Flooding ruins plugs??
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,540
Likes: 1
From: Pineville Kentucky
CI 6-8-9 Veteran
Flooding ruins plugs??
How does flooding an engine cause the ruination of the spark plugs? I have heard this all of my life but really don't see how it could be true. OPINIONS??
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,486
Likes: 10
From: Big Pine Key FL
Very simple and by no means complete... Someone here will correct my mistakes.
Running Rich or flooding has a couple of effects depending on the degree....
In any event deposits build up on the insulator that protects the center electrode that conduct the spark energy away from jumping the gap. Taking the path of least resitance and causing a miss.
If it's mildly rich then the soot build up will burn off when the engine comes up to temp and you may only experience intermittent misses on the colder cylinders and at high RPM.
If it's filthy rich
or burning oil the carbon deposited doesnt burn off and the plug fouls and you drop the cylinder. Until you change the plug.
Hotter Spark plugs retain more heat in the plug and can help improve the combustion process in some cases, Colder plugs transfer heat faster to the cylinder head and reduce the possibility of Pre-ignition in high power situations...
Then there is Lead fouling and the effects of cylinder pressure and spark gap...
Running Rich or flooding has a couple of effects depending on the degree....
In any event deposits build up on the insulator that protects the center electrode that conduct the spark energy away from jumping the gap. Taking the path of least resitance and causing a miss.
If it's mildly rich then the soot build up will burn off when the engine comes up to temp and you may only experience intermittent misses on the colder cylinders and at high RPM.
If it's filthy rich
or burning oil the carbon deposited doesnt burn off and the plug fouls and you drop the cylinder. Until you change the plug.Hotter Spark plugs retain more heat in the plug and can help improve the combustion process in some cases, Colder plugs transfer heat faster to the cylinder head and reduce the possibility of Pre-ignition in high power situations...
Then there is Lead fouling and the effects of cylinder pressure and spark gap...
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,540
Likes: 1
From: Pineville Kentucky
CI 6-8-9 Veteran
Originally Posted by 84rzv500r
Very simple and by no means complete... Someone here will correct my mistakes.
Running Rich or flooding has a couple of effects depending on the degree....
In any event deposits build up on the insulator that protects the center electrode that conduct the spark energy away from jumping the gap. Taking the path of least resitance and causing a miss.
If it's mildly rich then the soot build up will burn off when the engine comes up to temp and you may only experience intermittent misses on the colder cylinders and at high RPM.
If it's filthy rich or burning oil the carbon deposited doesnt burn off and the plug fouls and you drop the cylinder. Until you change the plug.
Hotter Spark plugs retain more heat in the plug and can help improve the combustion process in some cases, Colder plugs transfer heat faster to the cylinder head and reduce the possibility of Pre-ignition in high power situations...
Then there is Lead fouling and the effects of cylinder pressure and spark gap...
Running Rich or flooding has a couple of effects depending on the degree....
In any event deposits build up on the insulator that protects the center electrode that conduct the spark energy away from jumping the gap. Taking the path of least resitance and causing a miss.
If it's mildly rich then the soot build up will burn off when the engine comes up to temp and you may only experience intermittent misses on the colder cylinders and at high RPM.
If it's filthy rich
or burning oil the carbon deposited doesnt burn off and the plug fouls and you drop the cylinder. Until you change the plug.Hotter Spark plugs retain more heat in the plug and can help improve the combustion process in some cases, Colder plugs transfer heat faster to the cylinder head and reduce the possibility of Pre-ignition in high power situations...
Then there is Lead fouling and the effects of cylinder pressure and spark gap...
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 242
Likes: 0
From: Cumming GA
.....kinda.......depends......... It really takes for the plug to get a black (shiny, smooth) look to it to happen. Once won't do it (ie. flooding the car), but over time there is no real good way to clean/burn it back off. While you may pull one, it looks clean BUT just black (not sooty but shiney).......they are toast. Then just replace.
Sometimes it will get to a point where the car wont start, or, sound like its missing on a few cylinders, or one.
Bob
Sometimes it will get to a point where the car wont start, or, sound like its missing on a few cylinders, or one.
Bob
Racer
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 402
Likes: 4
From: Nassau
If you had that much fuel in the cylinders you should probably check your oil and make sure it didnt run past the pistons and contaminate it. Id hate to see you have any kind of failure because the oil isnt doing its job.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Originally Posted by bahamasair
If you had that much fuel in the cylinders you should probably check your oil and make sure it didnt run past the pistons and contaminate it.....
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,668
Likes: 43
From: Eastern US XX
Originally Posted by Easy Mike
If we got gasoline past the piston rings, we've got more trouble than just flooding.
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Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
i've always just cleaned them with carb cleander and a tooth/wire brush and some sand paper and a small sandblaster...it has always worked pretty good for me
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Originally Posted by bobs77vet
i've always just cleaned them with carb cleander and a tooth/wire brush and some sand paper and a small sandblaster...it has always worked pretty good for me
I would just clean them. Plugs should last forever. I expect 5 to 10 years out of my plugs in a blown application.If they are gas fowled just remove them, blow them off or like someone said heat with a torch and they will clean them off.
