When do I change the spark plugs in the car?

Often in the automotive community, you can hear a variety of opinions about the life of spark plugs. Some believe that a candle can pass, on average, about 20,000 km. Another group of car enthusiasts is confident that it can easily pass even 100 thousand km. Professionals to one opinion can not come, because there is no clear answer to this question. So how often do I need to change the spark plugs? This can be done according to the regulations of the car manufacturer or on the wear of the parts themselves.

Also often these elements are changed based on their actual state. To date, this is a stumbling block. Some owners are sure that it is necessary to strictly follow the recommendations of manufacturers. Others believe that if the state of the candles is normal, and the motor is started at any temperature, then they must be changed no sooner than through 90 thousand km. It is necessary to find out how often to change the spark plugs and what can happen if this is not done. And we will begin to understand this issue from the very beginning.

Why a motor candle

These devices are necessary to create a spark through which the fuel mixture will ignite in the engine cylinders. The ignition process passes through a high-voltage discharge between the two electrodes.

How the spark plug works

It consists of several parts. Contact pin is needed to connect the device to the high-voltage line. Also in the composition you can find an insulator, the function of which is to protect the part from overheating. The edges of the insulator are designed to prevent breakdown on the entire surface of the part. Between the lateral and central electrode, just a discharge and a spark pass. Also, the device has a special seal, which prevents the fuel from entering the combustion chamber into the motor housing.

Characteristics

The part can have many characteristics, but the most important is the gap size between the electrodes. It is from this value that the efficiency of the burning of the combustible mixture depends. The greater the gap, the more powerful the spark will be. Also with a good spark, the ignition zone will be larger. This is a guarantee of stable fuel consumption and smooth operation of the motor. If the gap is small, the spark appears earlier than necessary, and the breakdown will occur at lower voltages. This reduces the power and economy of the power unit.

Also one more important characteristic - the glow number. This figure shows the maximum temperature load. Domestic products have the numbers 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26. European and American manufacturers of such scales do not adhere. Imported products are divided into candles of hot and cold type.

If you set too cold, with a high glow number, then they will not self-clean properly and there will be interruptions in the engine's operation. Through how many to change spark plugs, depends on a condition of a detail and manufacturer's recommendations. An excessively hot part can cause a glow ignition. This can lead to quite destructive consequences, which outwardly resemble detonation.

Material and resource

Before you figure out how often to change the spark plugs, you need to divide all the devices in the market into two groups. These are platinum or iridium products and simple. The candle works in a closed unit, and it is impossible to estimate the level of its wear without removing it. Automakers are advised to perform a replacement during a scheduled technical inspection. This usually occurs every 10-15 thousand kilometers. The procedure is relevant for simple candles. But often such a resource is indicated for expensive products. Most likely, in this way, service centers can earn money by replacing them. It is best to understand when to change the spark plugs, according to the state of the part.

Car owners with a lot of experience determine the mileage per kilometer. So, replacement should be made every 20-30 thousand km. If you open a catalog of a self-respecting manufacturer, then there is indicated when to change the spark plugs. For simple devices - this is 20 thousand km, and for platinum - 100 thousand km.

These figures can vary depending on the quality of the fuel, as well as on the state of the power unit. There are situations when, due to the constant use of poor-quality fuel, candle electrodes burn before their time. The driver at the same time will feel the uneven work of the motor, the drop in thrust. Another extreme - when the car works on ordinary candles about 80 thousand km, and the owner does not even realize that the car has lost power and increased appetite. When asked about how many spark plugs need to be changed, it is difficult to give any new answer. It is necessary to start from the resource that the producer allocates.

Signs of wear

Before contacting an official service, determining that it's time to replace the candles, you can jerk and vibrate when driving. Often the engine is trod. Before traveling for diagnosis, you can view the details yourself. This is relevant if they are easily extracted. When you change the spark plugs, you can understand by their appearance, as well as by other characteristics.

Check the gap

First of all pay attention to the gap and the presence of carbon deposits. Each candle is marked with the type of device and the size of the gap. This is the latest figure. It is usually indicated in the labeling of the latter, and this figure is denoted in millimeters. If the actual clearance is greater than the one indicated in the marking, the part must be replaced.

Nagar

The ideal option is a complete lack of carbon deposits. When the combustion process passes correctly, the electrodes have the property of self-cleaning. The candle can be a deposit of black or white. It does not depend on the quality of the candle, but it indicates that the ignition is incorrectly exposed. If the color of the deposit and the general appearance of the candles are different, then it should be remembered, how many to change the spark plugs. And of course, all the candles need to be replaced.

Type of ceramic insulator

Cracks may appear in it. If they are, then they can be filled with a touch of brown. This is a defect, and ideally the whole kit should change. All recommendations are calculated by mileage. If it is 20 thousand kilometers for conventional and 100 for platinum, then we can safely replace these elements with a complete set. And as for the question, through what mileage to change the spark plugs, then you should use the manufacturer's recommendation of the device.

What will happen if you do not replace them?

If the car owner for some reason missed the replacement period, then this will not lead to tragic consequences. But at the most necessary and urgent moment, when a car is needed right now, the engine simply refuses to start. Therefore, it is so important to remember, after how many miles to change the spark plugs, so that unpleasant situations do not happen.

The signs of a non-working candle have already been considered, and if you ignore these symptoms, you can spend a round sum for repairing the engine. Among the tragic breakdowns - detonation in the cylinder. As a result, there is a shock wave that can make detonate all the charge in the cylinder. When the shock wave is reflected from the wall of the combustion chamber, you can hear a characteristic metallic ringing. If the detonation is quite strong, the motor loses its power, and black smoke pours out of the exhaust pipe . The engine experiences heavy loads. The edges of the pistons, as well as the cylinder head gaskets , can be melted. Shock wave can also cause increased wear of the cylinder. That this does not happen, it is necessary to remember when to change the spark plugs. And then the car will please its owner.

So, we figured out how many kilometers and in which case the car owner needs to change the spark plugs. We hope that this information will be useful to you.