Steve-
My comments regarding Champion plugs were not meant to be an endorsement, just
an example when anti-seize should not be used. Good, bad, or indifferent,
Champion plugs are the world's largest selling brand, & they are used in Rover
V-8's as factory equipment, as well as many other brands of cars & trucks.
I appreciate the spark plug info & would really like more info on the tests if
it can be published.
Thanks again-
Jim Stuart
Steve Darby wrote:
> I do not use Champion plugs. In the past I have had 1 out of 4 beeing bad
> out of the box.
> I have (with another company) done extensive reasearch on plugs with a dyno
> and 5 gas analyser and the best plugs that we found were Nippin-Denso and
> Bosch. Champions were the worst because the resistance varried 20,000 to
> 40,000 ohms wen they got hot (normal running temp) and sometimes went bad
> altogether.
> ND (whick makes Accel. ND plug colored yellow) and Bosch had the lowest
> variations (+ or - 1,000 ohms) of all.
> Steve Darby
> Sports Cars Int'l
>
> Jim Stuart wrote:
>
> > Prompted by a tech tip in Moss Motoring, I wrote a reply, copy to the MG
> > list & several others, that blindly using anti-seize on spark plugs was
> > not a good idea. To summarize, Champion spark plugs have an anti-seize
> > coating from the factory & other products are not recommended. Perhaps
> > other spark plugs do also, I do not know. Never use any coating without
> > consulting the owners or repair manual first. Many dry coatings now
> > exist & may be present on aluminum cylinder heads that may render
> > anti-seize redundant, at best.
> >
> > I am not saying that anti-seize should not be used, only that caution
> > should be used first.
> >
> > The other point that I tried to make was that there are 2 grades of
> > anti-seize, low temp & high temp. Low temp is great for suspension
> > bolts, not good for exhaust manifolds. High temp is more expensive, but
> > can be used every where.
> >
> > The original problem that Dave had where the spark plug had aluminum in
> > the threads is a common indication of cross threading. This is easy to
> > do with an aluminum head. The shop manuals & some spark plug boxes
> > contain installation instructions that few bother to read. Spark plugs
> > are to be threaded by hand until they reach the seat, then are turned a
> > further amount dependent upon design & the use of a gasket. It is
> > impossible to cross thread by hand unless King Kong shrinks his fingers
> > to fit a little spark plug in an often hard to reach location. The plug
> > holes should always be chased & blown out before installing new plugs.
> >
> > The best mechanic I ever knew tried very hard to teach me a little of
> > his skill & knowledge. "If its hard, you are probably doing it wrong."
> > He must have told me that a hundred times, & it certainly applies to
> > starting threads in aluminum.
> >
> > Jim Stuart
|