Gapping double platinum plugs

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: tommygunn
You can't gap them.

In fact, under the hood of my ES300, it says not to gap them.

The gap of just about all spark plugs can be adjusted, including the double ground-electrode plugs in your ES300.

However...

An amazing number of people do not know the correct (non damaging) adjusting technique, and use techniques that can do great damage to the plugs. For this reason -- and this reason alone -- most plug makers advise against adjusting the gap of their plugs. They want you to buy the correct ones for your engine and be done with it.

Correct technique involves the correct tool, and NO contact of ANY KIND with the spark surfaces while adjusting! You do NOT just stick something between the spark surfaces and lever them apart!

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
that's after I clean them with a wire brush.

Great way to introduce a secondary ground-path and a misfire.

 

[artbuc]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: tommygunn
You can't gap them.


I gap my iridium plugs after about 30,000 miles; that's after I clean them with a wire brush.


I have seen many iridiums with 100k+ miles and none of them needed to be gapped or cleaned.

 

[antiqueshell]

Just buy the correct pre-gapped plug for your specific application (they are correctly gapped at the factory) and do not attempt to adjust. Not worth the potential trouble of damaged surfaces or worse having the delicate (precious metal) puck fall off and into the cylinder. IT CAN HAPPEN!

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: artbuc
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: tommygunn
You can't gap them.


I gap my iridium plugs after about 30,000 miles; that's after I clean them with a wire brush.


I have seen many iridiums with 100k+ miles and none of them needed to be gapped or cleaned.


At 37K, mine definitely could have used a re-gap and a cleaning. I wasn't going to clean them so I replaced them.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Soound like you were running hot. Insulator appearance grey white maybe with blistering and rainbow blueing on shell face?

 

[cutter]

Actually, not every plug is gapped to every car's factory spec. My Tracker's gap spec is something like .028 and every plug (Denso or NGK) that fits comes as .044

 

[Vikas]

Do you really believe that at the factory where your Tracker's engine was assembled, there was a guy adjusting the spark plugs before installing? Doesn't common sense (not common any more) tell you that would be highly unlikely?

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Not worth the potential trouble of damaged surfaces or worse having the delicate (precious metal) puck fall off and into the cylinder. IT CAN HAPPEN!

If you damage the little "puck", then you're doing the adjustment wrongly.

If you go anywhere near either electrode or the little "puck", then you're doing the adjustment wrongly.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: cutter
Actually, not every plug is gapped to every car's factory spec. My Tracker's gap spec is something like .028 and every plug (Denso or NGK) that fits comes as .044

The correct plugs for your Tracker will be gapped to .028 (part number probably ending in 08). you may need to special-order them.

Plugs gapped at .044 (part number ending in 11) are NOT the correct ones for your Tracker and should NOT be adjusted down to .028.

 

[cutter]

Not one person on the suzuki/tracker forums has ever found .028 right out of the box, not today anyway.

So what's the BFD of gapping plugs properly? Why pay a premium to special order something when it's freakin' easy to gap?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Not worth the potential trouble of damaged surfaces or worse having the delicate (precious metal) puck fall off and into the cylinder. IT CAN HAPPEN!

If you damage the little "puck", then you're doing the adjustment wrongly.

If you go anywhere near either electrode or the little "puck", then you're doing the adjustment wrongly.
How do you measure the gap? Optical Comparator?

 

[PandaBear]

Those are the OEM plugs for some years, and other years they use the more traditional double platinum plugs. I wouldn't gap these type of side wired plugs.

 

[antiqueshell]

Speaking of which how about seeing some good quality gapping tools that would be designed for delicate plugs like these?

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: cutter
Not one person on the suzuki/tracker forums has ever found .028 right out of the box, not today anyway.

That's probably because it seems as though all Trackers took plugs gapped at .032.

Go to NGK's site and drill down from there:
http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/

NGK has lots and lots of plugs specifically for the Tracker.

Originally Posted By: cutter
So what's the BFD of gapping plugs properly? Why pay a premium to special order something when it's freakin' easy to gap?

Because there's a limit to how much you can alter the gap of any plug without causing side-issues.

And adjustment isn't really so "freakin' easy" considering how few people know how to do it so as not to damage the plug. That's why so many makers don't want you monkeying with the gap.

 

[Johnny248]

I love BITOG, however sometimes I can't believe the things people waste their time arguing about....