The service life of spark plugs is usually about 45000km, but this number depends on your driving style and the maintenance of spark plugs. At the same time, the material selection of spark plugs is also very important, which can also affect the life of spark plugs. The types of general spark plugs on the market can be divided into ordinary copper core, yttrium gold, platinum, iridium, platinum-iridium alloy spark plugs, etc.
- Platinum spark plugs: should be changed every 30000 to 50000 kilometers. It is characterized by long service life and good durability.
- Double platinum spark plugs: should be changed every 80000 kilometers or so. Both of them have platinum, and the better one is the platinum spark plug.
- Iridium spark plugs: should be changed every 100000 kilometers. Iridium spark plugs are relatively better.
Ruthenium electrode spark plug: it should be replaced every 150000km. This is a ruthenium electrode spark plug made by NGK, an old brand manufacturer of spark plugs.
In addition, there are many types of spark plugs on the market. As truck owners, we need to know the types of spark plugs in our trucks to better protect our trucks.
What are spark plugs?
Source: motor1.com
Spark plugs are the basic components of the ignition system of a truck. They are screwed into the top of the engine cylinder and receive high-voltage current from the ignition coil, which then generates electric sparks to ignite the compressed air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. They also transfer heat from the combustion chamber. When you drive, these events occur more than 1000 times per minute. It is this continuous ignition that keeps your truck on the road.
When to change spark plugs?
Whether your truck is old or almost new, it is necessary to truck transport your truck by ensuring that you regularly check the oil and visually check the main engine components (such as spark plugs), which will help extend the service life of the vehicle and save you money in the long run.
Then, how do we judge whether the spark plug needs to be replaced?
First, your check engine light comes on.
Source: edmunds.com
Worn or faulty spark plugs or spark plug wires may trigger the check engine lamp to illuminate. The truck maintenance technician said that if the spark plug of the current truck starts to malfunction, the most obvious event should be that the check engine light turns on or even flashes. Our technician said that this may cause an engine to misfire, and the check engine indicator light suddenly lights up. Flashing of the engine indicator light may indicate a potentially catastrophic fire. Generally speaking, it is better to replace spark plugs according to the manufacturer’s specifications as part of preventive maintenance. This helps to save expensive maintenance costs, because driving with misfiring spark plugs may put too much pressure on the catalytic converter (exhaust filter of the engine) of the truck. The symptoms of spark plug misfire include unstable idling, uneven power during acceleration and increased exhaust emissions. Please note that checking the engine indicator light may be caused by many factors, not just spark plug problems. This is one reason why your local truck maintenance provides code scanning, which can display any code that indicates that a spark plug failure caused a misfire. Since our facilities provide complete vehicle maintenance, our technicians must also have appropriate tools and expertise in engine control systems, sensors and on board diagnostics to perform advanced diagnostics and provide accurate repair estimates for trucks.
Second, your truck has a problem starting.
One of the most important tasks of spark plugs in trucks is to provide the spark to power the engine. But most people don’t realize that when the truck starts, the wear of the spark plug may lead to failure. They believe that this may be caused by insufficient battery power or fuel. Worn spark plugs will make the ignition system more difficult to operate. Broken spark plugs may also cause the battery to run low. On the other hand, bad weather conditions will also increase the possibility of spark plug wear, thus preventing the engine from turning over. Therefore, if your truck stalls when trying to open it, there may be a problem with the spark plug or the damaged spark plug wire.
Third, the engine idles.
Source: cnbc.com
Idling occurs when the truck is stationary but the engine is still running. When the truck idles, the engine speed becomes low. Normally, when the engine sparks plug works, the sound should be continuous and stable. When they can’t work normally, the engine will give out shaking and rough sounds, and there will be bumping and vibration, which can be felt by the whole vehicle. You need to check this immediately. If you ignore this symptom, it may cause expensive and serious damage to your truck.
Fourth, the engine misfires.
In fact, engine misfires can be easily identified. The fire will cause the truck to stop instantaneously and then continue to drive at normal speed. The severity of the misfire problem will determine the frequency of this situation. Engine misfire means that the vehicle cannot work normally because one or more spark plugs are not ignited normally. Alternatively, carbon deposits accumulated on the truck spark plugs may cause misfires in one or more cylinders, resulting in poor performance. Engine misfire may lead to reduced fuel economy, reduced engine power or increased exhaust emissions.
Fifth, trucks consume more fuel.
Source: motortrend.com
If your spark plugs are at their last, they will run out of fuel. Worn spark plugs will increase the fuel consumption of the vehicle, because they will not burn the fuel entering the engine effectively, which means that you will spend more money on refueling. “Spark plug misfire can reduce fuel efficiency by 30%,” the National Institute for automotive service excellence reported. Allowing the spark plugs to work properly will help to minimize vehicle emissions. Due to incomplete combustion, aging spark plugs may reduce the fuel economy of vehicles. Therefore, if you notice that you often refuel, this may be an abnormal phenomenon, please check your spark plug.
The importance of replacing spark plugs
The spark plug electrode gap will increase with the increase of mileage. If you do not replace the spark plug for a long time, the electrode or ceramic body of the spark plug may fall off, causing the engine to fall into the cylinder, which will cause serious mechanical failure. In addition, the working environment of the spark plug is high temperature and high pressure, so after a period of use, part of the electrodes will be ablated, the electrode gap will expand, and the electrodes will be oxidized, which will shorten the service life of the spark plug until it can not be ignited and scrapped. The condition of the spark plug will affect the output power, fuel economy and engine stability. Like other important parts of the truck, spark plugs should be maintained and replaced when necessary.
