The Trainer #44: Servicing your spark plugs

Consider the harsh environment spark plugs have to live in. High temperature, high pressure environments requiring high voltage potential to overcome and allow that much needed ignition spark to travel across the gap between electrodes. With all the challenges the spark plug has to face in its normal everyday life, why add to those challenges with improper inspection and replacement techniques?

“Aw, c’mon Pete – I’ve been turning a wrench for decades and I’ve installed thousands of spark plugs. What’s the big deal?”

Just like every other system on the car, spark plugs have changed over time to handle the increasing demands placed on them. Proper service involves taking the extra time to make sure that, like our medical counterparts, we “first do no harm”.

What is the proper service interval for plug replacement, for example? Do you know what the proper torque is for the plug you’re installing? Heck, are you even using a torque wrench on the plugs?

What about the use of an anti-seize compound on the plug threads? Should you or shouldn't you? Does that brown/black stain around the base of the porcelain on the old plug indicate a fault, and if so – what kind? Should you check the gap on all the new plugs before installing or just throw ‘em in, as is?

See, I told you there was a lot more to know about spark plugs; their care and service. And with some help from the experts, we’ll all learn the answers together in the August 2015 edition of “The Trainer”.

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