Tiny shredded metal pieces around spark plugs

[TSiRocker]

What causes the small metal pieces surrounding the spark plugs rings?

Is it my piston rings gone? I don't see any smoke coming out from my exhaust so I take that as my pistons are still alright?

 

[psychlow]

If your plugs are white and have pieces of metal on them, it is because you're running too hot (lean). Parts of your pistons or head are being melted or breaking off, and they're accumulating on the spark plug.

If your plugs aren't white but they have pieces of metal that have been dug into them rather than melted to them, you probably have something broken in there.

 

[TSiRocker]

! Sounds serious damage there....I have a white spark firing tip but surrounded by black carbon around the ring.

Yes, I am experiencing my engine being too hot at times. That could be the reason I might be running a bit on the lean side.

I am using S-AFC2 and set the low rpm to -2 on a bone stock engine. Will by adjusting 1 percent below 0 percent ( which is default ) making a huge difference to the fuel adjustment?

 

[GTM]

What causes the small metal pieces surrounding the spark plugs rings?

Is it my piston rings gone? I don't see any smoke coming out from my exhaust so I take that as my pistons are still alright?

I think anyone would be confused by this question. I can only guess the head is still on the car and you are looking down the spark plug well and seeing metal shavings. Certainly a quick check with a magnet would identify if it's iron or steel. More than likely it's an accumulation of aluminum torn from the spark plug threads which has never been blown out with an air gun.

Some spark plug makers threads are not as well formed as others and may actually be cutting little pieces away. Over torquing of plugs with air tools could be deforming the aluminum, some plug makers have substituted aluminum or steel crush washers which when used over and over again repeatedly could lead to pieces being torn off.

There is always the possibility they have cross threaded plugs and just forced them in the hole, this can spell doom for a head or result in costly repairs.

So you should try to blow them out with the plugs in place then unscrew a few turns and again blow them out. It's always proper to start a plug by hand before ever using any air powered tool but unless you are very familiar with air tools my council would be to use a speed handle or just a normal 6" ratchet and then use a torque wrench to spec.

Let us know if that helps.

Cheers,
GTM

 

[TSiRocker]

I think anyone would be confused by this question. I can only guess the head is still on the car and you are looking down the spark plug well and seeing metal shavings. Certainly a quick check with a magnet would identify if it's iron or steel. More than likely it's an accumulation of aluminum torn from the spark plug threads which has never been blown out with an air gun.

Some spark plug makers threads are not as well formed as others and may actually be cutting little pieces away. Over torquing of plugs with air tools could be deforming the aluminum, some plug makers have substituted aluminum or steel crush washers which when used over and over again repeatedly could lead to pieces being torn off.

There is always the possibility they have cross threaded plugs and just forced them in the hole, this can spell doom for a head or result in costly repairs.

So you should try to blow them out with the plugs in place then unscrew a few turns and again blow them out. It's always proper to start a plug by hand before ever using any air powered tool but unless you are very familiar with air tools my council would be to use a speed handle or just a normal 6" ratchet and then use a torque wrench to spec.

Let us know if that helps.

Cheers,
GTM

What you said is SO TRUE! I tried your way by using a strong magnet and true enough those debris are metal and not aluminium. Well, I guess I am on the safe side now but still I need to tackle the lean factor.

Thanks GTM. Great help!

 

[GTM]

What you said is SO TRUE! I tried your way by using a strong magnet and true enough those debris are metal and not aluminium. Well, I guess I am on the safe side now but still I need to tackle the lean factor.

Thanks GTM. Great help!

You are welcome. Whew, had me worried you were going through a melt down from some of the other comments.

Have you checked for any codes for the lean condition? O2 sensor, vacuum leaks, etc?

Cheers,
GTM

 

[TSiRocker]

My Apexi TT's A/F is reading 14.6 at idle and normal cruising.

Checked my vacumn for leak and everything is fine, no leak.
No CEL but I don't have a proper datalogger so I can't tell if there are "hidden" error codes.

 

[Defiant]

Start using anti-seize on the plug threads, and don't torque them so hard.

 

[GTM]

Start using anti-seize on the plug threads, and don't torque them so hard.

There are different schools of thought on this, using anti-seize causes the plug to have less friction and ends up being over torqued. If this happens it will change the heat range value of the plug according to Champion by as much as 1/2 a heat range colder.

While it's been a long time since I was involved with racing I still note that eventhough compressed air is available they still use speed handles to remove and install plugs. Now if a plug comes out hard then you either chase the threads or use an anti-seize compound.

Of the maybe 100,000+ plugs I've installed I would hazard a guess less than 10,000 ever saw anti-seize and that was because the maker specified they should be lubed.

Cheers,
GTM

 

[Defiant]

Of the maybe 100,000+ plugs I've installed I would hazard a guess less than 10,000 ever saw anti-seize and that was because the maker specified they should be lubed.

I've used it -sparingly- when putting steel plugs into aluminum threads. I've also used Heli-Coil repairs a couple of times when some effing gorilla had put them into aluminum heads without anti-seize, but they'd obviously been put in so hard it wouldn't have mattered.

God, I saw a guy at the Monterey Historic crank some plugs into an OSCA- my pal and I were just waiting for each one to let go so he could fall and be fed some valve cover.