you should be able to remove the pins/bolt holding the lower inner fender well and go in threw there with a u joint and extension like said above. I had to do that with my 85 IROC to change that plug.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
With 4.3 Blazers, Jimmys and all the S10s I use a spark plug socket that has the swivel made on it. That makes the socket just short enough to get behind the shaft. Have had to use just a spark plug socket and a 3/4 wrench on the socket when I didn't have the swivel spark plug socket handy. I can say 95% of the time, once you loosen the plug it will spin out. If you have to back it out with the socket, the socket will bind against the shaft. After I loosen, take a piece of 3/8 fuel line, push it on the end of the plug to spin out. Start it back in the same way. Run it up as far as you can with the hose. then just snug it up with the socket. I always remove the coupler cover. It interferes with the angle of the extension. And do most of this through the wheel well. That being said. If the shaft seems too close to the exhaust, look at the mounts real good. The 4.3 mounts will sag causing the engine to sit to the driver's side of the frame more. Have seen many that rub the steering shaft. Have seen people miss diag steering box/gear due to it. All had a mushy or broken driver's side mount. The 4x4 mount is a pain to do on the ground. If the customer doesn't want to do the mount I take off the shaft.
Yeah, I remember that being a pain in the tail. Universal did the job. Do remember taking the wheels off and going through the wheel well to change the plugs made it faster and easier.
This is one of the rare occasions I was glad my S-10 had the 2.8 in it and not the 4.3. I scraped a few knuckles changing the plugs but nothing was hard to reach or blocked.
[This message has been edited by css9450 (edited 05-30-2014).]
Use a plug socket with a hex design on the end like this:
Then use an opened ended wrench to turn it.
That was how I did it. There wasn't enough room to remove the plug WITH the socket, so I had to thread it back in enough to remove the socket, and unscrew it by hand.
When I pulled it out, it was the original plug. The others had all been replaced before.
User00013170 sent me this in a PM, not sure why he didn't post it or if he did but it sounds like a great way to do this,
"I just drilled a hole in mine ( 87 ), then capped with with a rubber grommet afterward. Made the 2nd change quick and easy."
Meaning drill a hole in his inner fender well.
They sell things called Caplugs, you see them on the ends of steel lines sometime when you buy them at parts stores to keep the crap out during shipping and handling that I would think would work great for filling that hole he drilled and I would think they would be perfect for filling that hole in the inner fender well after drilling a hole threw it to get you plug out in this case. when ever I send a trany to get rebuilt all the openings for lines are plugged with those by my buddy and they keep the crap out when you are installing the trany.
My Sonoma was was 2001. I had to remove the wheel and go in through the fender well. I think there was room once I pushed the splash shield up out of the way. It's been a while, so I don't remember if I used swivels and extensions, or a socket with flats on the end and a wrench. I do remember that it wasn't fun.
One of the biggest PITA jobs I ever had to do was a left side motor mount on a 4.3 Sonoma. (This was on my 92.) There just wasn't enough room to get to anything.
