Kicked a sleeping dog...

[sciphi]

And it's wagging its tail after a dose of medicine.

When changing the oil on my fiancee's 95 Escort yesterday (same car as I mentioned in the ATF section), I thought to pull a plug to check the motor's condition.

The wire goes, "Schloorp" instead of "pop" and there's the metal part on the end of the plug. My fiancee promptly starts going batty one me.

After promising to buy new wires, we finish changing the oil (yes, she turned wrenches on her car) and I'm off to get new plugs and wires.

Look at the last plug pulled, out of cylinder #4 (right-most plug). This one was stuck to the point of being unable to turn without help from a penetrant (Deep Creep). I don't want to think of when it was last changed.

All 4 plugs, lined up by cylinder. Note cylinder 4 on the right.

Cylinder 4 plug compared with another plug.

Cylinder 4 plug damage.

Amazing how it ran like that.

 

[Quest]

you should thank technology (electronic/transistorised ignition module) for being able to kick up such high potentials to get the sparks across the plug gaps and make things happen.

Back in the days of yore where points and condensors, you may have been running rough or left stranded.

Q.

 

[Johnny]

So, when you got it all back together did it run like new? Is the little lady a happy camper now?

 

[sciphi]

Yes, it's running smoother than either of us can remember. Very little vibration from this 14-year-old engine now. Vibrates as much in D now as it used to in P before doing this.

My fiancee is quite pleased with the result.

 

[Johnny]

You will be rewarded for all your hard work.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Yes, it's running smoother than either of us can remember. Very little vibration from this 14-year-old engine now. Vibrates as much in D now as it used to in P before doing this.

My fiancee is quite pleased with the result.


I hope you told your fiance how much you appreciate that she turns wrenches.

 

[Drew99GT]

OK OK, post pics...





























of the new spark plugs and wires!

 

[sciphi]

Autolite plugs and wires.

Those pics won't get posted for a long while. Not until there's another reason to disturb them!

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
You will be rewarded for all your hard work.

Yeah....rewards....me like rewards...

 

[brianl703]

Cylinder 4 is the hardest one to remove on that engine, too.

 

[oilboy123]

Smooth it out with a little RX to clean the ring packs.

 

[Donald]

At least you did not get messed up with long spark plug wire insulators where a small part would come loose and stay way down the spark plug tube where you cannot reach it. Now I look for the insulator to be glued to the wire. If not it makes a 1 hour job take several hours.

 

[HM12460]

how about a few pic's of the g/f??

 

[sciphi]

She says, "No, I don't think so."

 

[PandaBear]

I saw a hint of green. Head gasket issue? I had the same problem on 2 adjacent plugs in my engine and it turned out to be head gasket/head warp issue.

Do a compression check and see if it is good.

 

[sprintman]

I'm getting new plugs in the BMW this Wednesday after 81,000kms. I can barely imagine what they will look like.

 

[sciphi]

Panda, where was the green? If it was on plug #4, I used a LOT of Deep Creep to get that puppy broken free.

I didn't see any green in person upon re-checking. Fiancee is saving them to show her mechanic.

 

[mechtech2]

It looks like someone else could not easily get #4 out, so they left it and changed the others only. We see that occassionally .
When I get a stuck one like that, I use penetrant lube, and go both ways - out a little , in a little, and work the plug out. This gets the sauce into the threads better.

A plug with a wide gap will call for maximum voltage from the coil. If it does not misfire, this is good for firing the mixture.
So a plug like that could very well run OK, until the gap gets too wide.

 

[sciphi]

Deep Creep saves the day again!

It ran fine with that plug. Now it runs a whole lot better.

Good for firing the mix, likely bad for mileage?

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Panda, where was the green? If it was on plug #4, I used a LOT of Deep Creep to get that puppy broken free.

I didn't see any green in person upon re-checking. Fiancee is saving them to show her mechanic.


Mine was on an Integra between cyl 3 and 4, a stronger tint than yours and it will have a hard time starting after a long drive, then after you start, it will be easy to start until you run it for a long time again.

What happens was a HG leak let the combustion gas into the cooling system, then when the engine stopped, the gas pushed coolant into the cylinders, and flood it, making it hard to start.