourcar.com under I guess the Grand Prix section? Thanks man!

For the time being, stay away from the plug wires on PFYC until we get the quality problem worked out with Taylor (if ever).

Buy the thermostat from them. You'll need a fiber outlet housing gasket, and rubber O-ring seal. It may not come with them, but your local parts store will have them.

Buy Chiltons #28200 before doing any of this. Should be about 15 bucks.

Wire diameter doesn't mean a thing to us. Anything from 7mm to 8.5mm, and none of them are REALLY any better than any others. Plugs and wires don't ADD power, they just restore LOST power.

Ok sounds good. I have a serious matter though. I was reading that intake sticky at the top and I noticed that everyone was talking about the IAT sensor or whatever it is. Now my car didnt have this or maybe its dangling somewhere inside but Im guessing it should be plugged into the intake somewhere? It wasnt plugged into the stock intake or anything so I maybe only some cars have it? Im probably the biggest newbie to these forums hahaha.

It's a 2-wire sensor plugged into the back of your stock airbox. Your car has it.

And for the plug wires, a set for any v6 won't work. Get the right set for your car. Anything but bosch, and not super-cheap stuff. Try Autolite wires or something with a reputable name.

So its probably just dangling somewhere because there certainly wasnt anything plugged into the box when I removed it but there was this hole that had nothing in it. Maybe the mechanics who put in my new engine didnt plug it in. BTW where is the O2 sensor located? When buying these plugs I got a new O2 sensor to go with it. And sorry for piling up so many questions but what would be the purpose of a breather where the oil cap goes? lol

The O2 sensor looks like a spark plug. It's located in the rear exhaust manifold behind plugs 2, 4, and 6. Sticking straight up. Part numbers are in Techinfo. DON'T buy a bosch sensor. AC Delco (GM ONLY).

Your IAT is probably dangling down near the PMV assembly for the ABS. Find it and plug it in, if it's reading engine bay heat instead of intake temps, it's killing your performance and efficiency.

Oil cap breathers are just a safety measure, to help the PCV valve a bit, and they help a little in keeping engine temps down a bit. No known performance benefit, but not a bad idea. Think of it as more of a dress-up item.

Ya my gas has been wasting really fast lately. I drive almost 100 miles a day though so I thought it was just that but hopefully this helps. I'll get this done tomorrow but Im still a bit worried about the spark plug thing. I guess I'll have to buy that book online because Autozone and Advance Auto Parts didnt have it. I got this other brand but I forgot the name, I think it started with an H or something but its for our cars. I really appreciate your help and you have a really really awesome car man. I probably have the worst Bonne here but It still makes me happy.

Haynes will do just fine for the plugs and wires, as well as the Thermostat swap. Read the procedures before you do it, and you'll be fine. It should also help in locating your IAT sensor ;) And changing your O2.

Ya thats it! Awesome man, thank you so much. Have a good night! Oh and would you recommend any other mods on PFYC.com to get a little more performance out of my car. I mean it looks like a lot of that stuff could work with my car since the 3.8s are all similar sort of but I want to be sure.

Check out Intense also. The front 02 sensor was a PITA!! It was so stuck in there, I think I invented a few new curse words while trying to get it out.

Sorry If this is off the subject but I was wondering why no bosch products? Have they been proven to be bad for your 3800 engine?

Yes they have. Bosch plugs, wires, and O2 sensors have suffered a rash of premature deaths in our engines. I have run them in other cars, but successfully in a 3800. I've had bad luck, and many others have too. MANY others. Some have tried them despite the warnings, only to find out the truth later.

Rather than messing stuff up could I just take my plugs and o2 sensor to the Pontiac dealer and tell them to install and correctly gap the plugs? Shouldnt cost too much right?

Just out of curiousity, and because I'm a noob, how do you gap the plugs?

With a feeler gauge. Like you want a .60" gap [this may not apply to you, this is just an example]. And then if it fits snugly in this space between the electrode and the grounding tab [tech. term?]. If its loose, you'll need a smaller gap, if its too tight, you'll need a larger gap. Be careful when bending up, because you could damage the electrode.


-justin

Pick up a lot of chicks in that car OSG?

Naw, me = underaged. I don't drive 'er :roll:. Yeah, i've gotton two ladies in her. Too bad they just wanted a ride :(, and not the ride I was thinking of when I picked 'em up.


-justin

Are you like 16 or something and the car just sits there but you mod it? Well thats cool anyways I was kind of like that with this Honda I had but all I did was vacuum it really really good but it didnt work so... Im 18 goin on 19 next month

FYI, when gapping plugs, don't use a feeler gauge. Use a round wire gauge. Stock plugs in any Bonneville from 87-present should be .060".