Huge difference after spark plug change.

[RDY4WAR]

I have a 2016 Powermore (MTD) 140cc 21" push mower that I'm using to cut a 15,000 sqft lawn. I've never really bothered to mess with the spark plug on this thing. It's never fired up on the first pull, and it's been running a bit off this year with worse cold starts, occasional misfires, and feeling down on power in general. I finally decided to look at the spark plug which was a Torch brand F5RTC plug. It didn't look bad aside from having a tight gap of just .018". I replaced it with what was available at my local O'Reilly's which was an NGK BPR5EIX-11 iridium plug with a .043" gap. The first pull after replacing that plug, it fired right up, and has fired up on the first pull ever since. No more misfires and it seems to have some pep back to it as it holds rpm better in thicker grass.

To see if the gap was the issue, not the plug, I opened the gap on the Torch plug to .035" and put it back in. The hard starts and misfires came back so it was definitely the plug, not the gap.

 

[Rand]

torch brand spark plugs are notorious for being POS.

 

[RDY4WAR]

torch brand spark plugs are notorious for being POS.

I'd never even heard of the brand before a couple days ago.

 

[oggb]

An iridium spark plug in a mower!

That just makes me chuckle, but I'm glad it's working well for you. Definitely shouldn't ever need to change it again.

 

[Trav]

I have posted this before but yes precious metal plugs in OPE engines make the world of difference. In our lawnmower my wife could never start it, I had to go and pull it 3-4 times and it would start. With a platinum plug she starts it first pull every time.
I run the snowblower the same route every storm, no more no less, even with a small storm of about 4" of snow it would not make it without refilling, after putting an NGK Iridium in it there is still about 1/4 of a tank left even after a big storm. It would start bogging at idle with the original plug and start smoking black, with the Iridium nothing only a nice smooth idle so yes a world of difference.

 

[RDY4WAR]

An iridium spark plug in a mower!

That just makes me chuckle, but I'm glad it's working well for you. Definitely shouldn't ever need to change it again.

Local parts store didn't have the cheap nickel version but had the iridium version. Doesn't matter to me, even the expensive plugs are still dirt cheap.

 

[Propflux01]

I'd never even heard of the brand before a couple days ago.

Made in China

 

[Chris142]

Made in China

And come in a lot of low end tools

 

[slybunda]

The torch company seems to be the largest spark plug manufacturer in china and been operating for over 45 years. Im a bit surprised from a company with such a track record of making crap plugs for so long. Thought they would have gone down out of business if the products were that bad.

 

[Chris142]

The torch company seems to be the largest spark plug manufacturer in china and been operating for over 45 years. Im a bit surprised from a company with such a track record of making crap plugs for so long. Thought they would have gone down out of business if the products were that bad.

If that is all the Chinese people have ever had they don't know any better.

 

[slybunda]

will there be any loss of spark power by using a resistor plug insted of the standard non-resistor plug it comes with?

 

[zrxkawboy]

I worked part-time at NAPA for many years. I crossed a LOT of failed Torch plugs over to NGK.

 

[henni]

.. with what was available at my local O'Reilly's which was an NGK BPR5EIX-11 iridium plug ..

How did you crossreference the old vs new plug ?
Would like to see alternative(s) for our Snapper with Kawasaki FJ180V

 

[Chris142]

How did you crossreference the old vs new plug ?
Would like to see alternative(s) for our Snapper with Kawasaki FJ180V

The counter clown can type the number into the computer.

 

[Chris142]

will there be any loss of spark power by using a resistor plug insted of the standard non-resistor plug it comes with?

No.

 

[RDY4WAR]

How did you crossreference the old vs new plug ?
Would like to see alternative(s) for our Snapper with Kawasaki FJ180V

I google search "Torch F5RTC cross reference", and it pulls up a few sites that list the cross references.

 

[Kamele0N]

spark plug cross reference

www.sparkplug-crossreference.com

 

[jeepman3071]

I've done quite a few Predator 212 repowers on old equipment, mostly snow blowers. I include a new NGK spark plug into the cost of the repower, and replace the Torch it comes with. I had a few come backs with the Torch spark plugs and intermittent starting issues, putting in an NGK has eliminated those issues.

 

[wpod]

We have a 17,000 sq ft lawn that that the wife says it needs cutting every 5 days . I am glad she cuts the lawn

 

[ripcord]

We have a 17,000 sq ft lawn that that the wife says it needs cutting every 5 days . I am glad she cuts the lawn

A wife that cuts grass would be awesome!