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If you're like many people, you may have been asking yourself, "how often should I change spark plugs?". The first thing you want to do before even thinking about changing a spark plug is to make sure your vehicle's engine has cooled off completely. You can check this by opening the hood of your vehicle and looking inside. Sometimes it is a good idea to use a flashlight to ensure that there is no moisture in the engine.
The primary function of a spark plug in a car engine is to ignite the fuel/air mixture to fuel the engine so it starts. As an essential part of a car engine, spark plugs give the extra spark to initiate the fuel/air mixture to ignite to start the car. Spark plug failure can cause car trouble starting as well as trouble parking. The symptoms that you may experience when your car's spark plug fails to work properly are A dripping or smoking engine; difficulty in starting; trouble parking and stalls. It is important to understand that these symptoms only mean one thing: that the spark plug assembly has failed.
When checking the spark plugs you will want to check to make sure they are seated properly in the cylinder. You will also want to check to make sure that the wires to the ignites are not worn or damaged. You can test this by pulling up on the pinion and twisting the wire counterclockwise. If the wire is pulled up, you will hear a click as the spark plugs seat properly. On the other hand, if the wire slips out, you will hear a soft "snap" as the plugs seat improperly.
One reason some people ask themselves this question is because of how often the vehicle is driven. If you drive your vehicle only once or twice a year, you will not need to replace your spark plugs more than once every few years. However, if you drive your vehicle several times a week, you will want to replace your plugs more frequently.
Next, you should remember that when you replace your spark plugs the vehicle engine should burn cleaner. This is because the spark plugs now move hot gases from the engine compartment into the combustion chamber where the fuel is burned. The change in the environment in the combustion chamber creates a much cleaner fuel mixture than the air that is present when the fuel is burned traditionally. You should expect your car to burn cleaner than it did before you changed the spark plugs.
If you need spark plug replacement, give our auto repair shop a call today!