The lifespan tends to be shorter than the others (usually no more than 50,000 miles) but they are usually less expensive. Electrode MaterialĪnother way to classify spark plugs is by the material that the electrodes (which form the gap) are made of: iridium, copper, nickel, or platinum.Ĭopper or nickel is usually the choice for older vehicles or high-performance vehicles. These are often the choice for engines that run lean (less fuel in the fuel/air ratio) or those that run at a high temperature (because that makes preignition that much more likely). Their tips are more likely to become fouled, or dirty with deposits. They’re also often the plug of choice for passenger vehicles as the maintenance interval is longer.Ĭold spark plugs have a shorter insulator tip which allows more heat to exit the combustion chamber and go into the surrounding water jackets (for cooling the engine). Hot spark plugs are a good choice for vehicles that run a rich air/fuel ratio (more fuel in the mixture) because these spark plugs are more likely to have a lot of buildup from the excess fuel. If there is too much heat retained, then preignition can occur (which is bad). Hot spark plugs have a longer insulator tip in order to keep the heat closer to the tip of the plug so that carbon deposits that accumulate over time can burn off. “Hot” spark plugs are those with less heat-dispersal characteristics, and “cold” spark plugs are those that dissipate heat better. This describes the ability of the spark plugs to disperse heat away from the combustion chamber. Spark plugs are referred to by their heat range. Types of Spark Plugs Spark Plug Heat Range If you neglect the maintenance or if the spark plugs are unusually dirty or broken, the vehicle will start showing signs of bad spark plugs to warn you. Each manufacturer has a specific interval at which spark plug replacement is recommended, so make sure to follow that for optimal performance and life of the engine. This should only be done by knowledgeable car owners to avoid further damage.Įventually, the spark plugs will get so dirty, corroded, or worn that they need to be replaced. Some car owners “gap” their spark plugs, or bend the ends to form the correct distance for electricity to arc. Over time, the plug may become dirty (which inhibits the flow of electricity) or the ends of the plug can wear so that the gap may be too wide.
The gap needs to be clean and measured to the correct distance in order for the spark plug to work properly. At the end of the spark plug there is a gap which electricity arcs across to form the spark. Spark plugs use electricity from the battery to create a spark that ignites the mixture of fuel and air in the combustion chamber. *Diesel engines are still combustion engines, but they use glow plugs instead of spark plugs. Replacing bad spark plugs is low-cost and often fairly straightforward (though it does depend on where the spark plugs are located in your vehicle). When even one spark plug is bad or dirty (fouled), the vehicle’s performance can suffer.įortunately, there are some symptoms you can watch for to help diagnose faulty spark plugs. The tiny bolt of lighting each spark plug delivers every time a piston completes a cycle (at top dead center), is necessary to ignite the mixture of compressed air and fuel.Įvery cylinder of a vehicle has its own spark plug – a four-cylinder car has four spark plugs, a six-cylinder has six plugs, and so on. Making sure the spark plugs in your car are in good condition is crucial for it to operate properly.
They are also designed to transfer heat away from the combustion chamber to prevent pre-ignition (or igniting the fuel too early).
Spark plugs, present in all gasoline-powered internal combustion engines, have one very important purpose: to ignite the air/fuel mixture within the combustion chamber to start a car and keep it running.
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