Friend's car running funny... New Spark Plugs?

[TechBoyJK]

A friend of mine said her car was running really funny.. That when it idled it would struggle then die, and she had to rev the engine to keep it alive.

It's a 2003 Oldsmobile Alero 4cyl. She bought it with 40,000 miles and it has 105,000 on it. I asked her if she'd ever changed the spark plugs and she said no.

I'm not sure if the plugs are the problem, but it seems like they might be, and her car is due to have them changed. For all I know they've never been changed, and even if they were changed right before she bought it, it's still due.

So I told her before she does anything else, to change the plus and wires. It will certainly help the car run more efficiently, and even if it's not the core problem, it's important to rule it out.

I don't think she needs anything special for spark plugs. I don't want to get her the cheap $2 autozone plugs, but I don't want to spend $10 on plugs either. I'm probably going to get these

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...N-jkfn9Z9n80x?itemIdentifier=618321_199221_0_

And for wires, these

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...tifier=976876_197968_13149_&_requestid=577277

Look good? I'm going to have her pick this stuff up before she brings the car to my house.

Question - It says "Apply silicone dielectric compound to the inside of the ignition coil boots before installing."

No big deal.. but should I expect that stuff to come with the wires or does she need to get some at the parts store?

 

[SuperSix]

Doubtful the plugs are causing the issue. They are good for 100k (assuming they are factory platinum) - they should be replaced, but that's probably not going to fix the issue.

Just replace them with the stock replacements (probably ACDelco)

No - dielectric grease has to be purchased separately. they have small packets near the register.

 

[Raizinman]

Could be lots of things. Clogged air filter, clogged fuel filter, bad gas, and other things. Plugs and wires for a vehicle with 105K probably won't hurt, but get your filters air and fuel filters changed too, as they are not very expensive. Often new plug wires will come with the dielectric grease.

Would have been better to give us more information than runs funny. How is the higher end RPM? Is the CEL on? Does it run better when warm? Did this start when she refueled at some small town gas station? Was the vehicle just serviced? Any fuel additives recently added? Did this start right after going through a big puddle? Anything else you can give us will help us pinpoint the problem better.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Could be lots of things. Clogged air filter, clogged fuel filter, bad gas, and other things. Plugs and wires for a vehicle with 105K probably won't hurt, but get your filters air and fuel filters changed too, as they are not very expensive. Often new plug wires will come with the dielectric grease.

Would have been better to give us more information than runs funny. How is the higher end RPM? Is the CEL on? Does it run better when warm? Did this start when she refueled at some small town gas station? Was the vehicle just serviced? Any fuel additives recently added? Did this start right after going through a big puddle? Anything else you can give us will help us pinpoint the problem better.

I agree.. but I didn't get that far into with her. It was a quick discussion and the first thing that came to mind was bad plugs, and because of the age, I said that regardless of the problem she's due for new plugs.

 

[exdeath]

Not plugs. Btw $2 Autozone plugs ARE good plugs like NGK, etc.

 

[disappoint]

See if it's throwing any codes. Might help diagnose the problem.
Most auto parts stores will check codes for free.

Use the OEM AC Delco Iridium spark plugs for that car. They are rated 100,000 miles.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=922006_0_0_

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Definitely check for codes. Choosing to help with this car can put you in for a long long frustrating experience. As someone who owns an Intrigue, the many possibilities oldsmobile forums have found that can lead to no-start and stuttering issues includes but isn't limited to:

Dead battery (duh)
Failed alternator
Ignition cylinder failure
Passlock security failure
Camshaft Position Sensor
PCV valve failure
Bad fuel pump
Clogged fuel filter
Broken vacuum hose
Bad coil pack
Clogged CAT
Failed PCM

Good luck. There is a LOT of things that can go wrong with these Oldsmobiles and without some code you can throw ridiculous amounts of money at them with little to no benefit. Get some codes and then decide where to work on it.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Well she brought the car by my house and my roommate took a look at it.

He said he thinks the oil pump failed because the oil was disgusting and filled with metal flakes, even though she said she had it changed about 2 months ago. It's throwing codes on a cylinder misfiring or something like that, and he think since the oil pump failed, it might have burned up the engine. LOL

She has an 'extended' warranty on it. I wonder if they'll take care of it.

 

[jlee]

Metal flakes in oil is a really bad thing, if you were not already aware.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Metal flakes in oil is a really bad thing, if you were not already aware.

yea.. roommate was saying that basically

failed oil pump = oil not circulating = might as well not have oil in the engine.. result is what happened to her car.

I'm not a techie with cars but he said one of the codes he pulled was saying failed cylinder or something..

 

[thecoolnessrune]

It may not be a failed oil pump but rather something that happens on these engines that went into the Aleros is that the timing chain can start missing (It is not adjustable). The timing chain drives the oil pump and if that's the case your oil pump no longer circulates. The next step would be to get to the timing chain and see if the gear driving the oil pump is "stripped" so to speak. Could also have snapped off or grinded down the helical gear that drives the oil pump inside the block. Essentially, this will get expensive fast, and a new used engine might be a more economical choice over trying to repair the damage.