I appreciate the info! I have several extensions of varying lengths and a spark plug socket which contains a rubber o-ring to grip the plug.

 

Good deal. It's the rubber ring that makes removing the socket after installation so difficult... its grip can be greater than the pressure/friction keeping the tools joined together, so the socket wants to stay in the hole.

 

I had that happen before, but got that covered. I have a telescoping magnet wand to safely lower the plug into the hole that should be strong enough to hold the plug's weight. I can remove the rubber ring before tightening the plug.

 

Changed out the two plugs for cylinder 1, which took less than 10 minutes. The advice about using two shorter extensions worked perfectly.

The plug in the front was a normal tan color. The plug in the back also was tan, but there was evidence of arcing due to a metallic nodule on the inside of the side electrode.


I took the car for a test drive up and down the small hill where I live with and without the AC running. The great majority of the shutter is now gone.

With AC off:
- Barely noticeable when taking off with decent pressure on accelerator
- No shutter going up the incline @ 4000 RPM, 35 MPH
- No shutter going up a less steep incline @ 2500 RPM, 20 MPH

With AC on:
- Barely noticeable when taking off with decent pressure on accelerator
- No shutter on the steep incline @ 4000 RPM, 35 MPH
- Minimal shutter going up a less steep incline @ 2500 RPM, 20 MPH


Question: How do I clear the CEL codes? I would like to clear them so I can drive it on Monday up the big hills to/from work. This is the ultimate test to see if shutter occurs w/o AC, verify CEL flashing is gone, and the cylinder 1 codes don't come back.

Question: If the CEL code comes back for cylinder 1, I was thinking of swapping the coils from cylinder 1 to cylinder 2 after I finish replacing the remaining plugs. If the coils are bad, the problem should then travel to cylinder two. I know the best option is to just replace all the coils, but do you think this would make sense to help identify the specific coil that might be bad or do you not recommend this?


I kept an eye on my IMA level. It recalibrated several times during the trip.

Question: Is there any immediate action or ritual I can take at current time short of buying a grid charger?

 

Sounds like you're on the right track. For some reason, bad coils don't necessarily give CEL. Mine was purely as you describe... a shutter, slight hesitation or "miss". Since I have two cars, I had the luxury of swapping coil packs.

I would NOT replace them all. Yes, that would likely take care of the problem, but you're looking at nearly $400. I think you probably only have one that's performing marginally.

As far as rituals go, a 12V disconnect/reconnect will clear all codes. It can also help force recharge an ailing pack and temporarily clear an IMA indication. BEFORE YOU DO IT, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR RADIO OR NAVIGATION SECURITY CODE. If you don't have it, you'll have to go to the dealer to get it.

Disconnect 12V for 30 seconds. Reconnect. Start car. It should idle at about 1,100 rpm and charge the battery with about 1/3rd of the regen scale. Let it idle until it shows full charge. If it terminates charging at 3 bars, 12V disconnect/reconnect again. Repeat idle/charge. Typically, by the 3rd time, it will go to full bars.

If you're looking to see if grid charging will work for you, you can do DIY here, but you MUST pull the pack from the car (easy, with practice, you can do a full swap in under 20 minutes). Note that my parts list includes ZERO safety features.. like fuses and such. I like to live dangerously.

Your battery is long in the tooth, but given that it will work at all, and the IMA light will clear periodically, you stand a decent chance of getting some additional life out of the battery with a grid charge and discharge.

Steve

 

I replaced the remaining six spark plugs this weekend and cleared the check engine codes. To my surprise, I noticed I had a mixture of 3 NGK and 5 Denso plugs installed by the factory. I installed all of the same kind of Denso's you recommended.

My ride to work this morning was very smooth, even up the larger hills. No misfires at all. The IMA light still came on as expected and I had a couple of recalibrations occur. I figure I would drive it all week and then get the engine codes read to verify the cylinder 1 code does not come back.

Thank you very much! Your advice was spot on!

I plan to save up for a grid charger. I'll probably get the full unit with all the safety features.

 

HCH2#2 had 4 Denso in the rear and 4 NGK in the front. My local parts store had the NGK, so I went with 8X of them.

If the car feels smooth, and it sounds like it does. I be you're in the clear on the misfires.

The HA grid charger is a quality unit backed by a big contributor to the Insight community. He charges a premium, but given the fit, finish and quality of the unit, it's well worth it. When I put together a really nice unit, it takes me the better part of a full day.