Diagnosing A High Performance Modified Engine Is really a Hard Work And It Is A lot of Secrets
A) Mixture or timing misadjustment or another possible mechanical troubles.
B) High performance modifications that increase the horse-power level, augmenting and so the combustion chambers temperature and stress at high RPM.
C) Colder racing spark plugs fouling at idle, stop and go, and lower speeds.
Unfortunately, for every spark plug firing tip appearance, the standard spark plug troubleshooting charts only are thinking about as you can trouble causes the first list A.
But in high end modified engines and racing applications, their email list B is truly the main cause of the bigger temperatures within the combustion chambers that generates overheating, pre-ignition and detonation; as well as the list C is the main reason for fouled spark plugs that generates misfiring, hard starting, black smoke and great loose of power.
Despite this fact, carefully report on the majority of the troubleshooting charts, reveals that the causes of the B and C lists are not included, or at best mentioned. However when talking about the high performance field, these causes are with extreme frequency the primary guilty of a lot of the troublesome spark plug firing tip appearance.
As result of this lack of information, never was sufficiently clear that the undesirable spark plug firing tip may be attributable to an inappropriate spark plugs heat range. Either wasn't mentioned strongly enough the transcendent importance that have to change the spark plugs heat range, so it never was taken into consideration.
Forasmuch it should not surprise that even experienced engine builders, modifiers and tuners often confuse an overheated spark plug brought on by the newest degree of power at high RPM, with a lean mixture trouble, because the appearances of the firing tip look the identical; making wrong diagnostics, and enriching a combination, instead of customize the heat range for the engine's power.
And worst, when the heat excess level provokes pre-ignition or detonation (which is very frequent due to the high amounts of demands the racing engines are submitted) most of the times the traditional troubleshooting charts are guiding them erroneously to think their engines are receiving some mechanical troubles and for that reason they may be engaging unnecessarily in repair nonexistent mechanical problems, like air conditioning failure: or suppose that it is owed to some mixture or timing misadjustment, consequently enriching a combination and/or retarding the ignition timing, arriving inclusive to diminish the boost pressure, the nitrous flow, the compression ratio, etc. losing by this way tons of power, instead of the unique right, simplest, fastest and cheapest solution which is to customizing the spark plug heat range for the huge power, stress as well as heat achieved at high RPM.
As a result of same absence of information, they can not either distinguish if the cold racing spark plugs are fouling at idle, stop and go, minimizing speeds, from the time includes a rich mixture, because have exactly the same carbon fouled firing tips appearance; and what is still worst, they can not either distinguish once the colder racing spark plugs for heavily modified engines are fouling at idle, stop and go, reducing speeds, from when the engines has worn-out piston rings and cylinders, because both have exactly the same oil fouled firing tips appearance.
Those wrong diagnostics are leading these to wrong solutions: attempting to adjust unnecessarily the air-fuel mixture once they see carbon fouled spark plugs, and being bottled without need in overhauling the engine to fix mechanical troubles that do not exist, when they see oil fouled spark plugs, as opposed to avoiding idle minimizing speeds in engines designed for run at high RPM, or change the spark plug heat range of these form of flaunt usage.
Also once the traditional spark plug troubleshooting charts mention "wrong heat range" or "check for that correct heat range", since it is not enough clear, majority of of they are quite familiarized with the concept that "wrong heat range" only might be a spark plug different than the stock or even the suggested by the manufacturers, ignoring they should switch the spark plug's heat range.
And, like wasn't sufficient with this particular confusion using the information, until very short period of time failed to exist method neither tool to perform the key task of customize the heat array of the sparkplug, in accordance with any specific high end modification level, so, the election with the aftermarket sparkplug that best works at any RPM load or stress, was left for the intuition, experience and the criterion of every technician, who only had the unfriendly guesswork of never-ending learning from mistakes proofs, testing different spark plug sets, with inexact and risky results.
But the racing field is no location for mistakes.
Is for that reason that the traditional troubleshooting charts are not one of the most adequate self-help guide to properly and accurately diagnosing your expensive powerful modified or racing engine, risking one to lose your engine which is still worse, to get rid of the race.
What's then a right way to properly diagnose the spark plugs within the powerful field?
Make certain that, if you aren't having real mechanic problems, you should check the heat selection of the installed spark plugs, and select the replacement with the colder heat range more appropriate in your exactly high performance modification level.
Can it be a difficult work? It depends. If you are using the proper tool, that lets you see, confirm, verify, select, and select the precise heat range you need to install in your high end modified engine, this is a piece of cake!
Needless to say otherwise..... it can be unending, unfriendly, blind and risky guesswork.
You decide!
