22 Jun 09 16:52, Roger Nelson wrote to Roy Witt:


 RW>> Never saw one open, so I can't say that they do or don't have
 RW>> rockers.

 RN> He didn't remove the covers as that would have been a gigantic waste
 RN> of time.

And not necessary to change out the plugs.

 RN> Atop each cover are access panels revealing the ends of the
 RN> cable and the plugs themselves.

So that's how they did it. I thought they might be in a tube like the
Chrysler Hemi and you needed a long socket and an extension to reach them.

 RW>> Buick and Cadilac did that. The newer engines don't have
 RW>> distributors.

 RN> That, I didn't know.

After the 'nail head' Buick V8, they modernized it. The late 60s engines
had the distributor up front on their big V8s and V6s. Cadillac had it
that way for a long time.

 RW>> They have a crankshaft sensor on the V8s that tells the computer to
 RW>> fire one coil for each cylinder. The coils are mounted on the valve
 RW>> covers over each spark plug (spark plug wires are 8" max). The V6s
 RW>> have a two-pack coil that fires more than one cylinder.

 RN> My engine has a coil for each bank and they are mounted forward of
 RN> the heads.

Which reminds me. The LT-1 V8s of the 91-96 Corvette and 92-97 Camaro and
Firebirds had a distributor mounted on the front of the engine like the
early Ford flathead V8s. They suffered the same fate of ozone destruction
inside the cap and the early ones had no ventilation, so water condensed
on the inside too. They had one coil for all 8 cylinders, just like days
of old. Not to mention, reverse coolant circulation so that the heads got
the coolest water and the block came after.

 RN> I haven't looked at them lately, but they each are about the same
 RN> size as my fist.  I really don't know a whole lot about this setup.

Suffice to say that everything there, is controlled by an OBD-I computer.

 RW>> Yeah, but the 5.4L V8 must be the one that the spark plug shield
 RW>> stays in the cylinder...

 RN> Probably so.  I remember the first time I popped the hood on my car.
 RN> I couldn't see much of the engine because of the enormity of plastic
 RN> covering atop it.

That's there to hide the fact that the car was underpowered with such a
small engine. :o) Or should I say, tiny.

 RN> I had a heck of a time finding the transmission dipstick.  It was a
 RN> couple of inches forward of the cowl on the right bank and tiny!

Those are supposed to be color coded, so they stick out like a sore thumb.

                R\%/itt

Joy lives in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in
the victory itself.

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