Spark Plug Condition May he
A Clue to Engine Problems
A series of international fuel economy tests conducted by
Champion Spark Plug Company sought to determine how
much the condition of the plugs affects gasoline consumption.
Results showed that approximately two-thirds of the total
fuel economy improvement gained from an engine tune-up
was attributable to the installation of a set of new spark
plugs.
The tests estimated that new spark plugs can save about
one gallon of gasoline per 18-to-20 gallon tankful compared to
plugs needing replacement. The reason plugs have such a
critical bearing on gasoline consumption is not hard to un
derstand when the role of the plug in the ignition system is
examined.
The spark plug must conduct a high ignition voltage to the'
combustion chamber to ignite the air-fuel mixture. It must do
so in all types of weather and in all sorts of operating con
ditions. If the spark plug fails to deliver the high voltage, the
fuel is either burned incompletely or not burned at all. Thus
the wasted fuel.
While spark plugs themselves are normally trouble-free
during their recommended service life, they often are in
dicators of gas-wasting malfunctions in the engine.
Champion cites six typical examples of how a close
examination of spark plugs can help diagnose engine
problems. To make such an examination meaningful, it is
important that the plugs be arranged in order according to
their cylinder location.
Figure 1 shows two adjacent fouled plugs in a 6-cylinder
engine. There's a good chance that this may be due to a blown
head gasket between the two cylinders.
Figure 2 illustrates the two center plugs as fouled. This
may suggest that raw fuel is being “boiled” out of the car
buretor into theintake manifold after the engine is shut off. If
the engine is used for stop-start, short-trip service, the two
center plugs may foul due to the overly “rich” diet. Proper
float level, good needle and seat seal, and, in some cases,
installation of an insulating spacer between the carburetor
and intake manifold can help relieve this problem. *
An unbalanced carburetor may produce fouled plugs in an
8-cylinder engine as illustrated in Figure 3. Take a good look
at the fuel flow on this particular design of intake manifold. If
the right barrel happened to be running rich, there is a
possibility that the four plugs in the cylinders it supplies
would tend to foul. The four remaining would be normal.
Finding the back four plugs overheated, as shown in Figure
4, may indicate possible cooling system problems. There’s a
good chance that a thorough cleaning of the cooling system
would restore coolant circulation to the rear of the engine and
cure the problem.
Finding only one plug overheated may indicate an intake
manifold leak near the location of that particular cylinder.
Also, check the firing order. If the overheated plug is the
second of two adjacent, consecutively firing plugs like Figure
5 illustrates, yon could be looking at the result of cross fire.
Separating the leads going to those two plugs will eliminate
the possibility of cross fire by induced voltage.
Figure 6 illustrates a condition that may be seen oc
casionally, especially in larger V-8 engines used in light
service.. .the two rear sparkplugs are oil fouled.
If the oil drain holes in the rear of the cylinder head are
plugged up due to excessive sludge, oil may be “pulled” in
around the intake valve stems. This will probably be noticed
Commercial Vegetable Soils
Contain Fertilizer Reserves
Possible shortages of
fertilizer, and accompanying
high prices, should create no
serious problem for most
commercial vegetable
growers of Pennsylvania, a
plant scientist announced
during the annual Vegetable
Conference held recently at
The Pennsylvania State
University.
Such farmers should
obtain good results in 1974 by
spending no more for fer
tilizer than they paid out in
1 /3, stated Dr. Cyril B.
Smith, professor of plant
nutrition at Penn State. Dr.
Smith said commercial
nnnminioiEi
FARM EQUIPMENT
WINDROWER
PT-7 PT-10
FORAGE
HARVESTER
2000 Grass- & Corn Head
SEE US FOR OUR
EVERYDAY LOW PRICES
Your Authorized Dealer
MILLER'S REPAIR
I Mile North of Bird-in-Hand
RDI, Bird-in-Hand, Pa. Ph, 656-7013
Gibbins Road or 656-7926
vegetable growers of Penn
sylvania have a “soil bank”
rich in plant foods, to supply
a high percentage of needed
nutrients.
“There probably never
was a better time to use
some of the fertilizer
reserves existing in the soils
of most Pennsylvania
vegetable farms,” he af
firmed.
What is often needed is not
a whole range of plant
nutrients in large amounts
but small quantities of
certain nutrients to balance
out the needs of a crop, he
pointed out. For several
Lancaster Farming, Saturday. Mar. 16,1974
Fni 1
Fig 2
* 93
Ql o o • •
Fig 4 T ======
poll
Fig 5
Fig 6
in the two rear holes first, since the engine slants in that
direction. High oil consumption and a smoky exhaust may
also accompany this condition.
Jumbo Jet
I just flew in from New York
on a jumbo jet Everyone was
wonderful - the stewardes', the
pilot We averaged over 600 miles
per hour at 35,000 feet But I was
disappointed in the plane This
brand new plane cost millions and
millions of dollars - you think
that at least you could open a
w’indow
years Dr. Smith and
associates have carried out
extensive experiments with
various fertilizer treat
ments, especially on snap
beans and sweet com.
For instance, in eight snap
bean experiments in 1973, .
the best overall response
came from applications of 25
pounds of nitrogen and 60
pounds of phosphate per
acre. Dr. Smith said long
range studies indicated
adequate levels of potash for
1974 vegetable crops.
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