_Endless_

this is the sparkplug of my turbocharge SiR. am i on the safely rich side or am i on the lean side? cylinder#1 is on the extreme right then #2,#3 and #4 on the extreme left. i don't know why #4 is the darkest of them. i put a screwdriver to listen to each injectors and they're all ticking. so am i lean or rich?

can anybody please post a sparkplug pic indicating the PROPER richness i should be looking for? Thanks.




[Modified by _Endless_, 2:16 AM 12/26/2002]


[Modified by _Endless_, 12:36 PM 12/26/2002]

tony1

Take it easy with the octane booster bro...

_Endless_

i'm not using any octane booster or any fuel enrichment at all. from where i live, i'm using shell's velocity which shell claims is 95octane or sometimes i use petron's blaze which it claims is 98 octane.

DeepSi

How could you tell he was using higher octane, just by looking at the plugs?

tony1

Usually the reddish color is from octane booster. I've never seen pump gas in 95 or 98 octane so I don't know what it burns like. Unfortunately, with all that color on them, it's kinda hard to tell how it's running. They do look like to hot of a plug though. The base of the plug and the threads has a cad coating on it. If the coating is burning off, you need a colder plug. Wipe off the black **** and take another pic. of the base of the plug.

DeepSi

nice info

_Endless_

well, i guess i've to take another pic. i'm using bkr6e-n11 plugs coz i can't find any 7 series ngk here and having it shipped from the US cost so much.

if you guys can post a pic of a properly rich plug i'll appreciate it.

tony1, thanks for the info.


[Modified by _Endless_, 2:59 AM 12/26/2002]

eh-D

Find a temp chart that has heat ranges of multiple brands of spark plugs and find a cooler plug from a different maker.

Bspec18

Those plugs look familiar to me.... I had that for awhile. Your running lean and you might wanna go 2 degrees colder on those plugs.

tony1

I don't know where you get lean from on those plugs....

TurbothisLS

hey tony,
my plugs were white (my bkr plugs)
what does that mean?

also, i can't find that exhaust leak. any ideas on how to locate it?

DeepSi

Tan Colored: a tan colored spark plug means that the engine is running normal and the air/fuel mixture is correct.

Black Dry Fluffy Colored: the black fluffy deposits are from a carburetor that is running too rich (too much gas) or excessive idling. Black smoke coming from the exhaust is a sign of a rich air/fuel mixture. The rich air/fuel mixture must be repaired before installing a new spark plug. Common causes for a rich air/fuel mixture are:

* dirty air filter.

* air mixture screw needs adjusting.

* choke is sticking.

* carburetor float height is out of adjustment or float is sticking open.

Black Wet Sooty Colored: the wet sooty deposits are from oil that is leaking past the piston rings or valve guides and burning in the cylinder. This engine will have blue smoke coming out the exhaust. It is a sign that the engine will need rebuilding. If a new spark plug is installed it will foul and quit working. Common causes for this problem are:

* Worn piston and rings.

* Worn cylinder bore.

* worn valve guides.

White Colored: a white colored spark plug is result of engine overheating. Failure to repair this engine will result in severe engine damage. Common causes for this are:

* Incorrect spark plug (too hot heat range).

* Low octane fuel.

* Timing is not set properly.

* Cooling problems, (dirty cylinder fins, no or low water if water cooled, low or no engine oil).

* Carburetor air/fuel mixture is too lean (too much air).

credits to ZC_CRX


[Modified by DeepSi, 9:15 PM 12/25/2002]

KingDsi

You are definitely on the good side (rich while boosting). Like someone else said, when you use a high octane gas or booster, they will be the color they are.
The one on the left seems a little richer than the rest...
Sure about the cylinder #'s? (looking at the engine bay, 1 is far left, 4 is far right) If so, might be common occurance with turboed engines, slighty denser air closer to the TB...
Also, if your injector wasn't working, you wouldn't be running on all cylinders and your plug would be damp if not wet with gas, not black...


[Modified by KingDsi, 12:26 AM 12/26/2002]

flowfx

I have black around the thread, put the part that curves is whiteish.. My cars NA h23 (just bought half of the turbo setup..which is why im in here), and everytime i put sparkplugs in, i think ive gone through like 10 sets the past 2 months.. they foul out none of the idiots at autostores out here ever have ngk 711s....
can ran like hell after i got it from shop for a paintjob (was there for 2 months) i changed plugs/wires.. ran amazingly for a week..then back to crap.. now everytime i replace the stuff it still drives like crap.. but sometimes when its been super cold/wet its driven normally.. ive replaced fuel filter, filter on my intake, valve cover gasket (had small oilspots from VC bolt on it.. still do though after replacing though) im buying a jacobs optispark coil tomorrow.. praying to god thats all thats wrong and i dont need a rebuild..

sorry that was so long, just really worried..any opinions? the car drives EXACTLY like it did with the ancient old sparkplugs/wires after i got the paintjob.. ive never seen blue smoke..i dont think.

TurbothisLS

your plugs sound like mine when i had the wrong plugs in there.
i had bkr7e-11 plugs in my 97 LS and they were the wrong plugs. i just pulled them out 2 days ago and they were black around the screws and white on the curved part.
someone said earlier that the engine is overheating...
i dunno, i'm gonna check on my fluid levels

tony1

White is lean, not good. If you can't find the leak, bring it by and i'll look at it.

flowfx

well, my temp gauge never goes past half way, and hell for the past 2 months its rarely at the halfway point.. but the way i found out the first time that my plugs/wires were bad was they were hot as hell and the wires were burnt up at the bottom.. but its freezing out here now, i have a vis invader (heat extractor hood) which works very well for heat dissapation.. i just dont think its that.. i need to find colder plugs and try though