Simple question.

When a rotary floods and fouls the spark plugs, are those plugs reusable if cleaned or dried?

I always assumed it was common sense they would be good. However, I had some old plugs I pulled out that fouled out from flooding that I put in my car and it wouldn't start on the fouled plugs(they where completely dry). Put new plugs in and fired right up.

 

I've tried cleaning and reinstalling them and the car never runs as well as installing a fresh set.

 

Yea i need to figure out why my car if fouling so many plugs. I think its probably leaky injectors.

 

It may not be a leaky injector, but low compression. Have you done a compression check yet? Another way for you to get the engine to start most of the time is, detach the relay under the steering wheel colum and attach it back on as soon as it starts firing up.

 

I have haltech e6x, I can turn off fuel in just a click. Its not low compression. If anything leaky injector or my tune

 

How do you know if the spark plug is fouled? I dont know if my plug is fouled, but when i took it has this black color thing that looks like a "dried carbon". Sorry to thread jack

 

You're absolutely right. It's not the wet gas that makes them foul, it's a conductive path of carbon and **** that conducts the spark down the insulator.

They're also completely reusable even after the worst fouling, but you have to clean them properly. This can only be done with a bead blaster. They look and run like new after a good bead blasting and a flush with solvent to get the glass beads off.

 

**** bead blasting - glass particles can lodge in the tip and then loosen into the engine.
KAPOW.

**** solvents - they can make it worse.

Get a torch - propane, acetylene, etc. - and burn the **** out of the tips.
Make sure they COOL down before handling them with your hands.


-Ted

 

thought i was the only one that did that

 

I use a propane torch. Works great every time and saves me money on plugs.