Spark plugs

[Lynn5907]

Got some NGK spark plugs that ran well for about 35,000 miles or so. When I installed them I put new boots on (GAs spark plug wire set) with dielectric grease. The plugs came out very dry so I put anti-seize on the new ones and worked it in also dielectric grease on them as well. Here r some pics of old ones. Any advise about this?

[Frosty]

So what prompted you to change your plugs in the first place? I really don't see anything of extreme concern in the wear.

Are these the correct NGK plugs for your GA? Based on the numbers on the plugs vs. what I pull up at Autozone.com - these could be a heat range or two off.  Autozone shows a TR55IX as one of the NGK plugs.

[Lynn5907]

The book in the car said platinum plugs and then I go for cheapest cuz I'm poor 😥  lol. I was wondering if they where getting a little to hot myself. I changed them cuz I just change plugs like ever 30k ish 

[Lynn5907]

Would iridium's be better in my case .... frosty got a question.

Does it really hurt to over gap a plug? I miss read the book and it said .05 I set them for .06 

 

I reset the plugs gap from .06 to .05 and removed anti-seize from nickle plated plugs .. then was like what the hell and actually read the dielectric grease packet (n this is why u should read all manuals) turns out it is an insulator and not a conductor ... cleaned up that mess and the difference in gas mileage is crazy. I do think this is why I though the old plugs where bad to start with. Damn dielectric grease  on contact points 

Edited December 31, 2018 by Lynn5907

[Frosty]

Spark plug selection and gap is absolutely critical to plug and engine performance. Always, always, always double check the spark plug gap of new plugs out of the box. Things can always happen in shipping. Gaps differ with the type of core/tip the spark plug is made of: traditional copper, platinum, or iridium. For traditional copper the gap is usually .060, platinum and iridium is .050. This is a huge difference in terms of spark travel. It is also critical that you select the proper plug for your car.

It's okay to be cheap (to an extent). So copper plugs are often cheapest and usually don't go 100k miles like the platinum or iridium plugs do. Just remember to gap it correctly and get the correct spark plug for your car and engine combination.

The use of anti-seize compound on the outside threads won't impact the performance of the plugs. The point is to not over do it. Ditto with di-electric grease.