Help In Finding The Back 3 Spark Plugs & Coolant P

[kruhland]

After taking off the cover of my wife's Sedona (us 3.5 V6 petrol) to replace the spark plugs, I realized I've only done inline 4s (like my Optima). I replaced the 3 I could see, could someone help me get to the other 3? Rather then start taking pieces off, any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't see the wires to follow but my guess is the rectangular aluminum piece with the humps directly back from the front 3 might be hiding it.

Another question was looking under the van to drain the coolant, I don't see any obvious coolant screw or drain. Is is under the plastic shields, and is it a metal or plastic plug like my optima? On the right, left or middle?

Thanks so much

[kruhland]

Sorry, the three I could see were the front 3 after taking off the plastic molding

[glh2srt]

The coolant plug is located in the bottom passengers side of the radiator. You have to climb further under the van and then look forward to see it. There doesnt seem to be any easy way to drain the coolant without making a huge mess as the stream empties on the frame.

Also, when refilling the coolant, be patient. It takes a lot of time because you can only add a small amount at a time.

I'm clueless on the rear three plugs. I replaced the front three, but short of removing the intake manifold, I don't see an easy way to get at them. Has anyone else removed the intake and which joint did you break to gain access to the rear three plugs?

Anyone changed the automatic transmission fluid yet and have any tips?

[KiaMech]

You have to remove the surge tank (intake manifold) to get to the spark plugs. They are platinum plugs, so unless you have a reason, you don't need to change them until about 50K miles. The manual says 60K miles, but you may have misfires before then. You'll want to get a new surge tank gasket and be sure to torque the tank around the gasket or you could have some problems with leaks. V6's are a real pain sometimes. I think the warranty labor time is like 1.7 hours, so don't be too hard on yourself if it takes you half a day. Just changing half of the plugs isn't really a good idea, so make sure you give yourself time to complete the job.

Pulling the plug on the radiator does almost nothing. The only coolant that really comes out is from the radiator and some from the upper radiator hose. To properly drain the coolant, you'd have to pull the drain plugs on each side of the engine block. This is a messy job. After the plugs come out, coolant sprays everywhere, so be sure to wear glasses. When it's drained, fill the radiator, start it and wait for the thermostat to open (at operating temperature) and the level to drop. Then fill it again and add coolant to the tank, then put the radiator cap on. Do not put the radiator cap on while you're waiting for it to warm up, because when you remove it, it can spray everywhere. After you filled it the second time, and the radiator cap is on, turn off the van. A few hours later, go back out and check the level. You will probably have to add more to the tank.

To drain the ATF, you'll need a 24mm box wrench, preferably with an offset. There's tabs on the side of the drain plug and it's next to impossible to remove without a box wrench. An open wrench, a short socket and an adjustable wrench will not work. This only drains about half of the ATF. The other half is in the torque converter and you can't drain it.

[kruhland]

Thanks so much for the advice

For the transmission fluid, I was told as well to remove the plastic molding between the transmission plug and the driver's wheel. Note the fluid I could only find at a dealership (either Kia, Hyundai, or Mitsubishi should have it)

When I replaced the 3 front spark plugs (44k), they didn't have platinum stamped on them like the replacements I got, but it makes since they are to last 60k and a copper one I thought was 30k.

So the intake manifold I take it is the large aluminum box? Hmmm, we'll work on it this weekend and see if we can get it off.

Thanks again

[KiaMech]

That's right, you'll want to remove that guard and the one underneath. I usually take a piece of duct tape and make a dam so that the fluid hits the subframe and drains out toward the wheel. If you don't it's just more to clean up. I would call around to those dealers for the fluid and try to get the best price. Mitsubishi makes it, so they usually sell it for about a dollar less. It is SP-III fluid, and NO parts stores will carry it. It is not the same as ATF-III, like they may try to sell you.

Platinum plugs have a fine electrode compared to copper plugs, and they are not copper looking because they are platinum.

Technically, the intake manifold is bolted to the engine, and the tank you need to remove (surege tank) is bolted on top of the intake manifold. There's probably 5 bolts that holds it on and two nuts at the ends. There is also a bracket on the back that you have to unbolt from the surge tank. There's a few other things also, like some connectors, cables, air duct, etc.

Don't overtighten the spark plugs either because the heads are aluminum. They should be torqued to about 20ft.lbs. and the surge tank should only be torqued to 11-14ft.lbs.

[skidoofast]

when you drain the trans fluid, when you are done and you think that it is full, remove the dipstick and let the vehicle run for a couple of minutes, these vehicles are known for being low on trans fluid and the dipstick apears to be full, it is not uncomon to have to check it 10-20 times to get an accurate reading