FAQ: Which Spark Plugs & Ignition Wires should I use?

Don't use them. I put 104's in my stock engine and they got fouled within a few thousand miles.

Agree with Jack. You have no need for 104's on a stock engine. They will load up on 'ya unless you're constantly on the gas.

I agree, 605s are the coldest I'd go on a stock engine. You should be able to pick up a set for $8 or so...

Thanks for saving me from going back in to dig out fouled plugs!! One question I have however is...Who keeps moving my posts??I am no stranger to forums,and I'm assuming my posts are being moved to keep them in context with other threads.I am not familiar with how THIS board operates just yet.I didn't want to put a new post up in a 2 yr old thread in case it'd get buried and my question lost,.Therefore I started a new thread.If it is acceptable to post my (newbie) questions to an old thread in hopes of receiving an answer I could not glean from the old thread I will do so...I just wasn't sure that'd be the best route to go.

Don, I moved your threads. Don't take it personally - it's merely an attempt to organize stuff, so we don't have 20 threads about the exact same issue. It works out in the end.

There's nothing wrong with resurrecting an old thread, because... our cars are old, and not much has changed about them since the forums were created in 2007. Everything we post is relevant, nothing too old to be used. For more in the subject, check here:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/board-news-f2/multiple-threads-not-necessary-t2245.htm

Thanks,
Admin

It's Saul Goodman... Just took me by surprise,they vanished so quickly without a trace (like a thief in the night)...LoL. I will keep it in mind that it's o.k. t o post to older threads in my quest for knowledge.The "other" forums I have been on get kinda goofy about resurrecting old threads...it adds to confusion over there.Good to know that's not the case here,keep up the good work Mr. Admin. Don

Yes, I agree with the above statement.

Aaron does an excellent job of keeping things organized very well on this board compared to others I've visited.

Makes it much easier.

Also according to advance auto website the Autolite 104's don't fit our cars. Obviously we know they do. Am i just looking at the wrong plug? Or is the site just wrong?

Also here is a link to the plugs I mentioned. Link

The parts computer will not show the AL104 as correct replacement, because it isn't - not for a stock engine. It doesn't mean it won't fit, it means the part will not function to OEM spec. In a completely stock engine, the AL104 plugs may foul after a few thousand miles.

Read back through this thread for more info.

What do you guys think about these things?

http://www.pulstar.com/

rivman96 wrote:

What do you guys think about these things?

http://www.pulstar.com/

SNAKE OIL.

A spark plug only has to do one thing and that is to make a spark hot enough and crisp enough to ignite the Air/Fuel mixture that is supplied to the combustion chamber.
The Spark Plug can't alter anything in the combustion chamber other than create the burn process.

$1.50 copper spark plugs have been doing this very efficiently for many years.

There is no need to try and improve on that, they work fine.

The Irridiums and Platinums do the exact thing only last longer, thats why you get the car manufacturers making claims that the car doesn't need a "Tune-Up" for 100,000 miles. Well, that is bullshit, as the definition of a tune-up has changed dramatically since they stopped using points and condensors.

Save your money and forget about the plugs mentioned above, they will not help your engine get better mileage or run faster or whatever their claims are.

rivman96 wrote:

What do you guys think about these things?

http://www.pulstar.com/

...wait and see if any race teams, large auto/truck fleets, or others with performance at stake actually use thems and report actual results.

Albertj

THE following is from their Ad or Marketing team.

It’s called a pulse plug – and here’s why its technology should be in your engine.

Until now, every gallon of gas you bought was ignited by a simple spark plug- an outdated technology that has barely changed in 100 years. But now you can change to a new eco-friendly pulse plug that uses an advanced technology to make every drop of gas burn better and cleaner.

Here’s how it works: Electrical energy from the engine’s ignition coil is stored in the built-in capacitor. At the exact moment needed, that energy is released in an amazingly powerful and quick (two nanosecond) high-energy pulse.

The result: The improved combustion efficiency burns fuel sooner and more effectively, which equals improved mpg, less CO2 based emissions, and better overall drivability. Even the green get greener! For example, in this EPA US06 fuel consumption lab test, even the icon of fuel economy and eco-friendliness- the Toyota Prius- saw notable improvements in mpg.

First off electrical energy is stored in your primary windings of the coil (dwell) until triggered to collapse and charge the secondary wires, your spark plug wires. Anything in between becomes a source of resistance and a hindrance as well as a delay to getting the spark to the combustion chamber when it requires it. In our cars, that is precisely controlled by the crankshaft position sensor and ultimately triggers the Ignition Control Module to fire the coil. Why would you want something in between to slow or absorb any of that energy.??? They have added a capacitor that requires time to charge and discharge.
So the result is not more efficient combustion, but less and a millisecond or so late, if the plug is even working properly.
Why add more electronics into a spark plug that has the most definite potential to slow down the process of providing spark as well as giving you another potential place for failure. WHY.?????

If the capacitance is not large, the time required to charge and fire is not large either.

Thing that bugs me - I wonder if you can get the same effect by merely widening the plug gap a smidgen. Then the problem is that when the gap creeps open far enough (they pretty much all do) the car will run worse.

Finally, I think their explanation might not be supported by the underlying physics although it is sententially correct. Also, I wonder if some ignition systems then re-time themselves to eliminate the effect if you install these plugs. I further wonder if there are cases in which the combustion is less complete than it should be (hard acceleration) and what the difference is then.

I think there is something I'm missing in understanding their assertions.

Albertj

Hi,

can I run autolite 605 with .55 gap on my stock 96 Riv?
I have t-stat 180

Assuming it is supercharged, yes, and yes.

OK, just swapped in some AL605s, as I don't figure on doing much modding over the next 15 or 20k. I think this car may have had its original plugs - they didn't look bad though (Theres only 150000 kms on it, under 100k miles).

Anyway, pretty glad to find that it was a super easy job - even the DS rear plug that I see is complained about on here was easy to reach around to from the PS of the motor. Whole job took about 25 minutes, including me trying to find my 4" extension in a big bin of junk.

Yeah i still need to get the autolites, but i just am waiting to find the iridium ones. I guess they last longer but don't burn quite at the same range as the coppers. Do you prefer NGK power plugs over Autolites?

Well my car is pretty much all stock. I have a friend that helps me out some time with the car, he out my motor in and rebuilt it. Anyway he built a 500hp 4cyl. for the road, he know alot about what works and what dosnt..he will swear by NGK plugs. he put the NGK v power plugs in mine. man you want to talk about one fast eclipse this would break the tires free at 55mph, unreal!!! talk about torque steer, no he wouldnt let me drive it

A quick note on the iridium plugs - my dad has pulled iridium plugs from cars at 100k+ miles and has put them back in because they don't have sufficient carbon buildup or gap change to warrant new plugs.If you leave your car stock, iridium plugs are great. And actually, even if you do some mild mods, they are great for a low maintenance part. My iridiums worked fine at autocrosses when I had a monte carlo and my friend's tuned mazda 3 used them and he has yet to change his plugs since doing the upgrade. Of course all we did was just intake and exhaust mods (engine wise at least) so for our supercharged engines I would say be careful about using them if you want to push 300+hp but for those who leave theirs stock, I've heard and witnessed only good things from iridium plugs

iridium plugs are very good plugs. And for long change intervals, they are a very good product.

The rationale for using copper plugs when doing modding on the l67 are thus:
-When trying to keep cylinder temps cool, the copper transfers the heat better (us 95 guys have blowers that will run easily 100 deg hotter than the m90, any advantage in heat transfer is good for us)
-us crazy modders like to ensure that the plugs are in tip top shape, so it makes sense to use copper if you intend to change your plugs frequently. (much cheaper and you always know your plugs are fresh. You hit a point in modding where an ignition problem can cause major damage to the engine.) I actually really enjoy changing plugs on my engine. Its almost a primal connection with the essence of the engine compared to doing other engine work, if that makes any sense.
-years of past experience shows that the 3800 engine just plain likes copper plugs better than anything else. engine types all have their quirks, and this is one for the 3800. Not to say an iridium won't work quite well, just that for modding past experience shows the engine responds to the copper plug very well.


Not to say that a good iridium plug won't give you years of good service, and probably one that is a few heat ranges cooler would work fine on a modified engine. The driving force for the copper is almost just a personal quirk among 3800 owners at this point.


As far as brand, the Auto-lite has been recommended across all the 3800 boards. That said, you could use a NGK copper plug too if you wanted. There are actually a few people finding that the quality of the auto-lite plug has declined in recent years; with premature wear, cracking ceramic, and just generally poor internals. While I have had no problems yet, auto-lite has moved production of the plugs into other less expensive venues to help weather the recession. For that reason quite a few have just moved on to the equivalent NGK copper plug for our engines. So take from that what you will.

Karma wrote:

As far as brand, the Auto-lite has been recommended across all the 3800 boards. That said, you could use a NGK copper plug too if you wanted. There are actually a few people finding that the quality of the auto-lite plug has declined in recent years; with premature wear, cracking ceramic, and just generally poor internals. While I have had no problems yet, auto-lite has moved production of the plugs into other less expensive venues to help weather the recession. For that reason quite a few have just moved on to the equivalent NGK copper plug for our engines. So take from that what you will.

I also recommend Auto-lite, I change my plugs every 3 trips to the track and have never see a plug failure using leaded fuel and 25lbs of boost. It is disconcerting news regarding the production issues but until I find a problem I will stick with them.

Quote :

Well my car is pretty much all stock. I have a friend that helps me out some time with the car, he out my motor in and rebuilt it. Anyway he built a 500hp 4cyl. for the road, he know alot about what works and what dosnt..he will swear by NGK plugs. he put the NGK v power plugs in mine. man you want to talk about one fast eclipse this would break the tires free at 55mph, unreal!!! talk about torque steer, no he wouldnt let me drive it

Wow sweet! My brother just recently inherited a 2nd generation eclipse from my uncle who left for Iraq. How they handle is completely different from the riv!

I agree with Karma - if you want to be in touch with what's going on inside your engine, you need to look inside, and changing plugs is one of the easiest ways of doing that. A quick check of your plugs' electrodes every 20-25k miles can give you advanced warning of developing problems, MONTHS or YEARS before you'd notice any symptoms. If you're a performance enthusiast, there is almost no reason to consider a plug that lasts 50-100k miles.