spark plugs and what they tell me?
10-24-2009, 02:28 PM
#1
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spark plugs and what they tell me?
ok, today I popped the hood and pulled 2 plugs 1 from each side of the engine and both were the back plug. My finding's were discouraging to me as when I checked them out I noticed that they were both wet with a oil and gas mixture from what my nose told me. This I'm sure isn't a good thing. Is this telling me my rings are shot, or something else? and I'm sure that this could be my reason for the old girl stalling on me, is she fouling out because of this?
what is this all mean?
what is this all mean?
10-24-2009, 02:39 PM
#2
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It's telling you to do a dry&wet compression test & check for spark on those two cylinders. Maybe pull yourself together, you don't want your truck to see you like this! Be strong! Tell her "Cash for Clunkers" is over and she's going to be just fine!..........maybe.
Last edited by ymeski56; 10-24-2009 at 02:45 PM.
10-24-2009, 02:43 PM
#3
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remeber I'm a newbie to doing my own truck work,
10-24-2009, 06:01 PM
#4
Hi-Rev Motorsports
just do the tune up 1st and she how she runs...if the tune up has been long over due and she had been neglected it may just need that...
Quite a few years ago my dad told me about an Astro van that some people wanted to get rid of...it was a rather nice van supposedly with a bad engine...it was an 85' with a carbed V6 engine...I didnt go with him but he decided to buy it for the whopping price of $50.00...this was 10 years ago...
he got it running and drove it home and it ran like it had a bad motor..it shook and rattled and ran terrible...they told him they took it to the dealer and were told it had a dead cylinder and needed a new engine...
I took it apart and checked it out and found it had a dead wire and a dead plug...complete tune up cost 80.00 then and it ran like a top...pops drove that van till everything fell off...literally...did very little to it in 10 year and it rusted in spots and the exhaust fell off...
not bad...10 years for less than 200.00 and I just scrapped it out last week...motor and tranny still ran fine
Quite a few years ago my dad told me about an Astro van that some people wanted to get rid of...it was a rather nice van supposedly with a bad engine...it was an 85' with a carbed V6 engine...I didnt go with him but he decided to buy it for the whopping price of $50.00...this was 10 years ago...
he got it running and drove it home and it ran like it had a bad motor..it shook and rattled and ran terrible...they told him they took it to the dealer and were told it had a dead cylinder and needed a new engine...
I took it apart and checked it out and found it had a dead wire and a dead plug...complete tune up cost 80.00 then and it ran like a top...pops drove that van till everything fell off...literally...did very little to it in 10 year and it rusted in spots and the exhaust fell off...
not bad...10 years for less than 200.00 and I just scrapped it out last week...motor and tranny still ran fine
10-24-2009, 06:39 PM
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That's better! They make a cheap inline spark tester that you can tell from how it lights up how strong the spark is. I used to use an allen wrench against the bock till I put in a 60K coil (never more!). It could be as simple as bad plug wires. After all, the two rear are the longest. you could try switching wires w/ a cylinder you know is firing. The two rear plugs are prime candidates for accidentally cracking their insulators when installing because their awkward to get to & that's enough to put em out of business. also hitting them against the port opening & closing their gap. Start w/ the simple stuff before thinkin the worst. As for your truck, some respond to threats (like "I'm gonna use you for donor parts if you keep this s**t up!"), some don't. I guess it depends on the individual truck.
Last edited by ymeski56; 10-24-2009 at 06:58 PM.
10-24-2009, 06:52 PM
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ok, today I popped the hood and pulled 2 plugs 1 from each side of the engine and both were the back plug. My finding's were discouraging to me as when I checked them out I noticed that they were both wet with a oil and gas mixture from what my nose told me. This I'm sure isn't a good thing. Is this telling me my rings are shot, or something else? and I'm sure that this could be my reason for the old girl stalling on me, is she fouling out because of this?
what is this all mean?
what is this all mean?
Last edited by ymeski56; 10-24-2009 at 07:07 PM.
10-24-2009, 08:24 PM
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That's better! They make a cheap inline spark tester that you can tell from how it lights up how strong the spark is. I used to use an allen wrench against the bock till I put in a 60K coil (never more!). It could be as simple as bad plug wires. After all, the two rear are the longest. you could try switching wires w/ a cylinder you know is firing. The two rear plugs are prime candidates for accidentally cracking their insulators when installing because their awkward to get to & that's enough to put em out of business. also hitting them against the port opening & closing their gap. Start w/ the simple stuff before thinkin the worst. As for your truck, some respond to threats (like "I'm gonna use you for donor parts if you keep this s**t up!"), some don't. I guess it depends on the individual truck.
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10-24-2009, 08:29 PM
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You didn't mention what engine. Especially if it's injected or Carberated. That's especially important if it's Carb & the two rear cylinders are drowned. I thought it was interesting you decided to pull the two plugs that where the hardest to get to, first. Most people would probably started w/ some that were easier to get to. But if in fact it is Carbed, the two rear would be the correct first choice.
but I got it out and back in and she still started. I was glad for that, as I'm learning as I go.
