I posted a year or so ago, that I was having trouble with my JD 425 starting, and running funny. Long story short, I had bought some different plugs to check out, because the parts house were out of new NGKs to fit the Kawasaki engine, I bought a set of plain old Autolite, and poped them in. Well, two years later, give or take, and the thing starts first time every time, on the first flick of the key, and runs like a champ. I'm still amazed at the difference that the plugs made. I'm wondering if the NGKs were fakes or something. This is the first time I've ever known plugs to make such a pronounced difference.
Long term report on spark plugs
- Thread starter bchannell
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I am guessing that Champion does not make a plug for your JD 425?
Could you be a little more clear. I’m a little confused about the NGK plugs. Were they a different number than the original plugs?
There can be many issues with plugs. The wrong heat range is one. Gap setting is another. Even OEM plugs can sometimes be ill matched to the machine. You may have to move up or down one place in the heat range.
There can be many issues with plugs. The wrong heat range is one. Gap setting is another. Even OEM plugs can sometimes be ill matched to the machine. You may have to move up or down one place in the heat range.
I have always had great service out of Autolite plugs. A lot of people bash them but they work for me.
All of my Kawasaki powered OPE operates fine on the OEM NGK conventional "copper core" nickel electrode plugs. I cannot imagine that the Autolite plugs compensated for an incorrect OEM plug situation unless, as you question, maybe they were counterfeit or damaged.
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I tried NGK a year ago, wasn't impressed myself.
I'm now back to using a E3 plug in the Craftsman tractor. If for some reason I want to go a different route,I will try an Auto lite.
I'm now back to using a E3 plug in the Craftsman tractor. If for some reason I want to go a different route,I will try an Auto lite.
^^^^^^ E3 for the win every time in all my OPE (and cars). Yes they seem pricey but all my stuff fires right up. Also E0 gas is a must for me.
Just my $0.02
Just my $0.02
Ngk is just like every other plug. Sometimes they fail and any brand plug good plug is better than a bad one.
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Funny how things work sometimes.
I just went out to the garage and me being curious about things decided to swap out a Autolite 3924 that I had installed in the mustang and try it in the lawn tractor.
It is starting easier than the E3.20
If it is consistent enough, I'll be getting a Autolite 3924 for the lawn tractor.
The newer mower Autolites are made in china. If you don't see the country of origin on the package it is more likely a rebadge chinese spark plugs. I do not buy chinese made products unless it is my last resort. It is just me.
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Our daughter has a 2002 Nissan Sentra and had 112K miles on it. She said it would sputter and sometimes die when she would try to pull out into traffic. Just by chance I checked the plugs since it was new to us. Had a nice set of Bosch platinums that all looked good. I read on a Nissan forum of others with the same issue and when they switched plugs to Autolite the problem went away. So I tried it. They were on sale at AAP for $2.00/ so why not try. Sure enough, the problem was solved. I never would have believed it if I had not seen it.
The old NGK's were the correct plug. Were they lemons? I dunno, but when I went to get new ones they didn't have the correct NGK, so I bought Autolite. The Autolites work great, much better than I expected. I didn't really think I'd notice much difference at all, other than if the NGKs were bad then, as was said earlier, any good plug would run better. So, now it runs better, who knows what the original problem was with the plugs, but I'm just a bit surprised that Autolites are that good. Two years and going strong, my tractor has never started this fast or this easy with the old plugs.
Here is something that I just discovered. I changed the plugs in my Zero Turn yesterday. The old plugs were NGK BPR6ES. I replaced them with NGK BPR6ES. I noticed a difference in the plugs right away. The terminal ends of the old plugs were removable. The terminal ends on the new plugs were fixed. I have no idea why they would be different unless, the new plugs were specifically designed for outdoor power equipment. Either way, a fixed terminal end will work better on mowers, due to the excessive vibration of the mower.
If the Champion number was RJ19LM (package number 868). And, your plug gap is correct. There’s nothing wrong with Champion plugs.
I will darned sure check before buying the next time. If I’m handed a box and it has the removable terminal, I will hand it back and not buy it.
When I pulled the old plugs, the terminal was loose on one of them. That is unacceptable. No wonder it wasn’t running right.
I already bought the NGK plug and want to know if it's the same type everyone else is using
I don’t know. There are many different plugs for different lawnmowers. You evidently have a push mower. By the plug number, I would guess a 6.75 Briggs and Stratton. Do you have the owners manual?
