t's been about forever since we added a tech tip. It's not there are things worthy or writing about; it's about time. I guess I should say "lack of time."

For December, Doug has stepped up to the plate and put together some extremely useful information on spark plugs...

... I watched a bit of the Sunday morning TNN series of motoring shows (horsepower TV, Trucks, etc) this weekend, and they had a nice talk on taking care of spark plugs. They had some nice tips like:

- To remove the plug wires, do not just pull on the wire! Give the boot a couple of twists (rotation!) to break the "seal" that might have built up. Then pull the boot, not the wire! That way, you will not pull the wire out of the boot

- when you remove your plugs, place them in order in an upturned shoe-box (or similar) with holes punched in it to receive the spark plug ("spark side up") with the holes placed and numbered to indicate the position of the plug as it comes out of the engine. That way, you can do diagnostics on individual cylinders/plugs/wires....

- Don't use a flat "shim" type feeler gauge to gap your plugs - use a " round wire" feeler set (I have to admit I never have seen one of these!

- when you go to replace the plugs, don't fiddle them in with your fingers:
push the plug insulator end into a length of rubber hose and use this to guide the plug in. This will help wiggle the plug into the correct thread and prevent cross-threading....

- don't put a plug wrench on the plug until you have given it at least a couple of full turns by hand - again to prevent cross-threading (this is a real problem with our aluminum blocks!!!)

- do NOT over-tighten your plugs! They have washers for a reason!

He did not mention one other essential: put a little copper anti-seize grease on the plug threads before you put 'em back! this prevents galling/sticking and makes threading them in and removing them much easier.

And, for all you water fanatics, a little dielectric grease will on the inside of the boot can help. But do not put too much on, and "milk" the boot when you put it on, as you tend to trap air inside the boot that can expand and blow off the boot. "milking" it (shaddup, Trey!) will help to eliminate any air.....

The other thing he showed was a neat chart with pictures of spark plugs that can be used to diagnose engine problems. While this "should" be less of a problem with modern ECU controlled motors, it is still very useful. He mentioned you can buy them in parts stores and also find them on the Internet. So I Googled for y'all and came up with this site: http://www.centuryperformance.com/spark2.asp

This site is worth going through; they have lots of good info!

Doug Aitken
Past President, 2001-2003, Houston Land Rover Club