2009 ñ 2010 Spark Plugs For Australia

1 + 2 NormalInsulator nose greyish-yellow to russetbrown.Engine is in order. Heat range of plugcorrect.Mixture setting and ignition timing arecorrect, no misfiring, cold startingdevice functions correctly.No deposits from fuel additivescontaining lead or from alloyingconstituents in the engine oil.No overheating.3 + 4 Soot - carbon fouledInsulator nose, electrodes and sparkplugshell covered with velvet-like, dullblack soot deposits.Cause: Incorrect mixture setting(carburettor, fuel injection) mixture toorich, air filter very dirty, automaticchoke not in order or manual chokepulled too long, mainly short distancedriving, spark plug too cold, heat rangecode number too low.Effect: Misfiring, poor cold-startingperformance.Remedy: Set mixture and cold-startingdevice correctly, check air filter.5 + 6 Oil-fouledInsulator nose electrodes and sparkplugshell covered with shiny soot orcarbon residue.Cause: Too much oil in combustionchamber. Oil level too high, badly wornpiston rings, cylinders and valve guides.In two stroke gasoline engines, toomuch oil in mixture.Effect: Misfiring, poor startingperformance.Remedy: Overhaul engine, correct fueloilmixture, new spark plugs.7 + 8 Lead depositsIn places the insulator nose is glazedbrownish yellow; this may also tendtowards green.Cause: Fuel additives which containlead.The glaze appears in the case ofheavy engine loading after lengthy partloadoperation.Effect: Under heavy loading depositsbecome electrically conductive andcause misfiring.Remedy: New spark plugs, cleaning ispointless.9 + 10 Heavy lead depositsIn places the insulator nose is thicklyglazed brownish-yellow, this may alsotend towards green.Cause: Fuel additives which containlead. The glaze appears in the case ofheavy engine loading after lengthy partloadoperation.Effect: Under heavy loading, depositsbecome electrically conductive andcause misfiring.Remedy: New spark plugs, cleaning ispointless.11 + 12 Heavy Lead depositsHeavy ash deposits from oil and fueladditives on the insulator nose, in thescavenging area and on the groundelectrode.The structure of the ash isloose to cinder-like.Cause: Alloying constituents, inparticular from oil,can deposit this ashin the combustion chamber and on thespark-plug face.Effect: Can lead to auto ignition withloss of power and engine damage.Remedy: Repair engine. New sparkplugs. Possibly use other oil.13 Partially melted centre electrodeCentre electrode partially melted,blistered, spongy insulator tip.Cause: Overheating due to auto-ignition,eg: due to overadvanced ignition timing,combustion deposits in combustionchamber, defective valves, defectiveignition distributor, inadequate fuelquality, heat range possibly too low.Effect: Misfiring, loss of power (enginedamage).Remedy: Check engine, ignition andmixture formation. New spark plugs withcorrect heat range.14 Centre electrode melted awayCentre electrode melted away, groundelectrode also severely attacked.Cause: Overheating due to auto-ignition,eg: due to over-advanced ignitiontiming, combustion deposits incombustion chamber, defective valves,defective ignition distributor,inadequate fuel quality.Effect: Misfiring, loss of power, possiblyengine damage. Overheated centreelectrode may result in insulator nosecracking.Remedy: Check engine,ignition andmixture formation. New spark plugs.15 Partially melted electrodesCauliflower-like appearance of theelectrodes.Possibly deposition of foreign matter.Cause: Overheating due to auto-ignition,eg: due to over-advanced ignitiontiming, combustion deposits incombustion chamber, defective valves,defective ignition distributor,inadequate fuel quality.Effect: Loss of power prior to completefailure. (engine damage).Remedy: Check engine, ignition andmixture formation. New spark plugs.16 Heavy wear on centre electrodeCause: Recommended interval betweenspark plug changes not complied with.Effect: Misfiring, particularly whenaccelerating. (Ignition voltage no longersufficient for large electrode gap).Poor starting performance.Remedy: New spark plugs.17 Heavy wear on ground electrodeCause: Aggressive fuel and oiladditives. Unfavourable influence of gasturbulence in the combustion chamber,possibly caused by deposits. Knocking.No overheating.Effect: Misfiring particularly whenaccelerating (ignition voltage no longersufficient for large electrode gap).Poor starting performance.Remedy: New spark plugs.18 Cracking of insulator noseCause: Mechanical damage due toimpact, dropping or pressure on thecentre electrode resulting fromincorrect handling. In marginal cases -especially after excessively long use -the insulator nose may crack due todeposits between the centre electrodeand insulator nose, and due to corrosionof the centre electrode.Effect: Misfiring, sparkover at points notreliably supplied with fresh mixture.Remedy: New spark plugs.