[Fot] Spark Plugs

Bill Babcock Bill at ponostyle.com
Fri Apr 24 14:20:49 MDT 2015 

Oops, I thought I did. 


> On Apr 24, 2015, at 10:18 AM, Bill Tobin <william.tobin31 at verizon.net> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Bill, great info.
> Why not share with the rest of the gang?
> Cheers, Bill
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: Bill Babcock <mailto:Bill at ponostyle.com>
>> To: Bill Tobin <mailto:william.tobin31 at verizon.net>
>> Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 12:26 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Fot] Spark Plugs
>> 
>> Simple enough, you find a place you can be at whatever throttle setting you’re testing for a long time, like the length of a straight—generally wide open, but you might want part throttle sometimes. As you near the end you chop the throttle, push in the clutch and kill the ignition and coast to where you’re going to read the plug. Usually the hot pits. 
>> 
>> Generally the EGT, fuel meter, and plug reading will agree, the plug reading being the most sensitive since it’s the only one of these three parts that’s in the combustion chamber.  If they don’t you probably have something else affecting them, or possibly you have a seriously cold plug. 
>> 
>> You have to read a plug at the porcelain tip for heat range and at the base for mixture. If the tip is blistered or glossy white it’s too hot. It should look grey or dull white. Look further down the porcelain with a lighted magnifying glass and read the base ring. It should be tan if your mixture is right. The ground electrode of a new plug gives you an indication of heat range also—if the plating is burned back past the curve it’s too hot, if it’s only burned at the tip the plug is a little too cold. You also want to look at the center electrode for signs of melting—the edges get slightly rounded when the plug is overheating. Can be an indication of too hot a plug but more likely the timing is too advanced. 
>> 
>> The right temperature is a pretty narrow range. Plugs start self-cleaning at about 500C, run best at 600-700C, and start pre-igniting at 800C. 
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2015, at 3:53 AM, Bill Tobin <william.tobin31 at verizon.net <mailto:william.tobin31 at verizon.net>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Bill, for the sake of those unfamiliar with a clean chop or clean cut, could you give a description of it? You're very well-spoken and articulate and know what you're talking about.
>>> An old friend taught me how to do a clean cut about 45 years ago; we'll see if his method and yours are the same. I'm willing to wager that they are.
>>> Thanks, Bill
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>> From: Bill Babcock via Fot <mailto:fot at autox.team.net>
>>>> To: Kas Kastner <mailto:kaskastner at gmail.com>
>>>> Cc: fot <mailto:fot at autox.team.net>
>>>> Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 1:21 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Fot] Spark Plugs
>>>> 
>>>> You also can’t read a plug without a clean chop, which few people ever bother with or have any idea how to do. It’s a lot more important than starting with a clean plug. I don’t doubt that there’s a difference in horsepower in having a plug so hot that its blistering or pre-igniting, or so cold that it’s fouling. But there’s nothing you can learn on a dyno about what plug to use. If you’re smart about it, you run a very cold plug on a dyno.  And you mostly read plugs to get jetting right, not to choose the heat range.  I consider myself to be pretty good at reading plugs, I pestered Bobby Strahlman long enough and hard enough to learn most of what he was willing to tell me. It’s a bigger deal for motorcycles, in the same way that jetting carbs is a bigger deal. If you’ve only got one or two cylinders, and you’ve only got 30 horsepower, you better get them all. 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Apr 23, 2015, at 5:39 PM, Kas Kastner <kaskastner at gmail.com <mailto:kaskastner at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> The manner of having the right heat range can mean more than a little bit of power. It does mater.  Most plugs I look at for the guys are generally to hot for the circumstances. Learn about          this stuff.  Clean the plugs, keep a little sand blast cleaner handy and never run a session without a few ( one or two CLEAN) plugs in the engine. You cannot read a dirty plug from running a session before. Don't be LAZY. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Never be beaten by equipment.
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 5:11 PM, Bill Babcock via Fot <fot at autox.team.net <mailto:fot at autox.team.net>> wrote:
>>>>>> Why would you want to play with heat range on a dyno? There’s no horsepower difference. The only function of heat range is to have the porcelain at the right temperature to burn off deposits and not overheat to the point that the plug electrode melts or the porcelain blisters. Or at an extreme that the spark plug starts acting like a glow plug. Some tracks that are very tight or that have elevation changes might dictate a change to a hotter plug, or one with long open straights might warrant a colder one, but once you’re in the ballpark you shouldn’t have to do much. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Apr 23, 2015, at 8:51 AM, Robert M. Lang via Fot <fot at autox.team.net <mailto:fot at autox.team.net>> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> I've been using Accel 114's for the last ten or 15 years, they seem to work fine. I have a collection of different temp range plugs from Accel all the way from 113 through 117. I've never              taken the time to play on the dyno to see if there's any difference changing heat range. I know = "my bad". I've never had a plug fail despite the amount of internet detritus regarding the quality of this brand.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> In any case I was thinking about switching to NGK. My TR6 motor is 12:1, Webers, cam (street duration Isky Z19), header, etc. Ignition is Mallory / Pertronix.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Would the NGK BP6ES or BP7ES be a better choice?
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>> rml
>>>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>> Bob Lang              Triumph TR6!!            |  This space for rent
>>>>>>> Former NER Solo Chair                          |
>>>>>>> Voice:617-253-7438                             |  Cell: 339-927-4489
>>>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> fot at autox.team.net <mailto:fot at autox.team.net>
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> http://www.fot-racing.com <http://www.fot-racing.com/>
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html <http://www.team.net/donate.html>
>>>>>>> Archive: http://www.team.net/archive <http://www.team.net/archive>
>>>>>>> Forums: http://www.team.net/forums <http://www.team.net/forums>
>>>>>>> Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/fot/bill@ponostyle.com <http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/fot/bill@ponostyle.com>
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Bill Babcock
>>>>>> Bill at ponostyle.com <mailto:Bill at ponostyle.com>
>>>>>> Editor: Ponostyle
>>>>>> Celebrating Water
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Editor: Xtreme Geezer
>>>>>> Fitness and Fun After Forty
>>>>>> 503.936.7660
>>>>>> http://www.PonoStyle.com <http://www.ponostyle.com/>
>>>>>> http://www.Xgeez.com <http://www.xgeez.com/>
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> fot at autox.team.net <mailto:fot at autox.team.net>
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> http://www.fot-racing.com <http://www.fot-racing.com/>
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html <http://www.team.net/donate.html>
>>>>>> Archive: http://www.team.net/archive <http://www.team.net/archive>
>>>>>> Forums: http://www.team.net/forums <http://www.team.net/forums>
>>>>>> Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/fot/kaskastner@gmail.com <http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/fot/kaskastner@gmail.com>
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Bill Babcock
>>>> Bill at ponostyle.com <mailto:Bill at ponostyle.com>
>>>> Editor: Ponostyle
>>>> Celebrating Water
>>>> 
>>>> Editor: Xtreme Geezer
>>>> Fitness and Fun After Forty
>>>> 503.936.7660
>>>> http://www.PonoStyle.com <http://www.ponostyle.com/>
>>>> http://www.Xgeez.com <http://www.xgeez.com/>
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> fot at autox.team.net <mailto:fot at autox.team.net>
>>>> 
>>>> http://www.fot-racing.com <http://www.fot-racing.com/>
>>>> 
>>>> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html <http://www.team.net/donate.html>
>>>> Archive: http://www.team.net/archive <http://www.team.net/archive>
>>>> Forums: http://www.team.net/forums <http://www.team.net/forums>
>>>> Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/fot/william.tobin31@verizon.net <http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/fot/william.tobin31@verizon.net>
>>>> 
>>>> 
>> 
>> Bill Babcock
>> Bill at ponostyle.com <mailto:Bill at ponostyle.com>
>> Editor: Ponostyle
>> Celebrating Water
>> 
>> Editor: Xtreme Geezer
>> Fitness and Fun After Forty
>> 503.936.7660
>> http://www.PonoStyle.com <http://www.ponostyle.com/>
>> http://www.Xgeez.com <http://www.xgeez.com/>
> 

Bill Babcock
Bill at ponostyle.com
Editor: Ponostyle
Celebrating Water

Editor: Xtreme Geezer
Fitness and Fun After Forty
503.936.7660
http://www.PonoStyle.com
http://www.Xgeez.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://autox.team.net/pipermail/fot/attachments/20150424/1626c8c1/attachment-0001.htm>

More information about the Fot mailing list