another gm tune up

[wtnhunt]

Wife has piled a load of miles on our 2012 impala and it needs a tune up. I won't pay dealer or shop prices if it something i can do.  From what i have been told the intake manifold has to come off to get the coil packs off 3 and 5, but found a post on an impala forum where one user went against what others had posted and said it was possible to get those coil packs out by twisting them a quarter turn then pulling them out with the manifold in place.   So, curious what Shaun or Lynn or any other mechanics here that i can trust have to say. 

[Shaun_300]

Ahhh, the good ole 3.6L. Fun 4 door/auto car to drive with that thing under the hood! 

I left the GM dealer in early 2013, so I don't think I saw one of those engines with over 100K miles on it for the "routine" plug replacement. I do remember the intake manifold getting in the road with for a lot of things. But it's not as big of a job as it sounds William. The upper intake comes off quite easily on the 3.6 if I recall correctly. I think it's only 4 bolts holding the manifold down, plus whatever hose brackets, wiring harness clips, etc they have attached to it. (it's just the upper intake that you need to pull out, lower stays on).

You can always try pulling the coils without removing it, I know I would! lol. You'll probably want to have a wobble extension handy to get those ones out.

[wtnhunt]

Thanks Shaun.  

300 factory hp in that little car, yep its got some pep.  With the 6 speed auto it gets 30 mpg on the highway too if we keep it under 77.  

Putting iridiums back in and upgrading to a k&n air filter.  

I looked at it closer today and does not look nearly as tight on space as the Durango.  If the video i watched is right and those coil packs flex enough i could see where they could be worked out past the manifold.  Probably change them tomorrow.  

[Shaun_300]

It's amazing the fuel mileage they can get. Not so great in the Acadia/Enclave/Traverse but to be expected with the larger vehicle, but even stepping on it in one of those big tanks, the 3.6 pushes it along quite nicely. I'd love to try the Colorado with that engine.

Good luck with the replacement let me know how it goes!

[wtnhunt]

Definitely do NOT have to remove the intake manifold cover.  About a 45 minute job and the biggest reason it took so long was the stupid plastic white clips that I could not get loose in the cold with my big fingers and a little screwdriver.  My detached garage has no heat.  Ended up breaking one of the clips in the front and so was more careful with them after that and took a little more time. 

The boots easily slide past the manifold cover with a quarter turn.  Plenty of room to get even my big hands in there and universals and an assortment of extensions definitely come in handy.  Overall a much easier job than the 5.7 hemi in the durango.  Would imagine a shop with all the specialty tools and good lighting this is a 20-25 minute job max.

Aside from fighting with the plastic clips, my 6'2" height probably did not help me much.  Don't guess there is a specific specialty tool for those plastic clips, or is there?

[Shaun_300]

Glad you got it done William! I'm assuming you mean the connector locks like in this pic. Yes they can be daunting little....... I can't go further in that sentence but you get the just of what I think of them LOL. I think I've called them every possible not so nice word in both the english and french language. You're supposed to be able to pull straight back on them, they'll move about 1/4" then stop, then you can push down on the connector tab and it "should" come loose. Without even removing the white lock from the connector itself.

When they get all full of sand and debris they don't always work as they should. No sweat i you break one, they are just reassurance clips. If a connector is plugged in properly it will not come loose. 

I hear you on the big hands and being tall thing too. 

 

[wtnhunt]

Yep, those are the connectors, think one of them came off easy had to fight with the rest of them.  Little white tab on one broke, was holding the tab part down with a screwdriver and pulling, broke the tab part off.