Plugs

[Phil Bishop]

It must have come up in the past at sometime (come back Search, please) but I am surprised at how little is talked about plugs on this forum. I have a Beaulieu Classic - what should I be doing with the plugs? Doing them with a wire brush, or something? Changing - how often? Checking the gaps? And what might they be, I wonder? When we raced karts we were forever changing and fiddling about with the plug. I feel funny now I've got four of them and never even look at the little fellas.

[Bare]

Over the years I've "fooled" with all manner of Plugs. Platinum, Lodge Type Irridium.. all pricey and without fail, dissapointing.

Finally learned that a Fresh Set of Cheap Ngk's work perfectly.. I change Mine every 2 years wherether they need it or Not :-)

[pete east]

Have to agree with Bare - NGK plugs are truly excellent. I have NEVER had a plug related problem on the Caterham since switching to NGKs 14 years ago. I change them about every 2 years or so.

[Taran Las]

NGKs for me - changed every year.

 

Philip. D. Owen

Membership No. 3976

[Alex Wong1697456877]

My engine runs noticably better with NGK's than with Champion plugs.

 

Alex

[Ferrino]

Anyone got any tips on how to tempt plugs out of the cylinder head? I have an alloy cylinder head and am told that too much force can destroy the threads = catastrophe.

 

Well, I have managed to get 1 of the 4 out with reasonable force, using a Halfords spark plug remover tool (the thing with the blue handle and spark plug socket on the end). The other 3 are not budging and I am tempted to just leave the buggers in there now.

 

An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows. Dwight D. Eisenhower

[Smegnoguk]

I am not an expert but aluminium has a larger co-efficient of expansion than steel so it might be easier whe the engine is warm

 

Who's looking at the Ferrari? Nobody, that's who!

[Bare]

NO.. don't just "leave em in".. Reason is that often, plugs without a decent Nickel plating can and do 'stick' to the Aluminum threads.. with the attendant risk of stripping these out upon removal, not nearly as common currently as it was in the past.. but who knows.

It's always Clever to replace plugs every 2 years MAX.. for that reason alone.

Suggest perhaps some form of Penetrating fluid in the hope of providing some release and even perhaps a warm (hot?) engine.

Hopefully yours are merely Carboned in place.. BUT if the threads are damaged a Helicoil or similar Thread Insert is a simple, relatively inexpensive and absolutely 100% repair

[Ferrino]

Thanks for the replies. I eventually invested in a proper spark plug socket and found this soooooo much easier than the dinky little blue Halfords tool. Used a little bit of WD40 to help out too.

 

The electrodes on the plugs all looked quite dark when I had a look at them. There's a really crap piccie of one of them here

 

Cheers.

 

An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows. Dwight D. Eisenhower