How to gap spark plugs

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Strife26

I guess leave them alone is helpful but not what I was looking for.

Don't use a coin type tool was helpful.

Thanks for what you offered but I'm not looking to leave em alone. I need em to be .22.

And yes I used the gap tool to read how the were gapped. Could I be wrong sure, does that require ridicule? I guess since it's the internet. Anyways, I don't want to argue, but if you have helpful info I appreciate it otherwise I can do without.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I reckon you just missed my funning with you ...... apparently black bolding of your number didn't get your attention.

Allow me to put it into works ....... since you appear to be math challenged.

You say you need the plugs to be gapped at two tenths of an inch (.22") ..... correct .. ?? I figured you meant two one hundreds of an inch (.022").

Now, if you want to know how to put almost a quarter inch of gap in those plugs ....... I can't help you ...... I don't think the electrode will reach.




humfrz

[x808drifter]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Please help this old man out here ........

If the cylinder is charged and the valves are closed and the piston is at/near the top of its compression stroke and the spark plug fires ....... what's to "blow out the spark" ........



humfrz

Spark "Blow Out" is a misnomer in most cases.
All that's usually happening is the extra air/gas in the cylinder makes it harder for the arc to jump the gap.
The pixies get sent to the plug but can't make the jump.

Thus the recommendation to make the gap smaller.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

OMG - smash them down ...... QUICK ......




humfrz

Haha... right?


OP, just lean them up against something and push them down a little. Try to get them about even.

[Strife26]

Originally Posted by humfrz

I reckon you just missed my funning with you ...... apparently black bolding of your number didn't get your attention.

Allow me to put it into works ....... since you appear to be math challenged.

You say you need the plugs to be gapped at two tenths of an inch (.22") ..... correct .. ?? I figured you meant two one hundreds of an inch (.022").

Now, if you want to know how to put almost a quarter inch of gap in those plugs ....... I can't help you ...... I don't think the electrode will reach.




humfrz

oh ffs, my bad, blame my phone for being a stingy prick with the period, : P and me for assuming leaving the 0 out wouldn't matter.

My mistake if your post was meant to be "funny," I am used to "ask the forums for help," does, "you're a fkn idiot," or, "how, what, when, where..."

But then again, I am math challenged so ya, it's become one of those posts my sig refers to.


Thanks all for the help. I'm just gonna "Smash" em down and see how that goes, hopefully it all goes well.

[BirdTRD]

Somebody please give this man a hug....he needs a hug.

http://densoautoparts.com/spark-plug-installation

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Strife26

oh ffs, my bad, blame my phone for being a stingy prick with the period, : P and me for assuming leaving the 0 out wouldn't matter.

My mistake if your post was meant to be "funny," I am used to "ask the forums for help," does, "you're a fkn idiot," or, "how, what, when, where..."

But then again, I am math challenged so ya, it's become one of those posts my sig refers to.


Thanks all for the help. I'm just gonna "Smash" em down and see how that goes, hopefully it all goes well.

Oh ....... I'm sorry ....... I was just trying to make a funny .......

I should have read your sig ......


Good luck gapping your spark plugs.




humfrz

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by x808drifter

Spark "Blow Out" is a misnomer in most cases.
All that's usually happening is the extra air/gas in the cylinder makes it harder for the arc to jump the gap.
The pixies get sent to the plug but can't make the jump.

Thus the recommendation to make the gap smaller.

Well, I'll be darned ....... ol humfrz got some education today ......

Thanks ....... I needed that ......


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, I'll be darned ....... ol humfrz got some education today ......

Thanks ....... I needed that ......


humfrz

The higher the pressure the higher the breakdown voltage. (dielectric strength)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschen%27s_law

[Detroiter]

Originally Posted by x808drifter

Spark "Blow Out" is a misnomer in most cases.
All that's usually happening is the extra air/gas in the cylinder makes it harder for the arc to jump the gap.
The pixies get sent to the plug but can't make the jump.

Thus the recommendation to make the gap smaller.

Can confirm. What is commonly called "spark blow out" is not blow out at all.

It is extremely noticeable when it happens though. You know once you've experienced it. If it's bad enough to cause all cylinders to misfire on full boost then it will feel like you just slammed on the brakes mid pull haha definitely scary the first time it happens to you

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

The higher the pressure the higher the breakdown voltage. (dielectric strength)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschen%27s_law

Thanks, but most of that is waaaaay over my pay grade .......


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Detroiter

Can confirm. What is commonly called "spark blow out" is not blow out at all.

It is extremely noticeable when it happens though. You know once you've experienced it. If it's bad enough to cause all cylinders to misfire on full boost then it will feel like you just slammed on the brakes mid pull haha definitely scary the first time it happens to you

I've never seen it with a healthy ignition system. Have you ever had it with a modern one with individual coil packs? What kind of boost are we talking?

[Detroiter]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I've never seen it with a healthy ignition system. Have you ever had it with a modern one with individual coil packs? What kind of boost are we talking?

Yeah that was the problem. B6 A4 with the 1.8t but running some questionable coil packs. Replaced them with new upgraded versions and had not as single problem after. It wasn't anything crazy just the max for the stock tiny turbo so around 21-22psi.

I will say that after upgrading the coil packs I was able to gap the plugs to .05 where stock was around .032 with no ill effects as the coils were far superior and provided a very good burn in each cylinder.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Detroiter

I will say that after upgrading the coil packs I was able to gap the plugs to .05 where stock was around .032 with no ill effects as the coils were far superior and provided a very good burn in each cylinder.

Ah! Thanks for confirming.

OP, too small a gap reduces the ignition efficiency because less molecules are heated to the point of activation energy in the combustion reaction.

Too large a gap puts a strain on the ignition coil itself. It has to do with the dielectric strength and dissipation of energy in the collapsing magnetic field set up in the coil.

But we're talking extremes here. Just get the gaps ballpark without fucking up the electrodes and you'll be golden.

[Capt Spaulding]

A .022 gap struck me as ridiculously narrow. Working on motorcycles in the late 60s to early 70s gaps like that were the norm because coils sucked so badly they couldn't throw a spark across any gap at all. On the original single cam Honda 750s you had to clean the plugs and narrow the plug gaps every couple of thousand miles or the engine would get a case of the blind staggers at anything over half throttle.

As the decade progressed ignition systems got better and better until by the early 80s plug gaps in the .030 to .040 range were pretty common. Memory is some got into .050 territory. Now we're back into the .020s and .030s. I thought coil-in-cap systems and iridium plugs had relegated ignition problems to the history books. Appears not.

Folks are right about using caution gapping the iridiums. Mistakes get very expensive.