How to Change Your Vehicles Spark Plugs

A spark plug is used in every type of gasoline engine. Many people change their own spark plugs. Spark plugs handle the ignition spark that combusts or ignites the engines fuel and moves the piston. Spark plugs have to endure very high temperatures from combustion. Spark plugs also have to handle the spark erosion from the ignition system.

There are many popular brands of spark plugs like champion, ngk, bosch, denso and autolite. Spark plugs can be gapped widely to help burn the mixture in the cylinder, especially if the mixture is lean. Spark plug gap refers to the distance between the little metal piece that hangs below the plug and the center electrode. A lean fuel mixture can not ignite as easily. A wide spark gap is used to jump across more of the chamber mixture and can help induce combustion.

The plug gap can be too wide, especially if the ignition system is weak. This is why race engines use very high power CDI (capacitive discharge ignition) like MSD to ensure good spark. The engine needs more power to jump a wider gap or the high compression of a performance engine. There are many types of spark plugs such as platinum and iridium for longevity because they resist spark erosion (wearing away of metal) better than steel.

Spark plugs have heat ranges that either transfer more heat or contain more. This is accomplished by the design and transferring of heat through the base of the plug. Heat range is either cooled or lowered for use with high compression, turbo or supercharged four stroke engines. This is so that the hot plug won't pre-ignite the mixture causing engine damage.

Many two stroke engines or oil consuming four strokes will have a problem with fouling plugs. If fouling occurs the heat range may need to be increased to keep the oil burned off the plug. Oil on a spark plug will cause it the engine to foul, misfire and run rough. Champion plugs use higher numbers on their plugs to mean that the temperature will be higher. NGK's use the opposite range, higher number means a colder plug.

Most two stroke engines use NGK plugs for their excellent anti-fouling capabilities. Some plugs will also be a p type or projected insulated electrode. Depending on the engine chamber design, this can help to place the actual spark closer to the center of the cylinder head chamber.

Spark plugs are located in the engine's head, under the spark plug wires. The plug wires are easy to spot due to their larger size and location close to the top of the engine. They also come from the engines distributor to the plug. Remove the wire from each plug, and don't forget to place the wire in the same spot that it was first hooked to when finished! Most spark plugs can be removed with either a 13/16" or 5/8" socket. Inspect plugs to see if the electrode (center piece) and the grounding tab still has defined edges or are rounded, eroded and worn out. If worn replace them, this will help fuel mileage and performance.

Although the spark plug gap is different for different engines, most are gapped between .030" and .045". The spark plug gap spec should be located under the hood or on a sticker on recreational vehicles. Use a feeler gauge to measure the plug gap, then tap the electrode closed or gently pry gap wider with a screw driver until the distance is reached. Tighten the spark plug snugly as the sealing washer will compress a little the first time. Always check the small top metal cap on a plug to see that it's screwed on tight.

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MSD Ignition Box - Differences & Features

Watch David Freiburger and Chad Reynolds guide you through the features and differences of the MSD Ignition 6 Series. Visit tinyurl.com to see our full selection of MSD Ignition parts.

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Cylinder Deactivation: A Good Thing?

Cruising down the highway your car is traveling at a set speed not needing the full use of all of its engine power, but eating up precious fuel nevertheless. That V6 or V8 under the hood could be much more efficient if it employed one important piece of modern day technology: cylinder deactivation. Does your vehicle have this feature? If so, exactly what does it do and is it a good thing? Read on to learn what some automakers are doing to conserve fuel without making significant changes to your vehicle.

Elevated fuel prices have consumers scrambling for answers. Some are switching to hybrids, others to diesel, while still others are choosing smaller and lighter vehicles all in a bid to save on fuel. While no one quite knows what the long term fuel prices will be, automotive manufacturers are able to squeeze out better fuel mileage through a rather simple technological change: cylinder deactivation. Cylinder deactivation works this way: let's say you are cruising down the interstate at a set speed of about 65 miles per hour. The road surface is flat therefore there isn't a whole lot of demand on your engine. Instead of running all six or eight cylinders, why not run your engine on three or four?

Back during the early 1980s, GM unsuccessfully tried this with Cadillac by offering what they called 8-6-4 displacement. Unfortunately, the technology wasn't as refined as it is today and the experiment failed miserably. Today, however, thanks to central processing unit chips, displacement on demand is a viable alternative. When driving at cruise, sensors tell the engine to shut down half of its cylinders thereby reducing gas consumption. Although typical gains range in the neighborhood of just 5-7%, an across the board introduction of this technology could reduce our dependency on foreign oil and lift corporate fuel economy across the board.

For three years now GM has offered active fuel management [or AFM] with several V8 engines and the technology will soon find its way on V6 engines for the Chevy Uplander and Impala. Honda has its own variable cylinder management [or VCM] for select V6 powered Odysseys, Accords, and Pilots. Other automakers are studying the cylinder deactivation with more manufacturers expected to jump in.

Unlike previous attempts at engine deactivation, the latest attempt at shutting down unneeded cylinders appears to be a success. Thanks to refinement of the hydraulic valve lifters and improvements in engine and exhaust tuning, engines featuring cylinder deactivation technology are able to transition quickly and quietly from a fuel efficient mode to one requiring full power. Thus, consumers get the best of both worlds: power and maximum fuel efficiency.

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Cylinder Deactivation: A Good Thing?

Cruising down the highway your car is traveling at a set speed not needing the full use of all of its engine power, but eating up precious fuel nevertheless. That V6 or V8 under the hood could be much more efficient if it employed one important piece of modern day technology: cylinder deactivation. Does your vehicle have this feature? If so, exactly what does it do and is it a good thing? Read on to learn what some automakers are doing to conserve fuel without making significant changes to your vehicle.

Elevated fuel prices have consumers scrambling for answers. Some are switching to hybrids, others to diesel, while still others are choosing smaller and lighter vehicles all in a bid to save on fuel. While no one quite knows what the long term fuel prices will be, automotive manufacturers are able to squeeze out better fuel mileage through a rather simple technological change: cylinder deactivation. Cylinder deactivation works this way: let's say you are cruising down the interstate at a set speed of about 65 miles per hour. The road surface is flat therefore there isn't a whole lot of demand on your engine. Instead of running all six or eight cylinders, why not run your engine on three or four?

Back during the early 1980s, GM unsuccessfully tried this with Cadillac by offering what they called 8-6-4 displacement. Unfortunately, the technology wasn't as refined as it is today and the experiment failed miserably. Today, however, thanks to central processing unit chips, displacement on demand is a viable alternative. When driving at cruise, sensors tell the engine to shut down half of its cylinders thereby reducing gas consumption. Although typical gains range in the neighborhood of just 5-7%, an across the board introduction of this technology could reduce our dependency on foreign oil and lift corporate fuel economy across the board.

For three years now GM has offered active fuel management [or AFM] with several V8 engines and the technology will soon find its way on V6 engines for the Chevy Uplander and Impala. Honda has its own variable cylinder management [or VCM] for select V6 powered Odysseys, Accords, and Pilots. Other automakers are studying the cylinder deactivation with more manufacturers expected to jump in.

Unlike previous attempts at engine deactivation, the latest attempt at shutting down unneeded cylinders appears to be a success. Thanks to refinement of the hydraulic valve lifters and improvements in engine and exhaust tuning, engines featuring cylinder deactivation technology are able to transition quickly and quietly from a fuel efficient mode to one requiring full power. Thus, consumers get the best of both worlds: power and maximum fuel efficiency.

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