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How to Check Your Spark Plugs
The spark plugs, although one of the smaller parts of any vehicle, are also one of the most essential parts. If your spark plugs are faulty or absent, the car will not start as the engine will not fire. Keeping them up to scratch is therefore an element of vehicle maintenance that any driver should be competent in. It is worth knowing, too, that spark plugs do not last forever – you will need to replace them, and being able to do this yourself will save you money in garage costs. Checking them regularly for faults or damage is vitally important. As a rule of thumb, your spark plugs should be checked once a year or once every 10,000 miles, and after double this time or distance they should be replaced.
To replace them, you can buy and fit your own spark plugs or take the car to a garage where they can do the job themselves. However, the expense of taking the car to be repaired by professionals is entirely avoidable if you follow a common sense procedure. It is important to buy a trusted, popular brand of plugs and to make sure they are compliant with your engine. Tools and materials for the job include: A can of compressed air, a spark plug socket and ratchet wrench, a spark plug gauge, labeling tape, silicone dielectric grease and penetrating oil.
When removing spark plugs, the first thing to do is remove the wires. If you are replacing the plugs shortly after driving the car, allow the engine to cool down first – let it cool completely as the temperature a car engine reaches after use is dangerous. Label the wires with the tape before removing them (for ease of identification), and twist and pull the plug wire boots. This will leave an open port which can be cleared with compressed air.
To remove the plugs themselves, you position the socket over the first plug, attach the ratchet wrench and turn it counterclockwise. Remove each of them and as you remove them, label them with their location and condition. This enables you to identify any faults. Keeping a close watch on which plugs go where, which ones need replacing, and which ones can go back into the engine will save any problems later on. Under the hood of your car, and/or in the user manual, you will find any instructions on specific requirements for how to fit the new plugs.
Cross-threading spark plugs can render them useless, so to avoid this you need to coat them with penetrating oil prior to their installation. Spark plugs with a gasket need to be turned with a ratchet wrench between a quarter and a half turn, while any others will require only one sixteenth of a turn. To ensure that the cable wires fit securely onto the new spark plugs, coat the interior of the rubber boots with silicone grease. And there you have it – you’ve replaced your plugs. Keep detailed notes regarding what exactly you have done, so that you know when and how to perform similar maintenance in future.
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