My car burns oil. Should I replace the spark plugs with cheaper ones?

Who cares in this situation.

This isn't a fancy car, and any OCD additives concern isn't warranted in this scenario.

His car is 22 years old, burning 1 quart of oil every 400 miles, and fouling spark plugs. He's got nothing to lose, really.

While that is true.. this IS BITOG, and the manual states to not use any additives. We are talking about this in a "Two additives at once" thread over on the other forum. Let us give the good, true, and proper advice..

Just sayin' 😀
 
You could go with plantinums or copper if needed.
My accord is a 1qt/1k burner ... for last 200k miles
I put in oem iridium's and they last 50k or more.
 
No no
Honda Civic swap ti
Your car is 22 years old, and burning a lot of oil.

Just throw a can of RESTORE in there to see if that will help compression, and help with burning oil.

Also, run some 15w40 Diesel Oil in it....

You really have nothing to lose by trying this. Otherwise, the car is due for the junkyard
ill throw in a new engine before bringing it to the junkyard lol. I am not trying to fix the oil burning issue. I just want to know if I should use the recommended more expensive plugs because the car is burning and fouling the plugs quicker. Should I stick with cheaper plugs
 
You could go with plantinums or copper if needed.
My accord is a 1qt/1k burner ... for last 200k miles
I put in oem iridium's and they last 50k or more.
I’ll use the iridiums then. People think that if a car burns oil, the car should be thrown away. It’s ridiculous. As long as you fill up the car with oil, I cannot see any issues occurring with the engine. If it gets to a point where the engine actually NEEDS works, I will swap the engine
 
I think that's what the thread starter is saying. If he's not in a position to replace or repair that engine, he can get by for a while by watching and topping up his oil level. I've been in that position too (an oil burner and no money) so I know how it feels. When it starts smoking it will be too embarrassing to drive.

What would be wrong with putting in a set of traditional (but inexpensive) copper electrode plugs. As you say, nothing is going to last anyway and they're generally good for 10,000 miles. I'd go with a slightly hotter plug too.

The experts in the group will be able suggest a brand and specific plug.

If he's not already doing so, a good solid 10W-30 conventional oil would also fit the bill.
Thank you for understanding. The car definitely smokes people out behind me but the car refuses to die. It is truly the most reliable car I have ever owned (other than having to fill oil every week). I will take an older car that burns oil vs a new car. I just don’t care for any technology in cars. Anyways, I will either use copper plugs like you suggested, or iridium plugs because someone else mentioned that they will last long even if the car burns. I don’t know how long ago the previous iridium plugs were installed that’s the only issue
 
Per your previous thread you are burning a quart of oil every 400 miles. No plug is going to last long under those conditions.

Your engine is worn out. You have a decision to make.
My decision is to keep the car and keep filling it up with oil. I just don’t know what cheap plugs to use. Someone said cheaper copper plugs
 
I’ll use the iridiums then. People think that if a car burns oil, the car should be thrown away. It’s ridiculous. As long as you fill up the car with oil, I cannot see any issues occurring with the engine. If it gets to a point where the engine actually NEEDS works, I will swap the engine
A consumption rate of 1 quart in 400 miles is high, even though you cannot see issues occurring with the engine it is still happening. You're seeing premature fouling of the plugs, right? That's a symptom of a problem.

And there's no reason to use expensive plugs if you are throwing them away. If you're cleaning them then sure. But there's no benefit to iridium plugs except longevity, so unless you're taking advantage of that then there is no point.
 
A consumption rate of 1 quart in 400 miles is high, even though you cannot see issues occurring with the engine it is still happening. You're seeing premature fouling of the plugs, right? That's a symptom of a problem.

And there's no reason to use expensive plugs if you are throwing them away. If you're cleaning them then sure. But there's no benefit to iridium plugs except longevity, so unless you're taking advantage of that then there is no point.
The only thing is I don’t know how long ago the previous owner installed the iridiums. It could’ve been 50k miles ago but I don’t know. They just look really fouled. As long as there’s no other benefit from iridiums, maybe I should just use copper plugs someone else mentioned? Hopefully I can find some that are $5 a plug or something
 
I’ll use the iridiums then. People think that if a car burns oil, the car should be thrown away. It’s ridiculous. As long as you fill up the car with oil, I cannot see any issues occurring with the engine. If it gets to a point where the engine actually NEEDS works, I will swap the engine

there's burning oil, and then there's burning oil :poop:

a quart every 400 miles is NOT OK.

Use the cheapest HM oil you can find or like a 20w50 or something or maybe even just fill the engine with motor honey or one of those other treatments :sneaky:

Use one of those oil treatments as your oil, a whole gallon of just that stuff and see if the burn rate goes down :unsure:
 
there's burning oil, and then there's burning oil :poop:

a quart every 400 miles is NOT OK.

Use the cheapest HM oil you can find or like a 20w50 or something or maybe even just fill the engine with motor honey or one of those other treatments :sneaky:

Use one of those oil treatments as your oil, a whole gallon of just that stuff and see if the burn rate goes down :unsure:
So it might not be that high. I drove 300 miles the past two days and I only burned 1/3 quart. So it is more like a quart ever 1k miles?
 
The only thing is I don’t know how long ago the previous owner installed the iridiums. It could’ve been 50k miles ago but I don’t know. They just look really fouled. As long as there’s no other benefit from iridiums, maybe I should just use copper plugs someone else mentioned? Hopefully I can find some that are $5 a plug or something
Fouling is the problem regardless of the mileage. On my cars after 100,000 miles the plugs are not fouled, only worn.
 
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