This how-to shows you how to replace your spark plug wires. Upgrading to larger diameter wires will do you absolutely no good with a stock ignition system, so don't waste your money on 8.5mm or larger performance wires. The only real reason to replace the wires on a stock ignition engine is if they have gone bad and are arcing, etc. A couple of mine were bad, causing an intermittent miss in the engine under load. I quickly narrowed the problem down to the wires, and now all is good :)

As long as you are doing this, you might want to replace your spark plugs at the same time.

Make sure your kit contains all six wires. You can get a kit made specific for our engines, or you can get universal wires and cut them to length yourself. A crimping tool is required to do this. For the purpose of this how-to, we will be using the engine specific set.

We will start with the front three wires, since they are the easiest and will help you get familiar with the procedure before you tackle the back three. Remove the spark plug wire from each plug by pulling and twisting on the boot. They make a special tool to make this easier, but it isn't too hard to do by hand. Remember which wires goes where. If you are worried about mixing up the wires, just remove and replace one at a time.

The wire now needs to be removed from the coil. Depending on the size of your hand/arm, you may have quite a bit of trouble getting down there to remove the wires. I was able to squeeze my hand in without much trouble, but your mileage may vary. If needed, remove the radiator fan to give you a bit more room to work.

Once you get a wire off, compare it with the new wires to find the one that matches its length.

Install the new wire onto the coil. You should feel it snap into place once it is seated properly. If you don't feel a snap, it isn't on correctly, and may not fire the plug, or it could fall off while driving. Route the wire up to the plug and snap it on there as well. Repeat for the other two front plugs

Now is time to move to the back plugs. To make things easier to access, remove the strut tower brace, if your car is so equipped. Four 13mm bolts should be holding this on.

Shimmy your arm down behind the block to remove the plug wires. These aren't the easiest to get at, but it isn't all the bad. Twist and pull on the boot just like you did with the front three. Then remove the wires from the coils and compare to find the correct length new wire. Pay attention to the routing of the wires, and follow the same path with the new wire.

Be sure all the wires are routed correctly and are connecting to the right plug. If you are unsure of the routing, or think you have something mixed up, consult the diagram below.

Once you are sure everything is wired up correctly, fire up the car. Make sure it is running ok. If it is running rough, sounds like crap and the engine is shaking violently, you either have some plug wires mixed up, or you don't have a plug wire fully seated on the plug or coil, causing that cylinder not to fire. Double check all connections. One you are sure all is good, reinstall the strut tower brace.

Go take your car for a spin! You probably won't notice any performance gains unless your old wires were really bad, but it is routine-maintenance money well spent.