100,000 mile spark plugs

[Errtt]

My DD plug change by the book is 105k. I'll probably pull them around 100k and probably just change them then no matter how they look. Why not, I got the out then anyway. Getting 100k out of plugs is a lot of firing.
I'll pull them earlier if anything gives reason to.

Will probably stick to NGK Iridium, a good lasting plug.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
The plugs in my truck came out like new at 90k. I'm never changing them in a GM product again until I get a miss fire code. Mine looked like they could have went 150k or 200k without much trouble.


Right after I changed them the ignition control module went, just goes to show that sometimes your better off leaving stuff alone.

That doesn't apply to all GM models. My ION had no misfire codes at 60,000 miles, but it didn't run well. Those plugs (Double platinum) were supposed to last 100,000 miles. It ran much better with a set of new plugs, the part was superseded by iridium plugs.

I would love to know about why some engines get more life from plugs than others.

 

[buck91]

100k spec for my truck, changed them today at 47k and they looked worse than yours with the gaps on all notably over spec.

 

[SteveSRT8]

We have run GM OEM plugs in our fleet trucks for over 200k miles and they performed flawlessly.

I just had the plugs out of the SRT this weekend and they are still in like new condition. They will easily outlast their 105k mile recommended interval.

Smaller engines make more revs, that's the principal reason plugs wear out faster in them. I drove all over Sunday and barely touched 2000 rpm!

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: moklock
NGK (and the ACDelco rebrands they also make) Iridium plugs truly are top notch. Even over 100K they still look good usually and their anti seize plating really works.

I cringe working in the parts biz when folks being cheap swap them out for some Ought-to-lights just to save a buck.


I like that: Ought to light.

I read this thread last night. This morning I found a link to this article in my inbox.

http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1368&doc_id=271423&cid=nl.dn11

 

[Bror Jace]

I have a 2006 Civic that likely has NGK iridiums in it. The car now has 67,000 miles on it. Still runs great ... starts and feels like new.

However, it seems I might have lost some MPGs. The yearly average for every year remains about 35-36mpg but I am unable to get into the mid 40s on trips during the summer like I used to. That's hardly a scientific analysis, but I believe there's something real going on here.

I wonder if new plugs would bring back that peak efficiency? I was thinking of Bosch fine-wire iridium (double iridium) which are about half the price of the OE iridium plug ($5 each versus $10). I believe OE parts are generally overpriced and avoid them when I think it makes sense.

Worth swapping out the plugs? Am I chasing phantoms?

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
I have a 2006 Civic that likely has NGK iridiums in it. The car now has 67,000 miles on it. Still runs great ... starts and feels like new.

However, it seems I might have lost some MPGs. The yearly average for every year remains about 35-36mpg but I am unable to get into the mid 40s on trips during the summer like I used to. That's hardly a scientific analysis, but I believe there's something real going on here.

I wonder if new plugs would bring back that peak efficiency? I was thinking of Bosch fine-wire iridium (double iridium) which are about half the price of the OE iridium plug ($5 each versus $10). I believe OE parts are generally overpriced and avoid them when I think it makes sense.

Worth swapping out the plugs? Am I chasing phantoms?

I have dealt with way to many cars that left the factory with NGK or Denso, and ran poorly when Bosch plugs were used.

Get the equivalent Denso or NGK. They aren't that expensive, and you can get the exact part number outside of a dealer. Sometimes you can get an ACDelco plug that is really a rebranded NGK for even less.

Last time I needed NGK iridium plugs, they were $6 each.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
Originally Posted By: Patman
I wouldn't be surprised if sometime in the very near future someone comes up with spark plugs that never need changing.

At the same time, it wouldn't surprise me to find out there are quite a few people on the road today who have over 200k on their cars and have never changed the plugs (and the engine is still running smoothly also) They would have to be full iridium plugs (both ground and electrode that is, not just the electrode like most iridiums)


A week ago, my wife and I visited her sister and her sister's husband. They took us out to eat and we went there in their 2007 Toyota Sequoia. On the way there, they ask me why I thought that their gas mileage had dropped from 17 to 14.5 mpg. I ask them about the maintenance that the Sequoia has received and they told me that all they had ever done to it was have the timing belts replaced every 100K miles. They bought it brand new and currently have 275K miles on it....with original spark plugs. I mentioned that they should probably have new plugs installed, but the conversation went from that to the fact that they might get rid of it, so there are still probably no plans to install new plugs.
They thing ran fine with no CEL codes.


I changed the plugs in one of my Toyotas at 120k once and then went to a 150k interval. They simply do not need to be changed at 100k anymore. So why waste the $$ and effort. In over 500,000 miles on my Toyota vehicles I have had one CEL due to a bad o2 sensor.

 

[circuitsmith]

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
I have a 2006 Civic ... However, it seems I might have lost some MPGs.


First thing I would do is change the thermostat.
Get one from Honda, not aftermarket

 

[Bror Jace]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[jtfmdyk]

06 Accord V6 @ 104k. OEM

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[INDYMAC]

I like to inspect the plugs before the power train warranty is up. That way, if there are some leaky tubes, the dealership can fix them instead of me.