Educate Me!!!!!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 4,419
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From: Arroyo Grande CA
Educate Me!!!!!
I've read about spark plugs missing pucks. I've worked on my own vehicles for many years, looked at a lot of plugs, but have never seen what I would call a puck.
Some one please draw me a picture. What is a puck???? :confused:
Some one please draw me a picture. What is a puck???? :confused:
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Fishing Somewhere Cold
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '15
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (knewblewkorvette)
I am pretty sure that the "puck" is the ceramic insulator surrounding the electrode or perhaps the entire insulator and electrode together :confused: :D
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,181
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From: When I say who is the mastah you gotsta say Shonuf
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (knewblewkorvette)
Below is a photo of the NGK TR55(left) plug next to a Delco Platinum stock(right). Notice the platinum "puck" on the outer electrode of the delco plug, which is prone to breaking or falling off.
Thank you, Vetteguru
[Modified by DocSandy, 5:42 PM 9/15/2003]
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 4,419
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From: Arroyo Grande CA
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (DocSandy)
knewblewkorvette, c5grandsport, I was thinking along the same lines as both of you. :D That is until DocSandy educated me. :thumbs: I don't ever recall using plugs that had these pucks. That is a new one for me.
Thanks, DocSandy, for the link to the photo hosted by VetteGuru.
Thanks to all for your input.
[Modified by 2KFRC5, 4:56 PM 9/15/2003]
Thanks, DocSandy, for the link to the photo hosted by VetteGuru.
Thanks to all for your input.
[Modified by 2KFRC5, 4:56 PM 9/15/2003]
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,602
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From: Palm City Florida
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (c5grandsport)
I've heard of hockey goalies missing pucks. It's called a goal.
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Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: Wilmington NC
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (knewblewkorvette)
Why would they put these pucks on the plugs in the first place?
Do the aftermarket plugs for the Corvette have these as well?
Do the aftermarket plugs for the Corvette have these as well?
Racer
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Austin Tx
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (knewblewkorvette)
Why would they put these pucks on the plugs in the first place?
Do the aftermarket plugs for the Corvette have these as well?
Do the aftermarket plugs for the Corvette have these as well?
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
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From: Iowa
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (Mitch Alsup)
That all make sense. Do the aftermarket plugs for the vette have them?
According to some on the forum, the pucks fall off. Won't that screw up the spark and therefor the running of the engine? Would not the falling puck also cause the engine physical damage? Do I need to run out and replace them now???? :confused: :confused:
According to some on the forum, the pucks fall off. Won't that screw up the spark and therefor the running of the engine? Would not the falling puck also cause the engine physical damage? Do I need to run out and replace them now???? :confused: :confused:
Racer
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Glendale CA
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (knewblewkorvette)
No, the pucks fly out the exhaust valve just like an occasional flake of carbon. Most of the time there is no change in function after they fly off, though the plugs may not last as long as advertised. The pucks are there in an attempt to get the plugs to last 100,000 miles.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Arroyo Grande CA
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (knewblewkorvette)
According to some on the forum, the pucks fall off. Won't that screw up the spark and therefor the running of the engine? :confused: :confused:
The puck, made from platinum, has a higher melting point than the normal copper electrode. Therefore it increases the mileage that the plug will normally last by not burning off and increasing the plug gap over a longer period of time.
If the puck does fall off, then that will increase the plug gap (by the thickness of the puck) and could possibly effect the performance of the engine.
I believe others who have used the TR55 say they are better(?), but don't last as long. That's because they are regular copper electrode plugs and don't have the platinum pucks to protect the electrodes.
:eek: :eek:
[Modified by 2KFRC5, 5:09 PM 9/16/2003]
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Gaffney, S.C.
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (tpocock)
I think the problem is being a little overblown as I have removed hundreds of these plugs and have never seen this happen. I am not saying it doesn't but I have never seen it and sure am not running out to replace my plugs for that purpose.
Safety Car
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From: Wilmington NC
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (irfgt)
I think the problem is being a little overblown as I have removed hundreds of these plugs and have never seen this happen. I am not saying it doesn't but I have never seen it and sure am not running out to replace my plugs for that purpose.
The only exeption had been people that didn't have the Delco plugs installed in the first place. I wonder if it only occurs with cars that see a lot of redline?
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Moore SC
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (2KFRC5)
I pulled the plugs in my '98 at 34,000 and only 2 had the pucks still there. I pulled the plugs (also Delco Platinum) out of my Tahoe at 100,000 and all the pucks were still there. What's up with that?
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: SoCal
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (irfgt)
I think the problem is being a little overblown as I have removed hundreds of these plugs and have never seen this happen. I am not saying it doesn't but I have never seen it and sure am not running out to replace my plugs for that purpose.
Jon
http://www.ls1howto.com
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 9,891
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From: Hot Springs AR
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (jmX)
Then I beleive you are looking at the wrong thing. After doing plug changes on at least 10 LS1's, every single engine has had at *least* one puck missing, and some had 4-5 missing.
When I changed out the plugs on my '94 Z-28 (LT-1), 5 of the 8 plugs were missing their pucks. I just recently changed out the plugs on my '00 hardtop with 105K+ miles, and they ALL had their pucks intact. I'm fairly certain they're the original plugs, since most everything else I've replaced on this car has been original, and it had that "way too tight" feel of original manufacturing.
BTW, I replaced mine with NGK TR-55s.
I have read (and my recent experience backs this up), that they got whatever problem was causing the pucks to be lost solved in the late 90s.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: Wilmington NC
Re: Educate Me!!!!! (VetteDrmr)
Then I beleive you are looking at the wrong thing. After doing plug changes on at least 10 LS1's, every single engine has had at *least* one puck missing, and some had 4-5 missing.
Jon,
When I changed out the plugs on my '94 Z-28 (LT-1), 5 of the 8 plugs were missing their pucks. I just recently changed out the plugs on my '00 hardtop with 105K+ miles, and they ALL had their pucks intact. I'm fairly certain they're the original plugs, since most everything else I've replaced on this car has been original, and it had that "way too tight" feel of original manufacturing.
BTW, I replaced mine with NGK TR-55s.
I have read (and my recent experience backs this up), that they got whatever problem was causing the pucks to be lost solved in the late 90s.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
Jon,
When I changed out the plugs on my '94 Z-28 (LT-1), 5 of the 8 plugs were missing their pucks. I just recently changed out the plugs on my '00 hardtop with 105K+ miles, and they ALL had their pucks intact. I'm fairly certain they're the original plugs, since most everything else I've replaced on this car has been original, and it had that "way too tight" feel of original manufacturing.
BTW, I replaced mine with NGK TR-55s.
I have read (and my recent experience backs this up), that they got whatever problem was causing the pucks to be lost solved in the late 90s.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
So if they fixed it it took an extraordinary amount of time.