spark plugs stuck on low-mileage car?

I have a 99 Dodge Caravan 2.4L 55k miles, and I never replaced the original spark plugs (I know, the manual says every 30k but the engine runs smooth so I just forgot about it). At 10 years, do you think I should get the plugs changed, or is it likely that they've seized to the head already, and I should just leave it alone? I'd like to keep the car another 10 years but I don't think the plugs will last to

100k. Same question on an '02 Toyota Corolla with 60k miles, manual says replace plugs at 120k/8years, but would they have seized by 8 years? Should I just ask my local mechanic to loosen and tighten each plug (not replace) annually to avoid seizing?

(Another question, the Caravan has original timing belt, manual says replace timing belt at 120k miles, 8 years. 2.4L is a non- interference engine. Should I replace the timing belt now or wait another year or two?)

Thanks (planning to do better maintenance in the future...)

Reply to
rachelms79
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I think you could probably wait a while on the timing belt, especially since it is a noninterference engine (especially if money is tight).

I would have already replaced the spark plugs. I doubt that they are seized but suppose it is possible. If I were going to do it myself, I would pull the cables, blow out the space around the plug with air, and soak it with a good penetrating oil. Then proceed gently. If it feels it is stuck as you start to remove it, spray some more oil and alternately tighten slighly, then loosen. Helps to remove any carbon or fouling oxides that might be on the plug threads.

In my experience, be prepared to replace the spark plug cables at the same time. If they are not already bad, they may be by the time you get them off the old plugs.

Reply to
HLS

I'd pull them and check them. If they're stuck to the head, you have a problem that needs to be fixed sooner or later, so you might as well deal with it now.

At the very least they should inspect the plugs and see what they look like. This tells you a lot about how the engine is running. If the plugs look fine, put them back in and don't change them. If they clearly need to be changed, change them.

If the plugs are put in with anti-seize compound and everything is done properly, you shouldn't have to worry about the things getting stuck in place. But you should check the plugs now and then anyway, because they are wear items that need occasional replacement. Same thing with belts and hoses... once a year you should just check them over for cracks and blisters.

If the belt breaks, you will be stranded. Are you terrified of being stranded? If you never go far from home and you're always on well-travelled roads, you might as well just wait a while. If it breaks, it breaks. If you're going to take a long trip where you will be far away from anything, I'd replace it.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Sometimes well-traveled roads can be scarier in their own special way. I know somebody whose timing belt broke on the freeway, and managed to drift into a breakdown lane but not to a place where it was safe to get out of the car, due to traffic. Apparently it was a nerve-wracking 20 minutes of watching cars and trucks whiz past at 70 just a few inches away before the auto club got there with a tow truck.

The descriptions of these cars thus far make me wonder if a lot of other small, often easy and inexpensive to fix, but potentially trip- interrupting or engine-damaging items need to be caught up with (belts and hoses that sort of thing). Might be good for the original poster to catch her mechanic on a slow day and talk about it.

Cheers,

--Joe

Reply to
Ad absurdum per aspera

The descriptions of these cars thus far make me wonder if a lot of other small, often easy and inexpensive to fix, but potentially trip- interrupting or engine-damaging items need to be caught up with (belts and hoses that sort of thing). Might be good for the original poster to catch her mechanic on a slow day and talk about it.

Cheers,

--Joe

True, but when you consider that there are literally hundreds of parts on a car, any of which can put you on the side of the road if they fail, you cannot replace them all.

You have to shoot at what is likely.

And can be just as inconvenient (sometimes moreso) to be stuck on the side of the freeway ten miles from home as it is to be on the side of the road

1000 miles from home.

A mechanic can take a look at your car and perhaps catch some of the most obvious problems, but of the ten he catches, one of a hundred is still there that can trip you up.

A membership to AAA and a cell phone are two invaluable tools for people who worry about this.

Reply to
HLS

Yeah, but belts and hoses seem to be a readily inspectable (and preventively maintained) Usual Suspect.

True, but a mechanic or at least a knowledgeable friend can certainly provide another and perhaps more expert pair of eyes (not to mention ears and feel, in a test drive) to see if something you've overlooked is on its last legs. I'm not proposing goldplating everything, just giving it an occasional review with special attention to known trouble spots on all cars or that make/model/year.

Again, it does have to be a trusted mechanic who understands the art of safely yet cost-effectively keeping an oldie but goodie on the road, which often involves putting up with a certain number of minor, non mission- or safety-critical irritations that you wouldn't tolerate on a new car.

--Joe

Reply to
Ad absurdum per aspera

For our general edification, what did you do, and how did it come out?

Reply to
HLS

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