Looking for some help with replacement spark plugs for my 91 t. My car is experiencing some misfires and the 5-8 light is on. The 1-4 light comes on intermittently. My service guy is recommending I replace the NGK plugs with Champion Part number #809 (Plug type RA6HC) which are OEM by Ferrari to see if that will solve the issue. They are $2.89 from sparkplugs.com. Ferrari wants to charge my service guy $43.95 each. Crazy. Anyone else use the same plug from Champion?
Ferrari quite using Champion plugs and went to NGK for a very good reason. I really have to question the sanity of anyone who wants to go back to Champion.
If I recall correctly there was some kind of resister issue. I'm running on NGK dr8eix iridium. I actually replace spark plugs to iridium ones in all our cars. differences https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGdAxlEO26I Recently checked them and the colors are just great Image Unavailable, Please Login
What component of the plug is iridium, and how does that enhance its performance? (May be an ignorant question, but I really don't know!)
Are you still using the original ignition coils? The backs tend to crack and arc which could be a reason for your intermittent problem.
Let's say in normal language the little tip Better Performance = unnoticeable More economical = unnoticeable However with cold starts the engine runs way better and it has a better ignition so it pollutes the engine compartment less. This is the only thing I notice, besides the fact I, theoretically, would never have to change them in my lifetime.
I hadn't seen anyone mention gap. The DR8EIX seem to come with a .030 gap and my manual shows .024 - .028. Should we be gapping these to spec or install as is?
I believe the iridium is the central electrode material. My experience with such plugs is they also are pointed on the end, not flat. PS: In the old days I experimented with every spark plug design offered. The only one I ever noticed that made a difference was the two post Bosch. In some circumstances where I was previously seeing a little bit of roughness it went away. I forget which car it was. Possibly my 1965 Corvair. I don't know exactly what is in my 1986 Ferrari, (I can look it up in the records or perhaps Rob remembers). Anyway, the harder and longer I have driven the car the better it runs. Right now it is about perfect, and that is after about 12 or 13 K miles. PPS: In the old days MSD stood for multiple spark discharge. It fired each plug multiple times. However, the time between each spark was long enough that it only made a difference at idle or at low rpms. After that the additional spark was to late to make much difference. It did make a difference on my 1974 Vega!
Me Again! Anyone have any experience with Surface Gap Spark Plugs? These have been on the market for decades. I can not remember ever trying them, even though I previously wrote I had tried every kind available! surface gap spark plugs - AOL Image Search Results Spark-plug
They come with the gap pre-set because it is very difficult to re-gap them without damaging the tiny center electrode. I was advised to check them and use them as they came out of the box. If any are out of spec, exchange them for plugs with the proper gap from the factory. Alden
They are quite easy to gap and measure. There is no such thing as properly gapped from the factory. Any given plug number has many applications so they are not gapped for all possibilities.
I must have found a unicorn. The last set of iridiums I put in my Jag were pre-gapped exactly where the factory specs said they should be. And IF you start jamming a feeler gauge in there like a gorilla, you can snap the tiny center electrode. Just some cautious advice for DIY folks and those of us who remember plugs with normal size and ordinary material center electrodes that cost very little if you screwed one up. Alden
The factory specs for Jag maybe but what about the factory specs for all the other applications for that particular plug? If you feel proper plug gapping consists of jamming a feeler gauge in there like a gorilla I submit you have no idea of the proper procedure or the proper tools and you are the poster child for the instruction given not to gap them. A feeler gauge is a measuring device, not an adjustment device.
Has anyone heard anything whether these pointy electrodes SHOULD be gapped the same as the flat type?
Back off please. I was simply trying to give advice to those less experienced than you, of course. Re-read my post and I think you will understand what I was trying to say. I understand what you are trying to say and given the nature of my post, I don't think I deserve your blast furnace right now. Alden
Back off? Pot meet kettle. They are your words in case you forgot. If you do not like being corrected do not offer up incorrect information and then when corrected, defending it in such a rude manner.
I was advised not to mess with the gaps on iridium plugs, but we can all learn something new. I think the main thing here is to be careful with the tips on these plugs. Response from NGK about gapping plugs: "Thank you for your inquiry. When I looked up your Mondial, it came up with DR8EIX, is what I assume you are using. That plug comes out of the box at .032", but your Ferrari requires a gap at .025". We do highly recommend that you gap the plug accordingly with a wire style or feeler gauge so that you do not compromise the fine Iridium tip. We recommend that you double check the gap on all plugs, even the ones that are pre-gapped out of the box. I hope this helps answer your question." Thank You, Lela Martin NGK Spark Plugs, (USA) Inc. Alden