Diagnosing A higher Performance Modified Engine Can be a Hard Work And It Is A lot of Secrets A very common approach to diagnose and tune-up an altered or racing engine is by looking the spark plug firing tips because its appearance can reveal if the engine features a problem that need correcting. However you must be aware that the same spark plug firing tips appearance may have different root causes:
A) Mixture or timing misadjustment or other possible mechanical troubles.
B) High end modifications that boost the horse-power level, augmenting therefore the combustion chambers temperature and stress at high RPM.
C) Colder racing spark plugs fouling at idle, stop and go, and lower speeds.
Unfortunately, for every spark plug firing tip appearance, the traditional spark plug troubleshooting charts only are thinking about as possible trouble causes the very first list A.
In high performance modified engines and racing applications, this list B is usually the main reason behind the higher temperatures inside the combustion chambers that generates overheating, pre-ignition and detonation; and also the list C is the main cause of fouled spark plugs that generates misfiring, hard starting, black smoke and great loose of power.
Regardless of that fact, carefully overview of most of the troubleshooting charts, reveals that the causes of the B and C lists aren't included, or at best mentioned. When talking about the high end field, these causes are with extreme frequency the primary guilty of most of the troublesome spark plug firing tip appearance.
As a consequence of this lack of knowledge, was not ever sufficiently clear that the undesirable spark plug firing tip might be attributable to an inappropriate spark plugs heat range. Either never was mentioned strongly enough the transcendent importance that have to get a new spark plugs heat range, so that it was never taken into consideration.
Forasmuch it shouldn't surprise that even experienced engine builders, modifiers and tuners often confuse an overheated spark plug due to the new level of power at high RPM, with a lean mixture trouble, as the appearances of their firing tip look a similar; making wrong diagnostics, and enriching the mix, rather than customize the heat range for the engine's power.
And worst, once the heat excess level provokes pre-ignition or detonation (which is very frequent as a result of high levels of demands the racing engines are submitted) most of the times the traditional troubleshooting charts are guiding them erroneously to trust that the engines are experiencing some mechanical troubles and for that reason they may be engaging unnecessarily in repair nonexistent mechanical problems, like cooling system failure: or suppose that it really is owed to a mixture or timing misadjustment, consequently enriching the mix and/or retarding the ignition timing, arriving inclusive to decrease the boost pressure, the nitrous flow, the compression ratio, etc. losing by this way plenty of power, instead of the unique right, simplest, fastest and cheapest solution that is to customizing the spark plug heat range for the huge power, stress as well as heat achieved at high RPM.
Because of the same deficiency of information, they are unable to either distinguish if the cold racing spark plugs are fouling at idle, stop and go, and lower speeds, from when includes a rich mixture, because have the identical carbon fouled firing tips appearance; and what is still worst, they are unable to either distinguish once the colder racing spark plugs for heavily modified engines are fouling at idle, stop and go, reducing speeds, from the time the engines has worn-out piston rings and cylinders, because have the identical oil fouled firing tips appearance.
performance enginesThose wrong diagnostics are leading them to wrong solutions: wanting to adjust unnecessarily the air-fuel mixture once they see carbon fouled spark plugs, and being bottled without need in overhauling the engine to correct mechanical troubles that don't exist, once they see oil fouled spark plugs, rather than avoiding idle and lower speeds in engines built for run at high RPM, or to get a new spark plug heat range for these form of show off usage.
Also once the traditional spark plug troubleshooting charts mention "wrong heat range" or "check for that correct heat range", because it is inadequate clear, a great majority of they may be quite familiarized using the concept that "wrong heat range" only might be a spark plug different than the stock or perhaps the suggested through the manufacturers, ignoring that they should switch the spark plug's heat range.
And, as though had not been sufficient with this particular confusion using the information, until very short time failed to exist method neither tool to do quite task of customize the heat selection of the sparkplug, according to any specific high performance modification level, so, the election of the aftermarket sparkplug that best works at any RPM load or stress, stayed towards the intuition, experience and also the criterion of each technician, who only had the unfriendly guesswork of never-ending learning from mistakes proofs, testing different spark plug sets, with inexact and risky results.
However the racing field is no spot for mistakes.
performance engines for saleIs made for that reason that the original troubleshooting charts are not the most adequate help guide to properly and accurately diagnosing your expensive powerful modified or racing engine, risking one to lose your engine and that is still worse, to get rid of the race.
What is then a right way to properly diagnose the spark plugs inside the high performance field?
Be sure that, if you aren't having real mechanic problems, you should check the warmth array of the installed spark plugs, and choose the replacement with all the colder heat range better suited for your exactly high end modification level.
high performance enginesIs it a hard work? It depends. If you work with the proper tool, that lets you see, confirm, verify, select, and select the exact heat range you have to install in your powerful modified engine, it's a easy!
Needless to say otherwise..... it may be unending, unfriendly, blind and risky guesswork.
You select!