[Healeys] Spark plug gap

Thu May 4 08:10:47 MDT 2023

On no!  Who knew that gapping your plugs at .032 would ruin your engine. Thank you Josef for saving us.  

Richard Mayor
boyracer466 at gmail.com

> On May 4, 2023, at 4:43 AM, josef-eckert--- via Healeys <healeys at autox.team.net> wrote:
> 
> Sorry, I am out here. This guy wants to play till the engine is shot.
>  
>  
>  
> -----Original-Nachricht-----
> Betreff: RE: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
> Datum: 2023-05-04T12:45:37+0200
> Von: "simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com" <simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com>
> An: "josef-eckert at t-online.de" <josef-eckert at t-online.de>
>  
>  
>  
> Thanks for that. I’ll certainly bear it in mind. Likewise, I’ll keep a close eye on my engine’s temperature. The latter is quite well protected with a modern rad, all the correct baffles, 5 blade fan plus electronic fan. But, as I said, I’ll keep an eye on it.
> 
> Someone mentioned that he used “Iridium” plugs from NGK. I googled them….horribly expensive. Can they be worth it in our old cars?
> 
> Simon
> 
>  
> From: josef-eckert at t-online.de <josef-eckert at t-online.de> 
> Sent: 04 May 2023 07:06
> To: simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com; Healey, Forum <healeys at autox.team.net>
> Subject: AW: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
> 
>  
> For me, i prefer Champion plugs plugs to NGK, but that´s a matter of taste. I think both, Champion and NGK, are of similar quality. Matter of taste, as I wrote. But NOT the car manufacturer determines the plug gap, its the plug manufacturer. Definitely the car manufacturer takes this for his specs in the workshop manual.
> There is to much hype about plugs anyway. I am working as a professional, Elecrtonics and Elecrtrcian engineer, at a big classic car parts supplier here in Europe and I never go away from the given plug gap as set by the plug manufacturer. Austin-Healey engines  are not high tech, they are tractor engines and can take a lot of misfit, but anyway BMC knew at the time what´s best to do with them, even its printed 60 or 70 years ago.
> Some people try to adjust the fuel mixture with a CO-tester. You can do that, but it doesn´t give best results for road use, especially in hotter climates and high above sea level.
> When you are very good in engine engineering and have all the tools you can try to find some more horsepower in your engine, but you always pay that with some more heat produced, which is not at all good for our old BMC engines.
>  
> Josef
>  
>  
>  
> -----Original-Nachricht-----
> Betreff: RE: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
> Datum: 2023-05-04T00:06:58+0200
> Von: "simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com <mailto:simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com>" <simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com <mailto:simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com>>
> An: "josef-eckert at t-online.de <mailto:josef-eckert at t-online.de>" <josef-eckert at t-online.de <mailto:josef-eckert at t-online.de>>
>  
>  
>  
> You may be right. Not sure.
> 
> Actually I thought that the gap was determined by the car’s manufacturer ie one could expect to find the same plug in two different cars and to find that the recommended gap was not the same for each car.
> 
> Likewise, the BMC manual suggests Champion plugs at 0.024” to 0.026” and that was some 60+ years ago. I’ve always been told that Champion plugs aren’t the best in the world and I’m sure that a modern NGK can stand a little more heat than the Champions that were around 60 years ago.
> 
> Anyhow, I’ll keep an eye on them. I’m a pretty tame driver so there won’t be undue stress under the bonnet.
> 
> Simon
> 
>  
> From: josef-eckert at t-online.de <mailto:josef-eckert at t-online.de> <josef-eckert at t-online.de <mailto:josef-eckert at t-online.de>> 
> Sent: 03 May 2023 20:56
> To: simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com <mailto:simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com>; healeys at autox.team.net <mailto:healeys at autox.team.net>
> Subject: AW: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
> 
>  
> Spark plugs are designed and tested to be used with the gap given by the producer of the spark plug.
> When you widen the gap the plug gets hotter as it is designed for and the electrode can melt or wear very fast.
> Its a very short win you gain modifying them.
> I never understand why people think they are better engineers and know better than the designers of the system they use.
>  
> Josef
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>  
>  
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> -----Original-Nachricht-----
> Betreff: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
> Datum: 2023-05-03T21:39:57+0200
> Von: "Simon Lachlan via Healeys" <healeys at autox.team.net <mailto:healeys at autox.team.net>>
> An: "'Healeys'" <healeys at autox.team.net <mailto:healeys at autox.team.net>>
>  
>  
>  
> I run my MkII BT7 on NGK BP6ES which were recommended by some of the wise ones on this list.
> 
> The car has a “Sports” coil and a 123Ignition distributor. DW fast road cam…etc
> 
> Now, talking of “recommended”, the rolling road guys told me to set the plugs at 0.028” and pooh-poohed anything bigger when I suggested that I’d heard of much greater gaps with my approximate setup.
> 
> So, I went with 0.028.
> 
> The other day, I decided to experiment and set my spare set at 0.032”. Same NGKs, no mileage on them..decent plugs. Anyhow, it made a very surprising difference. All round performance is much enhanced.
> 
> Despite it’s 3:54 diff and 28% OD, it was never sluggish on our local hills. But now it fairly zooms up them.
> 
> To be frank, all a bit of a surprise.
> 
> Not boasting…just putting that out there in case anyone else is thinking of going up a few thou…..
> 
> When I asked about gaps a few years back, some of the suggestions were near 0.040”. Surely that a bit much?
> 
> Simon
> 
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> 
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