Look at my spark plug - How bad is it? (answer: very bad.)
06-07-2009, 05:19 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 323
Total Cats: 2
Look at my spark plug - How bad is it? (answer: very bad.)
I was driving down the freeway when a huge white cloud came out of the tailpipe and the car died. Pulled spark plug number 3 and it looks chewed up. What could've caused this? I don't think I was boosting at the either.
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/n...a/DSC02177.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/n...a/DSC02177.jpg
Reply
0
0
06-07-2009, 09:09 AM
#3
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
Time for a compression test.
Also might not hurt to bring the crank around so that #3 is at TDC and have a look down the plug hole with your eyeball and a tiny flashlight. Make sure nothing funky happened to the piston.
That sort of destruction kinda suggests FOD.
Also might not hurt to bring the crank around so that #3 is at TDC and have a look down the plug hole with your eyeball and a tiny flashlight. Make sure nothing funky happened to the piston.
That sort of destruction kinda suggests FOD.
Reply
0
0
06-07-2009, 11:34 AM
#7
Senior Member
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Edmonton Ab, Canada
Posts: 1,202
Total Cats: 21
White cloud could have been all the fuel that you Didn't burn in that cylinder getting dumped down the exhaust.
Honestly though do you neglect your motor that bad and not check your plugs every once and a while? That's brutal.
Honestly though do you neglect your motor that bad and not check your plugs every once and a while? That's brutal.
Reply
0
0
06-07-2009, 03:34 PM
#13
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 323
Total Cats: 2
Gonna tear the head off on my next day off. The engine's rebuild with only 9k miles. Looks like something made contact with it. I'll take more pics for you guy's entertainment. :P The engine was running great before this happened. Just passed smog with flying colors a week before and a oil change 1k miles ago.
Reply
0
0
06-07-2009, 06:17 PM
#14
Elite Member
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 4,847
Total Cats: 27
You are not that same guy on m.n that was going to try increasing compression by gluing spare change onto the top of the piston are you? 
That spark plug is seriously trashed; I've never seen one that bad myself. Sorry it happened. It is hard to tell from the picture but is the deformation from impact, or from melting? Probably not melting, just wondering.
That spark plug is seriously trashed; I've never seen one that bad myself. Sorry it happened. It is hard to tell from the picture but is the deformation from impact, or from melting? Probably not melting, just wondering.
Reply
0
0
06-07-2009, 07:02 PM
#15
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 323
Total Cats: 2
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/n...a/DSC02192.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/n...a/DSC02178.jpg
No, I'm the the same guy. That guy's smoking crack.
Here's a couple of other shots. Looks like impact to me.
There's a sharp cut on the edge, the ceramic in the middle is gone and electrode is bent at 90*. The ground electrode is smashed against the edge and possibly melted.
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/n...a/DSC02178.jpg
No, I'm the the same guy. That guy's smoking crack.
Here's a couple of other shots. Looks like impact to me.
There's a sharp cut on the edge, the ceramic in the middle is gone and electrode is bent at 90*. The ground electrode is smashed against the edge and possibly melted.
Reply
0
0
06-07-2009, 09:39 PM
#18
Elite Member
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Birmingham Alabama
Posts: 7,930
Total Cats: 45
I wonder what the chances are of a spark plug breaking under combustion. Looks like the electrode is broken off way down inside. Don't think an electrode would have been able to bash the end of the plug to that though. Just a thought.
Reply
0
0
