I have 1994 6 cyl Skylark. I’m about to do the plugs.
Everything online and in the store says the gap is 0.60. Doesn’t matter which version of 6 cyl from that year, they all say 0.60
The owners manual, however, says 0.45. This manual did not come with this vehicle, I purchased it online after the fact but it is for the 1994 Skylark and is the Buick Manual.
My Haynes guide says look at the manual and also look at the sticker under the hood; go with the hood if they are different. Problem is, no sticker under the hood.
Also, how tight does the gap have to be? I have a cheap autolite gap tool I got in WalMart. Let’s say its 0.60 but slides a bit past that?
Any advice is most appreciated. Thanks folks.
If the car were mine I’d go with .045 and here’s why. Coils that are required to fire over an .060 plug gap must work much harder than a coil firing an .045; much harder. This is not only rougher on the coils and plug wires but plugs with a wider gap are more prone to misfires; even subtle misfires that you may not readily notice.
Once the plugs age a bit, the above reasons are magnified even more. If you regap the plugs you should do this with care (especially so with platinums) to avoid cracking an insulator nose. Hope that helps.
Thanks. What’s a safe way to get the gap back down to 0.45?
You just put the electrode on something solid and gently tap.
Thanks.
Check the part number of the plug. If it’s the right plug and the electrodes look normal, don’t severely bend it to get it down to .045. Go with the .060.
I appreciate all the advice folks. I’ve never done this before so I’m taking all of it into consideration.