- This topic has 17 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 2 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
-
Replies
-
Hi Dave,
A wire gauge set to the correct thickness might help. I do not have any experience with spark plugs having more than one electrode though. Interested to see what others say. Keep us posted.Usually multiple electrode spark plugs or high end ones say, “do not adjust gap. Gap is set at the factory” somewhere on the box.
I second and third this, unless you see some damage and the electrode is no where near where it needs to be I do not recommend adjusting the gap. BTW I don’t recommend those plugs for Honda’s.
Quoted From EricTheCarGuy:
I second and third this, unless you see some damage and the electrode is no where near where it needs to be I do not recommend adjusting the gap. BTW I don’t recommend those plugs for Honda’s.
OK, sounds good, I have a Silverado.
you need to always check the gap even in new plugs because they could have been drop at anytime front the factory to the store
Quoted From dfbdavid38:
you need to always check the gap even in new plugs because they could have been drop at anytime front the factory to the store
Gotcha, thanks.
No, you don’t have to. The consequences are shorter plug life. You can run NGK TR5s in there no problem, but the life will be shorter. Maybe 30k miles. Could be more or less depending on the condition of the engine.
The Delco Iridium plugs are supposedly made by NGK (they look identical). With the iridium you can run them longer – the manuals says 100k, but I think that is probably more for convenience. The plug life should at least be double that of a standard plug regardless.
So it just depends on how often you like changing plugs.
Personally speaking, I always recommend using OE ignition equipment in a stock-type application. In GM products, I tell people to use AC-Delco plugs. In Fords I recommend Motorcraft, Chryslers get Champions, Japanese cars get NGK or Denso (whichever is available) and I use Bosch in Eurotrash. My advice to you is to use AC-Delco iridium plugs and then forget about them for the next 100k miles or so. You may want to replace the spark plugs wires as well if they’ve never been done before. The last time I replaced plugs on a Chevy 5.3, 5 of the 8 wires tore when I was removing them. I was pulling them straight out, as is recommended, but the boots ripped on three of them, and the other 2 left their metal pieces attached to the spark plugs. Put a small dab of dielectric grease inside the plug boot to help seal out moisture, and to make it easier to remove in the future. I like to put a small dab of anti-seize on the threads of the spark plugs before installation, but I’ve heard that GM says not to use anything on their plug threads, as it can cause drivability issues. I’ll believe that when I see it, and thus far, I haven’t seen it.
Many newer cars specify under the hood what to use. Since my Jeep shares an engine block with Hyundai and Mitsubishi I was going to put in NGK plugs, and after I bought them I looked at the hood and it said to use NGK plugs.
Hi Ken M,
Great comments by all. I am a big propponent for using OEM spark plugs. These are the plugs that the manufacturer performed all the testing with, and have deemed them the most appropriate spark plug for that application (engine and accessories). Good luck on the R&R and keep us posted.
The iridium plugs will last longer and be more consistant. I would recommend sticking with what is called for by the manufactuer as that is ALWAYS the best polocy. With the iridium plugs you will get at least 100K out of them, if you by cheeper plugs you will probably only get half that and won’t be as consistant.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.