Project Viper GTS: Part 2 – General Maintenance
Shroud side
The top coil pack bank feeds the driver’s side 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 cylinders while the bottom coil pack feeds the passenger 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 cylinders
Shroud Wires
With access to the rear coils, replace one wire at a time.  We started with Cylinder 1 (longest wire at the front of the driver’s side bank).
Remove Plugs
While we were changing the wires, we also changed the plugs.
With less than 8,000 miles on the clock, our plugs looked fantastic.  However they are likely 18 years old and are not built to the same quality as the newer ECC plug.
Since spark plugs break down over time, they should be replaced routinely.  The image on the right really shows the original plug’s age.

The service manual suggests gapping the plugs to 0.035” which is exactly what our original plugs were gapped at.  We replaced the original factory Champion RC12LYC plugs with brand new Champion RC12ECC plugs.  These double-copper plugs (“ECC”) are a considered an upgrade and have a copper core ground which transfers heat away better to prevent pre-ignition than the steel core LYC plugs.

The RC12ECC is also factory-equipped on Gen 3 (2003-2006) Vipers and recommended for stock to slightly modified Gen 2’s, which sounds perfect for our GTS.  Vipers seem to be very sensitive to their plugs and many owners have reported problems with other brands of plugs from rough running to some catastrophic failures.  Both the RC12LYC and ECC plugs have very long tips to get the spark deep into the combustion chamber, this is a very important characteristic for the Viper.  For higher performance needs, the colder RC10ECC is the ideal choice but almost impossible to find.  The ‘standard plug’ NGK BKR5EIX (stk ) at a 0.028 gap should be a reasonable option for forced induction cars.

There have been nothing but positive reviews of the RC12ECC and its price point is not expensive which is really nice when you have to buy 10 of them.

Plugs All
The original plugs have a nice coloration on the electrode, ground, and porcelain, suggesting clean and thorough burns.

Quick Reference:

Page 1 – Oil Change
Page 2 – Oil Change, Power Steering Tube, and Spark Plug Wires
Page 3 – Spark Plug Wires and Spark Plugs
Page 4 – Quality Wires & Stock Temperature Gauge Values!
Page 5 – Stock Water Temp Sending Unit & Roe Silicone Hose & Bleeder Kit
Page 6 – Coolant Concentration, Cap & Water Wetter
Page 7 – AC check valve & Water Temp Gauge install
Page 8 & 9 – Water temp gauge install

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