Engine Spark Plug Cleaning

Spark Plug Cleaning

Okay so while trying to tune my turbo I was wondering why it was impossible to get a smooth idle so I pulled the plugs and they are black as black can be. So the car was running oober rich duing my tuning. Is there any way I can clean these plugs up so I can continue to use them to tune because I can't afford to go though a set of $30 plugs each attempt I make at tuning I tried brake cleaner and that made the car run a little smoother but it still didn't get the black deposits off the spark plugs. How can I do this without screwing them up?

You should be running some cheap copper plugs until you get it tuned right.

Can I run copper plugs in my 1zz? It says only use Irridium plugs?

Crap, don't be using Iridium with a turbo system! Use only copper or platinum.

Why copper or platinum, but not iridium? Something to do with combustion temps?

Yeap, the tiny tip of the iridium will overheat, plus it's much less resistant to fouling, and if you damage them (not hard when tuning a turbo), they're expensive!

Holy shit, you learn something new every day. What size plug do I buy and what gap do they need? I'll go pick up a set on Monday since I destoryed my expensive plugs already

Buy whatever they say fits your car, but make sure that you get them TWO heat ranges COLDER, and gap them to .030 to .035.

-Doc

I thought the GAP dictated how cold the spark plug is? So I need to ask for spark plugs that are two heat ranges colder then stock and then gap them to .30? Sorry I sound so ignorant in this department but I didn't know spark plugs were such a big deal

Nope, the heat range is managed by the length of the insulator, you can't adjust it. You need plugs that are two heat ranges colder, and then adjust the gap to .030 since it will be higher than that.

-Doc

Gotcha! So buy some platinum plugs for my car that are 2 heat ranges colder and then re-gap them to .30. Sweet. What exactly does this do for my turbo setup that stock plugs do not?

The colder plugs will run cooler, preventing detonation and pre-ignition. The smaller gap helps the plugs to fire through the higher density of the now-compressed air.

-Doc

Tweak, your a smart man Thanks.

Bring on the rep points!

I gave you some rep

doc.... you don't want to use platinum in forced induction systems...... platinum tips are brittle and can crack easily..... leaving platinum deposits in the motor itself.

strange that you say not to use iridium plugs, because wrx's & sti's come factory with them....

I'll have to look it up again... good point though. I personally prefer good copper plugs to anything else.

-Doc

well, yes..... NGK's for me

Ahhhh, so I should not run Platinum Plugs?

Ditto that!!!

Barnacules, I would say go with some NGK Copper plugs for now, at least until you get it tuned right.

-Doc

go copper to tune and iridium run fine... i mean all the turbo 1zz's run on iridium 1 or 2 range colder... im running 1 colder..

also.... if you want to clean the plug you can try using a low heat torch to burn off the soot..... that will also show you if there's detonation on the plug (a 'hot spot')