Spark plugs - New one on me.

Well last night given I was working Nights and there was a good chance of
Getting Morph on to the works compound I went to work in him.

I got 20 Yards up the road and he died, so I suspected the fuel pump again
after the Pre Malvern hickups. I hit the starter and eventually he slowly
fired back up, apparently flooded but spluttered around the estate and then
off we went.

Half way to work and suddenly the left bank of the engine sounded to have a
blow, the blow got worse and worse through out the trip but occasionally
eased up. Odd I thought, maybe the exhaust motion or a cracked manifold. Got
to work and checked it in my brake but given it was as dark as a dark thing
and I has no gizmology I couldn't trace the source.

On my way home I'm coming through the local town having negotiated a
roundabout and the engine died again.. very sudden as in no spark so unluck
dude we're rolling home. Needless to say the large bank ahead meant I had to
pull over.

I did manage to find a 12v ciggy socket lamp I'd stowed aware , whipped the
hood off and took a coursory glance around the bay and clocked the negative
wire from the coil bobbing around, couple of wrist delocating minutes later
we were on the go - Now I'm thinking this was also one of the Pre-Malvern
issues as I was never 100% convinced the problems were soley fuel pump
related.

So Off we go as I have a large sigh of releif that the truck is mobile
again. Get home and the blow on the left bank is still apparent getting
worse or easing off as the truck negotiates bends etc.

Stuff it I think and go for a well earned kip.

Just come in having been out to investigate and using the old flexy rubber
tube to the ear to listen for the source of the blow after checking the
obvious areas I pin it down initially to one gasket... try and tighten the
bolts within realistic torques but no difference. I re check again with the
hose a little more closely now and the bleeding Spark plug was blowing
between the metal Nut type area and the ceramic. How odd! Anyway, all sorted
again now... funny things these old motors (plags have only done around 800
miles)

Lee D

Lee_D <[email protected]> uttered summat worrerz
funny about:

brake n ' plags

What can I say I'm tyred! ;-)

On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 14:34:50 +0100, "Lee_D"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>brake n ' plags

hmm. i'll have to check that out too. the car has a mean chuffing
noise going on (doesnt show at tickover only under load!) and ive
daubed exhaust gloop round every single joint and it made no
difference

Tom Woods <[email protected]> uttered summat worrerz funny
about:
> On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 14:34:50 +0100, "Lee_D"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> brake n ' plags
>
> hmm. i'll have to check that out too. the car has a mean chuffing
> noise going on (doesnt show at tickover only under load!) and ive
> daubed exhaust gloop round every single joint and it made no
> difference

Other one in the past was a loose spark plug, always a chuckle that one.
They can come loose as the threads being in the block alloy get worn.

Other thing I've had is it could be is an Inward chuffing "chuff" of air
being sucked in around the inlet or carb gaskets.

Lee D

In message <[email protected]>
"Lee_D" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Well last night given I was working Nights and there was a good chance of
> Getting Morph on to the works compound I went to work in him.
>
> I got 20 Yards up the road and he died, so I suspected the fuel pump again
> after the Pre Malvern hickups. I hit the starter and eventually he slowly
> fired back up, apparently flooded but spluttered around the estate and then
> off we went.
>
> Half way to work and suddenly the left bank of the engine sounded to have a
> blow, the blow got worse and worse through out the trip but occasionally
> eased up. Odd I thought, maybe the exhaust motion or a cracked manifold. Got
> to work and checked it in my brake but given it was as dark as a dark thing
> and I has no gizmology I couldn't trace the source.
>
> On my way home I'm coming through the local town having negotiated a
> roundabout and the engine died again.. very sudden as in no spark so unluck
> dude we're rolling home. Needless to say the large bank ahead meant I had to
> pull over.
>
> I did manage to find a 12v ciggy socket lamp I'd stowed aware , whipped the
> hood off and took a coursory glance around the bay and clocked the negative
> wire from the coil bobbing around, couple of wrist delocating minutes later
> we were on the go - Now I'm thinking this was also one of the Pre-Malvern
> issues as I was never 100% convinced the problems were soley fuel pump
> related.
>
> So Off we go as I have a large sigh of releif that the truck is mobile
> again. Get home and the blow on the left bank is still apparent getting
> worse or easing off as the truck negotiates bends etc.
>
> Stuff it I think and go for a well earned kip.
>
> Just come in having been out to investigate and using the old flexy rubber
> tube to the ear to listen for the source of the blow after checking the
> obvious areas I pin it down initially to one gasket... try and tighten the
> bolts within realistic torques but no difference. I re check again with the
> hose a little more closely now and the bleeding Spark plug was blowing
> between the metal Nut type area and the ceramic. How odd! Anyway, all sorted
> again now... funny things these old motors (plags have only done around 800
> miles)
>
> Lee D
>
>

I had a Honda G5 that had plug do that twice (Witshire to Kent on
1.5 cylinders!) - it truned out it was *probably* the rubber insert
in my plug socket applying sideways forces on the ceramic of the
plug when tightening.
Removing said insert from the socket certainly stopped it happening
again - but it might have been the change to Champion plugs from
NGK.

Richard
--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
www.radioparadise.com - Good Music, No Vine
Lib Dems - Townies keeping comedy alive

I done something silly many years ago, I unscrewed a spark plug while the
engine was running. It went whizzing past my head and landed 2 houses away.
"can I have my spark plug back please"! lol

Richard



"beamendsltd" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:3dc4764e%[email protected]...
> In message <[email protected]>
> "Lee_D" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Well last night given I was working Nights and there was a good chance of
>> Getting Morph on to the works compound I went to work in him.
>>
>> I got 20 Yards up the road and he died, so I suspected the fuel pump
>> again
>> after the Pre Malvern hickups. I hit the starter and eventually he slowly
>> fired back up, apparently flooded but spluttered around the estate and
>> then
>> off we went.
>>
>> Half way to work and suddenly the left bank of the engine sounded to have
>> a
>> blow, the blow got worse and worse through out the trip but occasionally
>> eased up. Odd I thought, maybe the exhaust motion or a cracked manifold.
>> Got
>> to work and checked it in my brake but given it was as dark as a dark
>> thing
>> and I has no gizmology I couldn't trace the source.
>>
>> On my way home I'm coming through the local town having negotiated a
>> roundabout and the engine died again.. very sudden as in no spark so
>> unluck
>> dude we're rolling home. Needless to say the large bank ahead meant I had
>> to
>> pull over.
>>
>> I did manage to find a 12v ciggy socket lamp I'd stowed aware , whipped
>> the
>> hood off and took a coursory glance around the bay and clocked the
>> negative
>> wire from the coil bobbing around, couple of wrist delocating minutes
>> later
>> we were on the go - Now I'm thinking this was also one of the Pre-Malvern
>> issues as I was never 100% convinced the problems were soley fuel pump
>> related.
>>
>> So Off we go as I have a large sigh of releif that the truck is mobile
>> again. Get home and the blow on the left bank is still apparent getting
>> worse or easing off as the truck negotiates bends etc.
>>
>> Stuff it I think and go for a well earned kip.
>>
>> Just come in having been out to investigate and using the old flexy
>> rubber
>> tube to the ear to listen for the source of the blow after checking the
>> obvious areas I pin it down initially to one gasket... try and tighten
>> the
>> bolts within realistic torques but no difference. I re check again with
>> the
>> hose a little more closely now and the bleeding Spark plug was blowing
>> between the metal Nut type area and the ceramic. How odd! Anyway, all
>> sorted
>> again now... funny things these old motors (plags have only done around
>> 800
>> miles)
>>
>> Lee D
>>
>>
>
> I had a Honda G5 that had plug do that twice (Witshire to Kent on
> 1.5 cylinders!) - it truned out it was *probably* the rubber insert
> in my plug socket applying sideways forces on the ceramic of the
> plug when tightening.
> Removing said insert from the socket certainly stopped it happening
> again - but it might have been the change to Champion plugs from
> NGK.
>
> Richard
> --
> www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
> www.radioparadise.com - Good Music, No Vine
> Lib Dems - Townies keeping comedy alive

Richard <[email protected]> uttered summat worrerz funny about:
> I done something silly many years ago, I unscrewed a spark plug while
> the engine was running. It went whizzing past my head and landed 2
> houses away. "can I have my spark plug back please"! lol
>
> Richard



At work one of our lot recovered a stolen motorbike and rode it back to the
nick in the days when you could do that kind of thing without the H&S reps
doing the wall of death.

Anyway when chummy got it in the back yard we stuck our heads out of the
window to take the preverbial as you do.... he couldn't switch it off due to
being hot wired so one of the lads advised him to pull the spark plug lead
off. I think that was probably the moment break dance was born.

Lee

beamendsltd <[email protected]> uttered summat worrerz funny
about:
>
> I had a Honda G5 that had plug do that twice (Witshire to Kent on
> 1.5 cylinders!) - it truned out it was *probably* the rubber insert
> in my plug socket applying sideways forces on the ceramic of the
> plug when tightening.
> Removing said insert from the socket certainly stopped it happening
> again - but it might have been the change to Champion plugs from
> NGK.
>
> Richard

I always use the thin walled sockets that come in the tool kit now since
cross threading a plug on my first Rangie such is the design of the heads.

Now I think about it when I had the heads reworked last Winter the plugs
went with them and went through the parts wash... maybe some kind of glue
was dislodged. I guess I better get another set if only as spares.

Lee D

I had a plug ceramic core come loose, initially thought some bearings had
gone due to the metallic rattle but sooooo releived that it was just a plug.
The core was moving in and out in as the piston moved up and down. I still
have it i the shed to remind me to check the plugs first when there are
metallic rattle probs

Wolfie

Lee_D wrote:

>
> Just come in having been out to investigate and using the old flexy rubber
> tube to the ear to listen for the source of the blow after checking the
> obvious areas I pin it down initially to one gasket... try and tighten the
> bolts within realistic torques but no difference. I re check again with the
> hose a little more closely now and the bleeding Spark plug was blowing
> between the metal Nut type area and the ceramic. How odd! Anyway, all sorted
> again now... funny things these old motors (plags have only done around 800
> miles)


I've seen a few spark plugs blow the ceramic right out of the steel
part. It's generally been on race car engines where combustion
pressures are higher than normal and the engine running temperatures are
probably hotter than average. Whilst a 101 isn't exactly a performance
vehicle they probably do have an excess of engine bay heat so that might
be the cause.


--
EMB

beamendsltd wrote:

>
> I had a Honda G5 that had plug do that twice (Witshire to Kent on
> 1.5 cylinders!) - it truned out it was *probably* the rubber insert
> in my plug socket applying sideways forces on the ceramic of the
> plug when tightening.
> Removing said insert from the socket certainly stopped it happening
> again - but it might have been the change to Champion plugs from
> NGK.

I've never seen an NGK plug do that - they have always been Champion
ones that have fallen apart. Do yourself a favour and buy a decent
magnetic spark plug socket - I've never damaged, dropped or broken a
spark plug with one.


--
EMB

Richard wrote:
> I done something silly many years ago, I unscrewed a spark plug while the
> engine was running. It went whizzing past my head and landed 2 houses away.
> "can I have my spark plug back please"! lol

I've never seen that done, but I've watched someone remove the rocker
cover on a Chev V8 to replace a broken rocker, only to have the retainer
and valve spring bugger off through the tin roof of the workshop when
they were disturbed - we never found where they landed.

--
EMB

"EMB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Lee_D wrote:
>
> >
> > Just come in having been out to investigate and using the old flexy
rubber
> > tube to the ear to listen for the source of the blow after checking the
> > obvious areas I pin it down initially to one gasket... try and tighten
the
> > bolts within realistic torques but no difference. I re check again with
the
> > hose a little more closely now and the bleeding Spark plug was blowing
> > between the metal Nut type area and the ceramic. How odd! Anyway, all
sorted
> > again now... funny things these old motors (plags have only done around
800
> > miles)
>
>
> I've seen a few spark plugs blow the ceramic right out of the steel
> part. It's generally been on race car engines where combustion
> pressures are higher than normal and the engine running temperatures are
> probably hotter than average. Whilst a 101 isn't exactly a performance
> vehicle they probably do have an excess of engine bay heat so that might
> be the cause.
>
>
I had a Bosch plug in a 7 series BMW last year blow the middle out of a
plug, parted company just below the hexagon for the socket. All that was
left was the thread in the hole with a bit of steel tubing above it. Right
at the back where you can't get at it, good job it wasn't very tight. An
easyout did the trick but I didn't think it would. (visions of head removal
just for that).

Martin