When a spark plug develops a problem or wears out, your car starts sending out some signals. Here are some of the signs that you will notice during your driving experience that will point out exactly what the problem is. If you are lucky enough to have read this post, you won’t rush to the mechanic worried that your car has developed some mechanical problems. If you find an opportunistic mechanic, he will scam you clean. He will change your Spark Plugs and demand a hefty paycheck for work not done.
Some of the signs to look out for are:
POOR FUEL ECONOMY
All drivers take note of or should take note of their fuel economy. A Faulty Spark plug will not be able to burn fuel efficiently. This will cause your engine to consume more fuel than usual hence contributing to poor fuel economy. The vehicle consumes a lot of fuel because the Engine Control Module (ECM), has no control over spark strength or oxygen content so it adds fuel to compensate for the poor combustion. If your autobile suddenly begins to take up more fuel than before, then it’s time you replaced your Spark Plugs.
POOR PERFORMANCE
The most common indicator that your spark plugs are worn out is the poor acceleration of your vehicle. Spark plugs are supposed to deliver a strong spark to ignite more fuel/air mixture and generate more power for your motor vehicle. Faulty spark plugs will not keep up with this demand. Your car will become sluggishly. If you notice this, it’s time to have to have your Spark Plug replaced.
DIFFICULTY STARTING
Proper ignition becomes difficult when the engine is cold. The Engine Control Module (ECM) adds more fuel which causes poor vaporization. It is difficult for a faulty or worn out spark plug to ignite the mixture. This leads to difficulty in starting the engine. Other symptoms include long cranking and no-start at all.
ENGINE MISFIRE
A problem in the ignition system can cause the engine to misfire. A sensor malfunction can also cause this but the reason could also be a Faulty spark plug . A cylinder misfire happens mostly when the spark plug is unable to ignite the air-fuel mixture. This can happen because of worn spark plugs or damaged spark plug wires. A misfire generally begins as an intermittent miss, then develops to a persistent one. Noticing this can help you rule out other causes like plugged injector, low compression, bad coil pack, bad plug wires or possible carbon tracks in the distributor cap. Try replacing the Spark Plugs next time you notice engine misfire before you start hitting the road running.
ROUGH IDLE
A faulty Spark Plug will cause your engine idle sound rough. The jittery sound from the engine can even cause the vehicle to vibrate. Over the course of its lifetime, an average spark plug might fire 27.5 million to 110 million times. Each time it vaporizes a few molecules off the spark plug electrodes. Eventually, the spark plug gap increases, and the air-fuel mixture will not be able to ignite as expected.
ENGINE LIGHT ON
The engine light on can be a sign that your engine is having spark plug problems. The Engine Control Module (ECM), tends to be more sensitive and can easily detect a single cylinder misfire from thousands of good ignitions.
HESITATION AND SURGING
Slightly less noticeable, hesitation on acceleration and surging might be described as the engine not “responding” immediately to driver input. Then, a “surge” in power might come unexpectedly. This slight delay in power delivery might be a sign that your car has a Spark Plug issue.
How to Replace Spark Plugs
Checking the plugs is usually one of the easiest operations in motor maintenance, and is often the starting point in diagnosing poor starting or motor running problems.
Depending on the model of your car or motorbike, engine type, driving habits and spark plug type, spark plugs can last from 30,000 to 120,000 miles. For some vehicles, replacing spark plugs is as easy as drinking water. However, some vehicles have their Spark Plugs hidden behind some engine components and some other plastic equipment that need detaching before accessing the plugs. If you don’t have any experience in dealing with engines, don’t try replacing spark plugs at home. You can easily damage your engine. Let it be done by a mechanic. After all, that’s their work!
Note that a bad spark plug will generally be pretty badly carbon-fouled when you take it out, while a good one will be tan-to-white all around the center electrode. A bad one may possibly be missing the center electrode which will be burnt down inside the ceramic insulator but a good Spark Plug will have near-factory gap. When replacing Spark Plugs, care must be taken to screw them straight in but don’t over-tighten them.
Follow Us on Social Media 😂
