i just put in some new plugs and the car wouldn't start. i finally got it to and it smoked like a ****. then left it running for a while, the smoke died out a little but it's still smoking a bit and the engine doesn't run smoothly. i double checked on the connections and everything. when i changed the plugs i took one out, then replaced it w a new one of the exact same # and then put the wire on, then went to the next. thanks for any help!

drew
91 na

 

you probably mixed up the trailing (top) spark plug wires.

 

they're the blue one's correct?

 

The coil pack that is nearest to the windsheild is the trailing coil pack.

As far as the leads, the front coil in that rear coil pack, goes to the front rotor top spark plug, and the rear coil from the rear coil pack goes to the rear rotors top sparkplug.

As far as the leading coil pack (the one next to the battery), the leads go to the bottom spark plugs. You can mix up front and rear on the leading coil pack, and it will still work.

 

I don't remember the color they are, but they're not interchangable. It's important that each of the trailing wire go to the correct trailing plug. The leading wires are interchangable though, iirc.

 

ooops, I'm too slow. icemark's reply was better anyway

 

That's why you do these things one at a time so you don't screw them up!

 

thanks for all the help. yeah.. i did do them one at a time.. but then all that smoke came out. let me get this straight... when you replace the spark plugs you just take one out, then put the new one in... like if you were taking out a bolt and putting in a new one, correct? i'm not sure if there are any special tricks to it becuase it's a rotary. lol i feel stupid asking these questions cuz it seems so simple but i'm just being extra cautious cuz it's my daily driver and i'm a poor college kid and don't really have money for a new engine... lol. thanks!!

 

they said that so you don't pull off all the wires and let them lay there like spaghetti and plug them into the first one you see. it's a trick for piston engines as well, remove a wire and spark plug, install new spark plug then reinstall wire all one at a time so you do not get them switched up.

if you did this then your wiring is not the problem but it doesn't hurt to double check and be sure the wires are in their correct places.

 

You didn't put anything on the new plug threads before installing them, did you (like anti-seize)???

 

ok i just took my car out for a run and it seems to be ok. nothing bad happened and it started right up. it's dark so i couldn't really tell if there was smoke or not.


no... i didn't put anything on the threads... should i have done that?

 

no, the anti seize wouldn't be good on the apex seals.

 

oh ok that makes sense.


any ideas on why it smoked so much tho? did i just flood my engine and have a bunch of fuel in it that came out the exhaust? *shrugs*

 

did you get anything at all into the plug holes while they were out?

they will smoke when flooded but it usually clears up fairly quickly.



white plumey smoke=bad

light blue smoke= burning oil, may be a problem, may not, depends on persistence

darkgrey-brown smoke=unburnt fuel and caused by flooding, normal when flooded.

 

hmmm the only thing i put in there was my finger to find the hole... but that's it. it was white smoke that didn't clear up right away.............

 

thick white smoke? is it humid and cold out where you live, just making sure it is not condensation which is normal. if it isn't overheating i wouldn't worry horribly about it atm, just drive it and see if it happens again down the road.

 

Huh???

Anti Seize should always be used when installing sparkplugs in an aluminum mount (such as a rotary engines houseings, or a import piston engine cyl head.

And it would not get even near the apex seals... well unless you slathered the end of the plug with it.

 

working on cars for a living you would be surprised how many spark plugs i have seen slathered in anti sieze... if the plug came out tough then i might recommend using a tiny bit rubbed into the threads but that's it.

 

Yes, that is correct... only a little bit, but always some when putting plugs into an aluminum surface

 

I never used anti-seize on components (such as spark plugs) that electrically ground through their threads. Never had any plugs seize up on me either, I guess I just know what kind of torque to put on 'em, instead of just "good 'n tight". That's not the type of application that anti-seize is made for, the base paste is not conductive in most formulas...Clean, dry metal-to-metal contact is essential for conductivity (the weaker your contact is, the weaker the spark's going to be, basic electricity 101).

Anti-seize was formulated for things like thermocouples, exhaust system hardware, or other close-tolerance hardware that must put up with extreme temps. Spark plugs are not close tolerance threads, that's why you can finger tighten them just about all the way down, if the threads are clean...

 

Actually automotive use anti-seize is conductive and designed for anytime mis-matched metals are screwed or attached together. I think you are confusing the different types of anti-seize. Yes there are pure non conducting compounds, but the vast majority of anti-seize for automotive use is very conductive and generally contains silver or aluminum dust.

That is why you will see a little dab of Anti-seize compound installed at the factory on every Bosch O2 sensor made. Mind that a O2 sensor must have good conductive contact to work at all.

 

That could be the reason for the misunderstanding, then. The stuff we use on the aircraft (and I have in my garage- don't know how that got there, lol) is nickel (really high-temp) and copper/zinc (medium temp) based stuff, meant for the high temps of jet engine combustion. Never looked into any other stuff at the auto parts store.

Now the O2 sensor, I agree- with the temps we're looking at there, it HAS to have some safe anti-seize on it. But the plugs, they're right in the middle of the coolant stream through the rotor housings, so they can't get THAT hot...Let's just say I prefer not to use the stuff for my plugs, due to the fact I've never had a problem with them even getting close to seizing. What is it, 10 to 13 ft lbs of torque, or something like that. That's not much at all, so if yours are seizing, they were probably overtorqued (and no amount of anti-seize is going to correct for screwed-up/stripped aluminum housing threads)

 

Yeah, I personally have never had one seize either on any car (except some old domestic ford products- and even then only after they had been sitting for years and years), but with the vast number of newbies on this board that have never even changed sparkplugs before, it is probably a smarter thing to suggest they use some anti-seize than to degrade the whole idea.

But again remember a tiny pencil eraser sized tab is more than enough.