Spark Plug Opinions

[bentrim]

Guess it shows my age! Oh my. I was refering to the John Deere tractors made in the 30's 40's and 50's. It was 52 or 53 when they finally went to two barrel carbs.

 

[bentrim]

Guess it shows my age! Oh my. I was refering to the John Deere tractors made in the 30's 40's and 50's. It was 52 or 53 when they finally went to two barrel carbs.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Comes back to haunt ya! lol!

Will do. Is there any reason you prefer the champs over the NGK's?

The reason i changed to champion is when before retirement a Brand New 7042 1,000 H.P.Waukeshaw was set in the area i maintained . Being on call I was the fellow that received the phone call at around 2 AM , new engine down abut 20 miles away . Removed NGK that I'd never heard of and replaced with Champion . That engine may still be running those and they were installed before my retirement in 1986 . LOL
Recently , my X350 was running so bad I was wondering if it would make it back to the shop . Pulled NGK ( gapped 0.020" from the factory ) and Champion solved the problem . The JD book recommends 0.030" plug gap and that's what the Champions were from the factory . It Has never started when the first piston reached compression as it does now .

 

[slomo]

The adjustable air gap spark testers have always been reliable and consistent. The bulb type "lighting up" ones have always been questionable to me and easy to break (the bulb element). The example shown of the adjustable one has a segment with "SE", that is for small engine coil testing.

True true.

I want to see the spark not some Christmas light with zero meaning about spark condition. Best tool for the job is a PET-4000.

 

[slomo]

ever since I’ve had this mower it takes forever to start when cold.

How cold is cold here?

so I adjusted choke with same results.

Dead cold, choke plate needs to be fully closed. Read your engine manual about the choke.

I figured changing fuel pump would cure it, as I thought maybe it was siphoning back into the tank,

Do you not have an inline fuel shutoff valve installed? I would get one. Only a couple bucks. Those and good filters go on every mower I touch.

So I decided to get a carb kit and go through it. Now when I bought this it had been sitting for quite awhile, and the tech had to uncrud the carb so it would start

So carb was choked up and needed a rebuild/cleaning. No wonder it wouldn't start proper.

So I broke down and bought an OEM kawa carb. It comes in tomorrow. While I was there, that’s when I pulled the plugs and came to this thread.

Good man. On the right track. Guessing with an internally trashed carb, this entire post is all about it. Plugged up internal passages and different running plugs ect.....

Air filter is good, plugs are OEM.

Explain what good means? Explain what OEM means? You know plugs and filters are counterfeited all the time. Can you blow through the filter? Resistor plugs both test at a rough value of 5k Ohms?

 

[Auto Doc's]

Hi Slomo,

I still have a Briggs and Stratton original round wooden air gap spark test from when I started out in the late 70's. That thing has seen a lot of spark testing.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

About an eye dropper of gasoline into the top of the carb will tell us a few things

 

[Lmalino]

90 hours. I've never had to add oil. Plugs look a bit rich to me. FS600V. Choke fully retracted. Runs seemingly normal. No smoke (black or blue) when running or accelerating. Thoughts?View attachment 70913

Don't worry about spark plugs. Back in the late '50s Hot Rod magazine had an extensive analysis on spark plugs which included the comment that spark plugs on magneto systems have high endurance and don't suffer the wear as other ignition systems. My outdoor power equipment is 40 - 50 yrs old, most with their original plugs. I've had to replace coils, head gaskets, fuel lines, etc. Some of the plug electrodes are showing some wear but no starting / missing or other run problems.

 

[ILENGINE]

Don't worry about spark plugs. Back in the late '50s Hot Rod magazine had an extensive analysis on spark plugs which included the comment that spark plugs on magneto systems have high endurance and don't suffer the wear as other ignition systems. My outdoor power equipment is 40 - 50 yrs old, most with their original plugs. I've had to replace coils, head gaskets, fuel lines, etc. Some of the plug electrodes are showing some wear but no starting / missing or other run problems.

The thing with spark plugs now is the gas is more electrical conductive and the ceramic is no longer sealed and is porous. So it will absorb gas from flooding and short the plug out internally. And most ignition systems are no longer magneto systems. They are CDI Capacitive discharge ignition.

 

[Propflux01]

How cold is cold here?

Dead cold, choke plate needs to be fully closed. Read your engine manual about the choke.

Do you not have an inline fuel shutoff valve installed? I would get one. Only a couple bucks. Those and good filters go on every mower I touch.

So carb was choked up and needed a rebuild/cleaning. No wonder it wouldn't start proper.

Good man. On the right track. Guessing with an internally trashed carb, this entire post is all about it. Plugged up internal passages and different running plugs ect.....

Explain what good means? Explain what OEM means? You know plugs and filters are counterfeited all the time. Can you blow through the filter? Resistor plugs both test at a rough value of 5k Ohms?

As already explained, Cold as in a week of non usage I know the choke needs to be closed all the way, hence my original thread about the hard start before this one.

No, I do not have a fuel shut-off, I do have a good filter on it.

Carb appeared to be older than it should have been in terms of deposits and such, hence why it was replaced rather than rebuilt.

Good, as in serviceable, clean, fairly new, unobstructed.OEM, as in Original Equipment (Manufacturer). AS stated before the plugs were installed by the manufacturer, the replacement ones are genuine NGK. I know about counterfeits and how to spot them. Yes, I can blow through the fuel filter.