Keep the Spark Going in Your Vehicle
When you get behind the wheel of a car in Minneapolis, MN, you probably don’t think about spark plugs, their adjustment, and their replacement. But here’s what you should know to ensure your vehicle keeps running well.
Here Are the Most Common Spark Plug Maintenance Items:
- Cleaning the spark plugs every 30,000 miles
- Avoid carbon build-up, oil leaking in the combustion chamber, and constant overheating
- Examine the spark plugs to ensure they are clean and in good working order
- Reinstall the spark plugs correctly and avoid over-tightening
- Check the gap
What Do Spark Plugs Do?
Every combustible engine needs a spark to get it going. This is where the spark plugs come in. The small device uses a small bolt of electricity to ignite the mixture of fuel and air in the engine. This creates just enough combustion to move the pistons and move the vehicle.
The number of spark plugs that your vehicle needs depends on the number of cylinders. Each cylinder needs one, so if you have a four-cylinder engine, your car will need four spark plugs.
Why Do I Need to Replace Spark Plugs?
Just like many other vehicle components, spark plugs can wear out. The good news is it takes quite a while. Most spark plugs have a long life, which is probably why many drivers don’t think about them very often. But when you need spark plug replacement, it’s usually not something that can wait. Your vehicle won’t start without them.
Even though it takes a while for spark plugs to go bad, a few things can cause their deterioration. An engine produces a lot of heat, and this heat buildup can cause them to fail. Leaking oil and carbon buildup can also contribute to bad spark plugs.
Spark Plug Gap: Does Your Vehicle Run Like a Beast or a Dud?
If you hear someone talking about a spark plug gap, they are talking about the amount of adjustable space for the spark to arc. The adjustments are measured in thousandths of an inch, but this small amount of space is the main contributor to achieving the optimal amount of burn between the fuel and air in the engine.
Gapping, or adjusting the spark plug, means adjusting the amount of space by bending the ground electrode to close the gap or make it larger using a gapping tool.
Telltale Signs You Need New Spark Plugs in Minneapolis, MN:
- Difficulty starting the engine, especially during a cold start
- Poor running or idling at any point
- Lack of acceleration when the pedal is pushed
- High fuel consumption unexplained by other factors
The fact that spark plugs last a long time does not mean they last forever. You can follow your vehicle's maintenance schedule to determine when they should be changed, but if you need spark plug replacement before the scheduled time, your vehicle will let you know.
Some of the telltale signs that your spark plugs are failing include a misfiring engine. It will run rough because there is not a strong enough spark to light the air/ fuel mixture. If you notice your car is not as fuel-efficient as it should be, it could also be because of the spark plugs. Again, if they are worn out and not creating enough spark, you might be wasting fuel instead of using it.