My grandfather had a truck garage, most of his trucks were gasoline
engine trucks. He also had a mechanic who used to put "used" plugs on
his kitchen stove (gas) with the electrode in the blue flame of the gas
burner. He used to take the plugs home with him for this "special
treatment". The other mechanics thought he wanted to keep it a
"secret", but as he explained to me years later, "it takes a long time
in the flame to get all the gas and oil out and I don't have the time to
stand there with a torch".
I asked him how long he "cooked the plugs". He said - "at least a half
hour"......
"Used plugs" always worked after his treatment......and the shop had a
special drawer marked "Plugs George Cleaned". It was almost always
empty.
Now I know why....
Kevin V.
Ptegler wrote:
>
> I seem to remember years ago reading about why some of the newer
> plug materials were better. It had to do with the porosity of the metal
> and the seal between the electrode and the ceramic insulator.
> The copper's surface porosity is greater and would allow gas and
> oil to migrate into the metal as well as up and in between the two.
> This increase the resistance path to the tip while creating an
> alternate path for some of the engird to travel through back to ground.
>
> Paul Tegler wizardz@toad.net http://www.teglerizer.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Charles D. Sorkin" <cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com>
> To: "Spridget List" <spridgets@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 8:50 AM
> Subject: Running again, plus a spark plug issue
>
> Dear List:
>
> The '74 Midget is running again, after about ten days of puzzlement. I was
> getting spark at the plugs, timing was within a couple of degrees of
> correct, the firing order was 1-3-4-2, and fuel was being delivered to the
> cylinders, as evidenced by the fact that the plugs were soaked with
> gasoline. Plug gap, point gap were both correct, at .025 and .016, and the
> condensor was new.
>
> While about to give up, I gave a local parts vendor a call to ask his
> opinion, and to order the jets that I thought that I needed. He inquired as
> to which spark plugs I was using. They were the NGK Copper sort, (thanks,
> Frank) which had been giving excellent results, and good fuel mileage. This
> fellow said that it is a frequent problem with Coppers that once they get a
> good soaking in fuel, they almost never produce a good spark, even if
> cleaned. Try Platinums, he suggested, and since I had a set in the glove
> compartment, I did, and sure enough, the car fired right up.
>
> Has anyone else ever heard that Copper plugs can be permanently fouled by
> just a good soak in raw fuel? What's so different about Platinums?
>
> Regards,
>
> Charles
> '74 Midget
> '68 Sprite
> Bloomfield, NJ
> cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com
> "How about we duck inside for a Hen?"
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