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Your thoughts on When to change spark plugs?
- Thread starter jwmorrow
- Start date
Isopedella
Well-known member
Plugs may look great, should you remove and inspect a handy one, but as they get older, they build up resistance over time.
This puts more demand of the whole spark/ignition system overall. ......
Some choose to wait for a catastrophic failure before attending to stuff, that's up to them I spose.
I don't believe it's a wait for it to fail item, like oil - why, there seems to be plenty left. Why change it?
This puts more demand of the whole spark/ignition system overall. ......
Some choose to wait for a catastrophic failure before attending to stuff, that's up to them I spose.
I don't believe it's a wait for it to fail item, like oil - why, there seems to be plenty left. Why change it?
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BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
Oil & Spark plugs are like apples & oranges ..... although neither's lives are definite, more is known about oil than spark plug longevity .... JMHO .....Mike :thumbup:
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BajaRon
Well-known member
:clap: Who remembers using one of these? Spark plugs used to carbon up, and fouled up in various ways more often than not back in the days of inefficient carbureted engines, ignition points, condensers, bad coils, and hardly ever changed out spark plug wires.hyea:
View attachment 206522
Those were the good old days when you could usually get to the spark plugs in less than a few hours! But with the Spyder/Ryker. It's a lot of trouble getting in to check. Not worth the effort to put the old ones back in, regardless of how they look. For the money, it's easier and, in my opinion, better just to put new ones in while you're there.
EdMat
Well-known member
And just think of the number of times some fine grains of sand made it into a cylinder because someone was in a hurry.
I remember well that we used to sell BMW's to various HD riders and invariably they would come in with the new Beemer running rough or hard to start. We would immediately pull the plugs and they looked bad. HD riders were so used to running at low RPM because that is the way it has always been done. We would then instruct them to perform what I have called a "West Texas Tune Up" occasionally. Turned them into happy BMW riders. I have owned 4 HD's since 2012 and have never replaced the original Plugs, always traded in for something new every 30,000 to 40,000 miles, still running like a watch.
Isopedella
Well-known member
Yep. Here ya go.
https://www.google.com/search?q=spa...-wiz-serp#kpvalbx=_IdumZZKQOMff1e8Pq8W8wAk_30
u tube. how to after the add.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxNS7teHmpc
https://www.google.com/search?q=spa...-wiz-serp#kpvalbx=_IdumZZKQOMff1e8Pq8W8wAk_30
u tube. how to after the add.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxNS7teHmpc
Snoking1127
Well-known member
Chandler I believe!
Cobwebs
New member
But they all seem to state a different reading to look for. One said to consult a mechanic lol! Another said depends on the brand of plug and usage. :banghead:
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BajaRon
Well-known member
You can usually find resistance specs for a plug from the manufacturer.
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PMK
Active member
Even if we know the resistance value of a new spark plug, we have no guidelines on what might be an acceptable increase in resistance of a used spark plug.
New coils are $90 each, and requires 3.
As the spark plug resistor breaks down, the loads on the coils increase. At extreme cases, the ignition coil fails even before the spark plug fails. Install a new coil on a worn spark plug, and the failure cycle begins again.
Spark plugs are cheap, coils are costly. Yes the labor can get really expensive too.
In short, there is no true right or wrong answer. Get the best performance and longest expected life from coils by replacing spark plugs at mileage intervals, not visual condition. Or run them until a misfire, and replace plugs and coils. You will likely get a decrease in performance and mpg, but the run them until a misfire is probably most cost effective for those that have a dealer do the work.
New coils are $90 each, and requires 3.
As the spark plug resistor breaks down, the loads on the coils increase. At extreme cases, the ignition coil fails even before the spark plug fails. Install a new coil on a worn spark plug, and the failure cycle begins again.
Spark plugs are cheap, coils are costly. Yes the labor can get really expensive too.
In short, there is no true right or wrong answer. Get the best performance and longest expected life from coils by replacing spark plugs at mileage intervals, not visual condition. Or run them until a misfire, and replace plugs and coils. You will likely get a decrease in performance and mpg, but the run them until a misfire is probably most cost effective for those that have a dealer do the work.
BajaRon
Well-known member
Something that I didn't mention is that checking the resistance value can identify counterfeit spark plugs as well. And possible headaches down the road.
There is a huge industry dedicated to nothing but counterfeiting products. Spark plugs, batteries, computer memory like SD cards, etc. Even Loctite products are widely counterfeited. It is almost impossible to avoid the counterfeits these days. You really have to know what you're looking for to find them.
There is a huge industry dedicated to nothing but counterfeiting products. Spark plugs, batteries, computer memory like SD cards, etc. Even Loctite products are widely counterfeited. It is almost impossible to avoid the counterfeits these days. You really have to know what you're looking for to find them.
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IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
That was the case already 15 years ago. I got burned by counterfeit Gillette Mach III razor blades. Almost ripped the skin off my face. By the time I needed to use them and discovered they were counterfeit the eBay seller was gone. The tell tale sign was the "Made in XXX" on the package. Interestingly genuine Gillette blades did not have a "Made in ...." note on the package.
About 20 years ago, or more, the US Army had a turret come off a tank because of counterfeit bolts.
BajaRon
Well-known member
Counterfeits probably started as soon as there was a product to sell. So it's not new. It's just gotten to a whole new level. We all deal with it.
Cobwebs
New member
Couldn't see anything at NGK, only guesstimates of mileage achievable. Might have to contact their white coat department. :helpsmilie:
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Isopedella
Well-known member
Dont accept a ..., between yadi ya and mmp. You need the exact measurement. Down to microns.
Cobwebs
New member
Down to microns.....................gotcha. Thought I might put a rag over the mouthpiece when I call too. Told 'em I was from Bosch last time and they accused me of industrial espionage :roflblack:
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BajaRon
Well-known member
Microns? That's a measurement of distance. I assume you're kidding!
Most resistance spark plugs like what we use in the Spyder are in the 5k~6k oms range. Counterfeit plugs are usually several times this amount. A defective spark plug will also give a much higher reading, or possibly none at all if it has completely failed.
But granted. It's a subject that few ever concern themselves with. When you add the resistance of gap in a heated and compressed atmosphere of an engine cylinder. The resistance of a spark plug is negligible.
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