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Safety Dance posted:The actual reason and the reason the lawmakers understand don't necessarily have to be the same. Is it an Autozone thing or any shop in California, Hawai'i, etc? If it's the former, could just be a regional store policy for whatever stupid liability reason or whatever.
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Feb 9, 2015 17:20
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Slavvy posted:My car takes NGK plug BKR5EY-11. I can get BKR5ES-11 for next to nothing and have fitted those with no apparent issues. What is the purpose of the v-grooved electrode? I remember reading somewhere that it's an anti-fouling measure but I can't imagine how it would make any difference and after several thousand km my plugs aren't fouled at all despite it being an old Toyota. It's to theoretically control the location of the spark better for ignitability. The spark preferentially goes to edges, so having the V-groove means the spark preferentially sparks towards the center of the plug, rather than all around the edges. It's not an anti-fouling measure.
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Feb 17, 2015 01:45
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Slavvy posted:Will it make any difference if I use one or the other on a 1.3L engine with 88 horsepower and 200,000km? Maybe if you have a bunch of fancy machinery and test for COV  (No)
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Feb 17, 2015 04:15
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Well, if you look at the drive shaft, it should be pretty obvious if it was actually partially sawed.
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Feb 19, 2015 18:09
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Jakcson posted:1999 Chrysler Cirrus V6. 166,000 miles. Bought for $1,000, but spent a fair amount of money repairing it since so far it has been cheaper than buying a new car. Plugs in those car are (almost certainly) nickel and should be cheap to replace. I don't know about that particular engine, but nickel plugs are a couple bucks each and shouldn't take more than a few minutes to change. (Or, certain cylinders could have plugs in very difficult to reach places, in certain engine/vehicle combinations.) Nickel plugs last about 30k miles. If it smells like fuel then your car is running rich, which is a not-uncommon symptom of a bad O2 sensor. Whether or not the cat needs to be replaced depends on how long and how rich it's been running, but I wouldn't doubt that it's probably been damaged. If it actually smells like fuel inside the car then it may be indicative of an exhaust or fuel leak, both of which can be dangerous.
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Mar 4, 2015 18:46
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CharlesM posted:Unlike its LH big bro it's a transverse layout so the rear bank might be hard to reach. Welp! Inline engine supremacy?
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Mar 4, 2015 21:36
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bolind posted:Going to do spark plugs on an Opel Astra H 1.6 tonight. Anyone know what the torque spec is? Looks like you already found it but  Those are basically ISO specs so applicable across all makers.
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Mar 19, 2015 15:32
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Cage posted:Anyone know what o2 sensor data is supposed to look like? Yes, I do! And that looks fine and you are correct about how everything should look on the upstream sensor. Why the P-codes are occurring probably depends on how the ECU defines those codes and what is specifically triggering it. It's curious that it started occurring after you installed a mid pipe because that's post-cat and so shouldn't affect the pre-cat sensor at all.
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May 11, 2015 15:45
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Cage posted:Er maybe I mixed up my terms. What I installed was the whole catalytic converter assembly, I thought mid-pipe was another name for that oops. Whats goes between the headers and the catback. Okay, well then, it's possible that the pipes are of different lengths than OEM and so the travel time from engine -> O2 sensor is longer than the ECU expects.
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May 11, 2015 16:07
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some texas redneck posted:AC Delco? You mean AC Auto, right? FYI, for recent model years: NGK makes plugs for I4/V6, Denso makes plugs for V8.
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May 26, 2015 14:45
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AC Delco doesn't actually make (most of) their own parts, BTW, but I would trust them more than a brand I've never heard of.
At least there was a rebate on the AC Delco plugs at the time.
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When it comes to rubber, even the color can affect the performance. It is really a pain.
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May 31, 2015 04:09
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O2 sensors can be pretty finicky and I wouldn't get anything other than OEM (or OEM equivalent from the same manufacturer) knowing what I know now.
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Jun 24, 2015 04:08
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VelociBacon posted:Actually the knock sensor controls most of that stuff and you get better/worse mileage because the ignition timing and air:fuel is being adjusted. The O2 sensor only controls open loop poo poo like a:f at idle which doesn't amount to a significant fuel consumption factor. Well open loop strictly means the O2 sensor is not being used to control the engine sooooo.... But no, O2 sensor is constantly being used to control the engine at all conditions after sensor light-off, except maybe if there is some special fueling strategy, like at WOT, for example.
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Jun 24, 2015 17:53
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Yinzer posted:I have a question in regards to parts. Don't they make OEM and aftermarket stuff in the same factory, on the same assembly lines and just stamp in a brand? I can only speak for my company from experience, but I imagine almost all companies [who make OEM components are similar]: yes. But the thing with aftermarket is that everything is a bit "looser". For example, there may be a 0.1mm gap difference between two different OEM spark plugs for two different engines, but it's entirely possible that those engines have the same spark plug recommendation in the aftermarket. In addition, OEM parts may have features not immediately apparent that aftermarket parts lack that may or may not affect the performance. I think of the upcharge with OEM parts as the price you pay for the guarantee that this part was chosen specifically for this engine/vehicle and has been thoroughly validated, etc. When it comes to something like an air filter, okay, validation doesn't mean much, probably. But with much more critical components, it may be worth that extra charge to ensure that the part you're getting is absolutely the right one. Entangled posted:
On one hand, it's possible that there is something in the electricals (wire/cap/distributor) causing a misfire and that is causing the fouling. On the other hand, ehhh... Try running a compression test on that cylinder (well, and the others, too)? Looks like oil is getting into the cylinder and fouling the plug. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Jul 31, 2015 |
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Jul 31, 2015 14:37
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^^^ well if the injector is bad, it can certainly cause a misfiretater_salad posted:gapping a plug is pretty easy, you grab a $2 tool, and you can find the specs online no problem for your vehicle. Don't gap plugs if you've got precious metal plugs, especially with a tool, because you will break the center electrode. * you can gap precious metal plugs, yes, but you need a set of pin gauges to do it safely without damaging the center electrode. You could probably do it with other types of gauges, but it increases the risk of damage.
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Jul 31, 2015 15:04
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life is killing me posted:Do precious metal plugs like platinum ones really offer any advantage? Yes. Platinum is old technology and is basically not as good as iridium and more expensive to boot. Platinum does offer better high temperature oxidation resistance but improvements in center electrode materials have really rendered this a moot point. Get iridium, not platinum. (Unless your OEM is platinum and you'd rather get OEM; but if you're going to buy an aftermarket part and are trying to decide between two similar parts, one platinum and one iridium, go with iridium.) Precious metal spark plugs basically offer two basic advantages: much longer durability and much better ignitability (which is the speed at which combustion occurs; if ignitability is too low then your engine will misfire, etc.). The better ignitability in turn gives you much more flexibility in your engine (A/F, combustion timing, etc.) I would agree that you should probably just go with whatever is OEM, but if you do want to use a precious metal plug, it does actually offer real benefits, first and foremost for the consumer being increased durability. Sigma X posted:Use OEM or OEM-spec spark plugs and wires. If you car came with single electrode copper plugs, buy those. If it came with dual-electrode iridium-plated plugs, buy those. "Better" plugs, like Iridium or Platinum will burn at different temperatures, and will cause problems with your engine, over time. How, exactly, do precious metal spark plugs "burn" at different temperatures? It's possible that, on older vehicles, moving from nickel -> precious metal will need spark timing adjustment, but all modern vehicles are capable of adjusting spark timings on their own and moving from nickel -> precious metal will not cause problems with your engine. I know people have all sorts of anecdotes but that's generally the case. Also, iridium spark plugs aren't "iridium-plated". They're an iridium alloy throughout the tip.
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Jul 31, 2015 16:47
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Elmnt80 posted:While there are some examples of places only swapping a brand, its pretty rare to see it. Almost anything you buy at a parts store or similar is going to be made on a different assembly line or remanufactured by a 3rd party like A1 Cardone. Are you sure about that? Why would a manufacturer, if they do provide parts for OEM, build an entirely different production line for aftermarket parts?
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Aug 1, 2015 14:44
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some texas redneck posted:When is it a good idea to change to a cooler plug? Changing to a colder plug won't hurt your engine; the only risk is fouling (and/or wasting your money if it doesn't help the issue). What part number is your plug, 12620540? 12625058? Either way, if it's 12620540, you can try 12647827 (for Ecotec Gen 2 2.0L T/C LTG) and if it's 12625058, you can try 12642791 (for HFV6 Gen 1). The gaps will be the same. That said, I don't think a colder plug will fix the issue; spark plug heat range doesn't affect knocking, just pre-ignition, which is different and you'll definitely know if that happens. The thermostat, on the other hand, definitely could be the fix, because knock has a high correlation with intake air temperature. And FWIW, it doesn't matter if you bought AC Delco or NGK 
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Aug 12, 2015 16:03
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The word "ping" can also be used to describe a sound  vvv definitely with you there. One thing English is missing is really good onomatopoeias. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 19:51 on Aug 12, 2015 |
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Aug 12, 2015 19:41
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They really shouldn't be. There is an aging effect in O2 sensors but it's well understood, should be calibrated for, and eventually tops out.
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Aug 14, 2015 13:46
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Yeah, I don't remember what the AC Delco numbers are but I know what spark plugs go in the engine you've got and I'm telling you what spark plugs you can use to replace them that are one heat range colder. I know you don't have the LTG but I know the plug designs so if you have 12620540, get 12647837 and if you have 12625058, get 12642791 if you're wanting a step colder. I mean, technically, there's differences other than the heat range but they're improvements so you're fine. So anyway, given that 1. The knocking/pinging occurs at low RPMs 2. Using a higher octane fuel eliminated the problem I'd say you have knock and not pre-ignition. Knocking is auto-ignition of fuel due to compression, whereas pre-ignition is ignition of fuel from a hot spot in the cylinder (whether spark plug or elsewhere). They have very different pressure traces. A higher octane fuel will, of course, help prevent auto-ignition due to compression (knock) but will do nothing to help against pre-ignition. Generally, PI will severely damage your engine and given that your car is still running, that's another reason I don't think it's PI. Also, if your plugs have carbon buildup that's causing them to misfire, you'll get P030X codes for misfires, not the P0420. See what happens after you fix the thermostat You don't want to change the plugs anyway and it's not as if it's too much work to do plugs separately.
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Aug 15, 2015 13:13
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Pham Nuwen posted:Are universal O2 sensors worth a gently caress? $13 for a crimp-on 1-wire sensor seems a lot better than $36 for the OE-type but if they don't work right, I guess I could shell out. Only if your car is red.
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Aug 31, 2015 23:58
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some texas redneck posted:NTK sensors are great, and NTK, AFAIK, is owned by NGK. It is. But FYI, that there is also another company, called NGK Insulators, that also makes sensors (like NOx sensors). They are a different company from the NGK Spark Plugs that makes spark plugs and NTK sensors. From what I hear, though, NGK sensors aren't too shabby.
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Sep 1, 2015 13:50
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EightBit posted:O2 sensors are extremely sensitive to bad crimps and wrong materials. You can't solder the connector on or use the wrong metal in the connector or you'll throw off the voltage reading. If someone did want to crimp their own O2 sensor wires, use this: http://standards.sae.org/uscar21-3/ Good luck!
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Sep 1, 2015 15:27
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It's been, oh, 20000 miles since I rotated my tires! I bought new tires 5000 miles ago 
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Sep 2, 2015 19:09
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I think the GTI is slated to get a center console refresh soon so if that's important to you, something to keep in mind.
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Sep 2, 2015 23:58
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Senior Funkenstien posted:Anyone have anything bad to say about the 2015 Dodge Dart? I've had one for about 5 or so days while my truck is in the shop and I kinda love the little thing. I'm thinking about maybe getting one. We have a 14 Dart for a fleet car. It'll be "great" for about 6 months to a year. The thing feels so worn out now, it's ridiculous. Granted, it is a fleet vehicle, but it has aged considerably worse than our other fleet vehicles (e.g. Malibu, Fusion). Don't buy it. Also, don't buy Chrysler in general.
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Sep 20, 2015 04:59
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160k miles is not "pretty low miles" unless we're talking about a big rig truck, here.
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Oct 20, 2015 19:47
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Aren't they required by law to provide that service so it's not as if they can put up a fight even if they wanted to?
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Nov 12, 2015 17:18
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3-4 are carbon fouled, which means they're not getting up to temperature. The electrodes of 3-4 are likely fine; any difference from 1-2 would be obvious and 1-2 look good for the intended gap size (1.1mm). It actually looks like plug temperatures are going high -> low from 1 -> 4 based on the amount of fouling (mostly that #1 is much cleaner than #2). Something is definitely wrong and I'm not enough of a mechanic to tell you what, but replacing plugs won't solve your problem, though you may want to in the end after all is said and done (at least for 3-4). Looks like it's BKR6E11? Should be cheap.
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Nov 15, 2015 04:05
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Maybe a little in #4 as well (on the GE).
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Nov 15, 2015 04:14
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spog posted:Could be a master/slave cylinder fail. This is what happened to me. I don't remember any particular hard braking event, but my master cylinder went out and I had barely any braking (but enough to eventually come to a stop). Happened to me on the beltway outside of D.C., which was scary. Fortunately, I was in the far left lane and was able to pull over to the shoulder.
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Nov 17, 2015 15:36
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MomJeans420 posted:I'm about to move to a house that only has a small garage and a sloped driveway, but I'd like to be able to work on my cars still. Is it a really dumb idea to park the car so that the side you're going to work on is facing downhill, jack that end up so the car is pretty much level, then work on it? I forget how steep the driveway is, but i don't think it's that bad. Cthulhuite posted:There's a reason all jacks say to use them on a level surface. Please don't kill yourself on your crazy sloped driveway Seconding. It's no joke. Do not use jacks on any sort of sloped surface. Jacks only provide up/down support; there's no lateral support to speak up. When you're on a sloped surface, gravity doesn't just pull straight down but ends up giving a lateral force as well. (When you're on a flat surface, the lateral component is zero.) Which is why if you jack up your car on a sloped surface (as in, if any part of your car is on a sloped surface), it is incredibly dangerous because your car is liable to move laterally and fall over on you and kill you. Don't do it. vvvv This, too. Don't work under a jack. When working on cars, put them up on the proper equipment. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Nov 24, 2015 |
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Nov 24, 2015 16:19
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Work for an automotive supplier that has a full garage with lifts and everything you could need to run dynos/vehicle fleet. It's the only reason I bother changing my own oil, tbh
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Nov 24, 2015 22:28
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Have you watched the original Italian Job?
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Nov 27, 2015 00:09
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I know most car batteries are made by one or two suppliers, so are there any cheap brands I should avoid? Or a cheap "safe" brand?
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Dec 28, 2015 00:46
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Hi, spark plug engineer here! Go ahead and use what the manufacturer recommends. If it was 41-921 then it was originally a platinum plug. Basically, an iridium plug is a better platinum plug but cheaper (to make, anyway). Nickel (I know people call them copper but it's nickel, drat it) plugs are not as good as iridium in any way except price. However, if your car is tuned for nickel plugs, you're better off using them than a precious metal plug because the spark timings can be off (too early). But even though iridium plugs will cost 10 bucks a piece, they last 100k miles (modern turbocharged engines aside) so you don't have to replace them as often as nickel plugs (30k life).
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Jan 14, 2016 01:40
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Maybe. Probably not. Plugs are steel with a plating. NGK and Champion use zinc plating with trivalent chromate. Bosch and Denso use a nickel plating. Zinc + chromate is better than nickel usually, but sometimes combustion byproducts are not so kind (e.g. E100 - but not E85!) and nickel plating is better. But, NGK (don't know about champion) makes nickel-plated (plus trivalent chromate) plugs that are better. For NGK plugs, if there is a D at the end (after the SECOND) number, then it's nickel plated. (e.g. ILTR5D is not nickel plated because the D comes after the first number) Anyway! For normal petrol, zinc + trivalent chromate > nickel + trivalent chromate > nickel and for E100, some CNG, and some LPG, nickel + trivalent chromate > zinc + trivalent chromate. The failure mode is corrosion of the metal shell and getting stuck to the head. So, if you're not having problems getting your plugs out then the straight answer to your question is no. If you are, then switch to a NGK nickel plated plug, or next Denso then next Bosch plug. In the end, order of quality pretty much goes NGK/Denso - > Bosch - > Champion - > anybody else. (this doesn't include brands like ACDELCO, MOPAR, etc because they don't actually make any pkugs)
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Jan 14, 2016 02:21
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So, there's a thing called ignitability. What this means is, after the spark occurs, how quickly the flame kernel expands. Better ignitability means it grows faster and you have better idle stability at low RPMs. Benefit at high RPMs is low/minimal. So you can do two things with this: adjust your spark timing or keep the same spark timing but reduce the gap size (lower demand voltage, better durability - more important in turbo engined). Or adjust your A/F, so more than two things. But for all those things, obviously, your car has to be calibrated to take damage of it. Otherwise, it just offers better durability over the nickel plugs (just because of the material difference). The center electrode is much smaller than nickel, which is what gives it the ignitability benefit. This benefit decreases with increased gap size. This is why multi-pronged spark plugs aren't great, but they are designed to avoid fouling anyway, it for ignitability, and in that they are great. On the ground electrode, there may or may not be a platinum pad, and of course having one is better for durability. But it doesn't affect ignitability. And what the gently caress, why are spark plugs that expensive. Nickel should be a couple euro each at most and iridium maybe 10 euro at most. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Jan 14, 2016 |
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Jan 14, 2016 02:39
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 20:45 |
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Sure. But everyone should keep in mind that, because combustion in an ICE depends on so many factors, the things related to plugs are always when keeping all other things equal, and always depends on the engine. Any time the OEM asks us a question, our answer is always that it should be ultimately verified on the actual engine.
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Jan 14, 2016 02:46
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