Installed A New Set Of Bosch Plugs and WOW

[The Critic]

The car runs so much smoother. However, it definitely feels like the engine does not "pull" as hard, yet the engine runs noticeably smoother. The new plugs are the Bosch Super Plus copper plugs with a yttrium-enhanced center electrode.

The old plugs were NGK coppers with about 20,000 miles on them. All of the center electrodes were black, though the one from cylinder #4 looks a bit more gray than black. The plug from cylinder #4 shows some serious wear on the center electrode.

Here are some pictures of the old plugs:

Sorry, these are all camera phone pictures.

As a group:

Another view:

Cylinder #1:

Cylinder #2:

Cylinder #3:

Cylinder #4:

What do you folks think of the old spark plugs? Do they look normal? Are the center electrodes supposed to be black? I have been having issues with the car delivering poor fuel economy, so I am hoping new plugs solved the problem.

Thanks.

 

[bmwtechguy]

Those plugs look fine. Old design and gave good service. What you are calling very worn is barely worn. I have seen some really worn plugs that did not even misfire. Both electrodes worn to nubs with greater than .080 gap, but still working fine due to a high energy ignition system.

As far as color, yours are normal as well. If you were to take it on a hot interstate run and then just pull over and pull the plugs, you would most likely find a much lighter color on the center electrode. This is normal.

In my experience, a change of plugs or change to a better plug design can deliver a bit better fuel economy. The fire from fine tip firing plugs seems to allow more fuel to be burned for more complete combustion. The cheapest point to point plugs I have seen are the Denso Platinum TT at AA for $2 on sale. They go on up to the Denso Iridiums for about $8 ea, which could offer even better perfomance and certainly longer life.

 

[TugaSaudade]

I agree, they look normal.. for 20kmiles.
I also have recently installed Bosch Super Plus Ytrium on my VW engine and i'm also very pleased.

If you´re looking for fuel economy, why not try Pulstar plugs?
I would if they were available for my engine.
Too bad their not.
Sent them an e-mail asking if they had any compatible ones with my AUB code engine but got no answer.

 

[scurvy]

IMO they look normal and should be left in service after a light cleaning and a tiny dab of anti-seize. It also looks like cylinder #4 runs a bit richer that the other 3. Maybe that's where your Valvoline 5w30 is going.

Worrying about fuel economy in that generation of Saturn may be polishing the brass on the Titanic, though. It may be more prudent to worry about your oil economy.

No worries about the cell phone pix either, although you're better off using a real camera for macro shots. I find myself taking more and more pictures with my new phone as I can upload them directly, which is a very handy thing indeed.

 

[mrsilv04]

Old plugs could have stayed in for another 50,000 miles.

There's only one thing that my mechanic has said to NEVER use, and that is Bosch plugs.

Perceived improvement in feel is likely the "butt dyno" in action.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

My plugs look much worse at 20,000 miles, but I burn a lot more oil in my Saturn. It will be interesting to see how the Bosch plugs work long term with the waste spark ignition system. I have been told the center electrode on some plugs wears quickly and misfire follows due to the design of the ignition system on S-Series. One reason I stick with OEM NGK plugs.

 

[pbm]

The old plugs look fine to me. I also would have left them in service after cleaning them. By the way , those Bosches are about the only Bosch plug I would use. I might give the single Bosch Platinums a try (in certain engines) because I had good luck with them 20 years ago but I wouldn't use the Bosch 2 or 4 plugs. I think they are a gimmick.

 

[NateDN10]

Like others have said, the old plugs are fine. They'll look a little black almost immediately after you put them in. Their job is to start gasoline on fire, so it's not like they're gonna look super clean.

Here's a guide to reading spark plugs: http://www.dansmc.com/spark_plugs/spark_plugs_catalog.html

 

[mechtech2]

Any new plug usually shows an improvement.
Clean and sharp, with the proper gap.

I have a dial up, so multiple massive pictures take forever to load. What I can see are near perfect old plugs.
20k with plain steel plug in this condition is remarkable.

I hope you are lucky with Bosch plugs. They are certainly chancy if the car did not originally have them.

 

[PandaBear]

Am I the only one who were aware of The Critic's original 30% fuel economy drop and misfire fiasco?

I normally see plugs coming out of a 4 banger to be much "whiter" than this, and think Cyl 1 is actually running richer than normal. Cyl 2 is blury but 3 & 4 seems ok.

Michael, when taking picture next time, shoot from the tip so we can see the insulator's condition as well. I think I notice #2 has some black deposit on the insulator.

 

[demarpaint]

Those plugs look fine and could have been in service longer. Bosch plugs are hit or miss, good luck with them. JMO

 

[kkreit01]

Your old plugs could have gone a lot longer. Everyone always disses Bosch. It probably depends on the application. My dad really liked the +4s in his 351ci Bronco. From what I read, Fords typically do not like Bosch.

 

[HTSS_TR]

The old plugs look fine, but changed it after took it out is prudent. Cost of 4 copper plugs is about $8-10, it's not wise to re-install the old plugs (after cleaning) and drive to store to return the new plugs. Subtract the gas money, saving $4-5 is not worth it.

 

[calvinnnnnnnnn]

they're suppose to look brown/white ish....

number 3 is probably the best one.

 

[AcuraTech]

Bosch plugs suck in anything other than German cars. I've seen Honda engines fail emissions with Bosch plugs, and then pass after changing to NGK.

 

[wirelessF]

I saw NGK's on a BMW I've serviced. Surprised because most of the parts underhood were Bosch.

I had good luck with Bosch +4 in my V8 Toyota truck. I might try them in my F250. I'm leery when changing the spark plugs in this truck since I've heard of them getting stuck in the heads. Maybe I can change them when they spit out lol.

 

[FL_Rob]

Clean those plugs up and keep them for backups.

 

[tom slick]

backup for what occasion?

 

[mechtech2]

Plugs don't color like they show in old manuals.
Not even close.
Fuel is one big reason why.

 

[Vizzy]

Bosch Super + are a very high quality copper plug with long life characteristics...


I just have to snicker at the instant "dis" of ANY Bosch plug....

I'm not saying that all plugs work equally as well in all applications yet if you select the correct heat range and number of tips for your specific applications you really can't go wrong..

Some cars do explicitly state the number of such ground tips and additional tips will compromise performance...

I've used Bosch plugs for years and have never had one hint of a problem in over 25 years.