How do these spark plugs look?

[Beezle]

Ok when I did my motorswap and ordered everything for it. I ordered most of my parts from sbr. Since the closest to stock plugs they carry are the 7es's I bought em. Now my motor is bone stock besides a k&n filter. All I did when I got my sparkplugs were put em in. I thought they came pre-gapped, but they don't. I was having what seemed to be fuel cut when I started to build boost in 3rd-5th. Could this have been from unpropperly gapped sparkplugs? I also changed the fuel filter since the last time I drove it. I'm waiting on my 4 bolt rear right now so I can drive it to see if the fuel filter was the problem or not.

Anyway, what do you guys suggest? Re-gap these spark plugs and put em back in? Put a brand new set of 7es's I have (properly gapped to .028), or buy a new set of 6es's?

Here's a pic of the spark plugs. Does is look like normal wear?

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[brute]

Spark plugs look good. Have you changed your wires recently? It doesn't sound like you're getting fuel cut. It sounds to me like you are getting slight misfires. Try doing a search for "stuttering" and your answer should be in there. It's a spark problem, so try changing plugs and wires.

With your mods, you should be with the BPR6ES's at 0.28" gap. If that doesn't help, examine the spark plug wells. It's possible there is oil in them causing the spark to travel through the oil. If so, you can try replacing the spark plug well gaskets or just drying it off and RTV-ing for a temporary fix. Also make sure all the wire connections are tight on the coil and the plug. Also, make sure to use dielectric grease.

 

[Beezle]

Spark plugs look good. Have you changed your wires recently? It doesn't sound like you're getting fuel cut. It sounds to me like you are getting slight misfires. Try doing a search for "stuttering" and your answer should be in there. It's a spark problem, so try changing plugs and wires.

With your mods, you should be with the BPR6ES's at 0.28" gap. If that doesn't help, examine the spark plug wells. It's possible there is oil in them causing the spark to travel through the oil. If so, you can try replacing the spark plug well gaskets or just drying it off and RTV-ing for a temporary fix. Also make sure all the wire connections are tight on the coil and the plug. Also, make sure to use dielectric grease.

I have a brand new set of ngk spark plug wires too. I did have a problem with one of the spark plug gaskets leaking but I changed every gasket on the valve cover and that problem is fixed now.

Is is possible that I was having a misfiring problem because I never gapped them?

 

[brute]

Yes. You should never rely on the gap they come with from wherever you buy them. That is not the correct gap. Bite the bullet and spend $1.35 for the ring gapper. You can find one at PepBoys, Napa, anywhere like that. Then just gap them all to 0.28"

 

[Beezle]

Yes. You should never rely on the gap they come with from wherever you buy them. That is not the correct gap. Bite the bullet and spend $1.35 for the ring gapper. You can find one at PepBoys, Napa, anywhere like that. Then just gap them all to 0.28"

Heh I definatly will. It's not like I'm cheap and didn't want to buy a gapping tool. It's just I put the plugs in thinking the gap would be correct. Will definatly go and buy a gapping tool tomorrow. Unfortunatly I will have to wait 3-4 days for my 4 bolt so I can drive my car and see if it's fixed.

Also, does anyone know if napa/pepboys sells the ngk 6es's? I've only seen them online. Most local autoparts stores don't have em. Haven't checked pepboys or napa though.

 

[brute]

They should. I bought my 7's at Napa. When the guy at the computer asks what you need, don't give him make/model/year and all that. Just say you need 4 NGK BPR6ES spark plugs. They'll get them for you. It's just a hassle if you go through the computer.

 

[Beezle]

They should. I bought my 7's at Napa. When the guy at the computer asks what you need, don't give him make/model/year and all that. Just say you need 4 NGK BPR6ES spark plugs. They'll get them for you. It's just a hassle if you go through the computer.

Will do. Thanks for the help man.

 

[Defiant]

Do not use a ring gapper. Use a proper wire gapper. It's another two bucks.
What the hell gap is on those plugs? Holy crap.

 

[steve]

What the hell gap is on those plugs? Holy crap.

The gap on those plugs looks huge.

Steve

 

[Rice Over Wheat]

They don't all look the same gap either.

 

[Beezle]

They don't all look the same gap either.

Yeah, the one all the way on the left looks smaller than the rest. Time to go gap em.

 

[TAI92GSX]

Those kind of gap in the pic above will definitely cause a misfire when you get on it.

Of all the BPR7ES plugs I have use in my car for the past 6 years. They all come pre gap at .032. Just gap them to .028.

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

Napa and Advance Auto are the only ones that sell them directly... At Autozone, we only sell NGK motorcycle plugs... and that sucks... but oh well then.... They usually can order them overnight if they dont have them in stock.... and the only real way to clean plugs is to clean them with an electrical cleaning solvent, make sure its dried off, and then take a blow torch and get them nice and hot... to burn off all the soot and carbon deposits if there are any, and that is only assuming that the plugs are in a decent state, not broken and cracked and damaged... That is one thing I learned from an old mechanic....

 

[TAI92GSX]

If you have Bumper to Bumper nearby, they carry NGK too.

About cleaning, you can sandblast it but most people don't have excess to a sandblast. I sandblast plugs that are still in good shape all the time at work. Looks brand new and much faster than with solvent and torching it. I would just put in new plugs in, its cheap enough. But again, we own a DSM.

 

[Deadly BlaZe]

The gap on those plugs looks huge.

Steve

Don't mean to steal the thread, but how important is it to have the right gap on the plugs?

 

[siceclipse]

defiant is right.
get the wire style plug gaper.
i have one with the feeler gauge on the other side so i can correctly measure the gap after i set it with the wire.

 

[wvturbo2]

Friend's Dad's Mustang Mach 1 w/ vortech supercharger was gapped to stock spec and not gapped to the reccomended gap for the supercharger and it continuously blew out the spark. When it did run it ran like shit, once gapped properly that thing was mean and i dont even like mustangs . gapping is very important. IF it wasn't we wouldn't gap them in the first place .

 

[timloomis]

I had trouble getting the bpr7's at autozone.Just tell them you need part number 2023.

 

[Rice Over Wheat]

I just changed out my plugs today to BPR8ES. If you don't have a wire gapper you can get away with the feeler gauge. You have to measure the gap at the center of the plug's tip. You can stick the corner of the feeler gauge in the center to do that, or you can use a smaller gap on a feeler gauge like .026 which compensates for it measuring the outside gap and is approximately 0.028 at center. But it is easier to use wire gapper IF your auto stores have them - mine don't.

Oh and buy that spark plug anti-seize and protector grease that are in the condom packages to put on before you stick them in.

 

[steve]

The gap is still the closest two points on the plug not whatever the center is. If you bent the end of the ground electrode over and it's closer on the outside of the center electrode then that's were it's going to arc to. You really want to bend the ground electrode parallel to the center electrode and that is one of the things a good set of gapping pliers will do. Usually the gap the plug comes with is close enough that only minor tweeking is needed and the electrodes remain pretty much parallel.

The reason you use a wire rather than a feeler gauge is so you don't hold it an an angle to the gap and measure smaller than the actual gap.

 

[Rice Over Wheat]

I might be running 0.026 gap then. Runs perfectly fine as before so I'm going to leave it as is.

 

[Defiant]

Don't mean to steal the thread, but how important is it to have the right gap on the plugs?

Critically.

 

[S Ladd]

a tad rich