There are five general types of spark plugs: Spark plugs play a vital role in the combustion process of your vehicle’s engine, and the difference between the right and wrong replacement engine spark plug can have a substantial impact on your vehicle’s lifespan. This information should be found in your owner’s manual. Try to match these features with the spark plugs that come standard with your vehicle. The two things to note are spark plug material and temperature range. It's not uncommon for the coil-on-plug units to fail causing the car to misfire, and the dash light to come on.Before replacing your spark plug, it’s important to purchase the proper replacement. Reading the fault codes will help you pinpoint the cause. But you'll generally feel the car misfiring (lumpy engine note, and lack of power) as it brings on the engine management light. Can bad spark plug leads cause the check engine light to come on? How do you measure spark plug voltage?Ī spark plug generates huge voltages anywhere between 25-45,000 volts! Measuring the voltage is not really necessary as a visual check will confirm whether it is sparking strongly or not – either using the earthing method or a spark plug tester. If this is a weak spark it may not be sufficient to overcome the immense cylinder pressures – which is why an in-line tester is a more reliable method of diagnosis. Get someone to attempt to start the engine and you should see a strong blue spark jump from the plug to the engine. To do this removing the plug, but reconnect the HT lead – hold the HT rubber boot with insulted pliers and almost touch the engine block with the spark plug. You can test a plug for a spark by 'earthing it'. If you get no joy, then work back down the ignition system until you find the fault. If no light is illuminated further diagnostic work is needed. Operate the engine as usual, and the tester will illuminate if it is receiving a strong electrical input. You simply remove the HT lead and plug the device in-line, so it connects to the end of the HT lead and the base of the spark plug. The devices are very simple to operate, and safe. You don't need to go too tight.Īs the name suggests this tests the spark plug, or more accurately it tests whether there is an electrical current capable of generating a spark. Once it's finger tight use the wrench to tighten it a further half, to two thirds of a turn. Now carefully screw in the plug – do it without the wrench attached until you can feel it 'bite' and are positive it's not cross-threaded.
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