Here are your questions about a spark plug answered

However, compression is done by the pistons, while ignition is the duty of spark plugs. They offer the necessary spark to the air and fuel mixture to ignite the same. But, over the years of service, the spark plugs usually suffer a lack of efficiency. A spark plug usually contains two electrodes that share the necessary electricity between them. However, when sparks travel from one electrode to another, it hurts them a bit and results in gradual wear and tear.

Sometimes, the electrodes become so wide that they cannot exchange the current properly, and your car might start to experience issues at one point in time in the future. It often produces consequences such as reduced gas mileage, lack of acceleration, and even misfires. Eventually, you get the check engine light on your dashboard.

When do I need to check for a spark plug?

Usually, spark plugs are meant to be in a proper state after approximately 50,000 kilometers, although some of them may serve your car up to 100,000 kilometers. However, you can get a better understanding of a spark plug by examining it physically. There could be a gap between electrodes wide enough because they may be burned off.

After running for a considerable distance, either the spark plug electrodes might be in worn condition or there could be some sort of deposit on them. In any condition, the spark would not be up to the mark and suffer. However, the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) takes care of minor adjustments to manage the air-fuel mixture and spark timing initially.

However, this might be a short-term solution until the engine starts to show signs such as loss of performance and increased fuel consumption. If you opt for spark plug replacement based on assumption, it will not provide any benefit unless your car’s engine shows any problems.

What makes a spark plug so essential for an engine?

Internal combustion engines specifically require ignition to complete the process. But if there is any problem with sparking, the combustion may suffer. Therefore, a car is nothing without a working spark plug. This places the spark plug on the list of critical components. If you have become the owner of a pre-owned car or have been using it for more than a decade, you have to be extra careful to pay attention to the car’s spark plug.

However, manufacturers have become serious about the quality of spark plugs as they might cause an engine to misfire. A misfiring engine can produce a lack of power, which could be hazardous for a running car on the road.

But, the quality of spark plugs also matters, as inferior quality might not be as efficient as a spark plug should be. They cannot help reduce fuel consumption either because a faulty or low-quality spark plug will not provide proper ignition when there are high requirements at high speeds.

Though the modern car is equipped with durable spark plugs that do not wear out pre-maturely, not less than 100,000 kilometers under normal circumstances,, when they start to approach the end of their lifespan, the gap between the two points starts to widen due to the constant loss of metal from the electrodes. Once this starts to happen, your car might start to show symptoms of problems, either in the form of misfiring or even a lack of power. It signals you to be active before you face trouble while riding on the road, and more specifically, before your car’s engine starts to receive damage.

What should I do if there is a worn-out spark plug in my car?

Spark plugs need an expert’s intervention for a proper assessment. Service My Car offers expert assistance for the accurate assessment of your vehicle’s spark plugs. Here you also get spark plug replacement at a very reasonable cost.

Though it would be a professional call to decide whether your car needs a spark plug replacement, if it is needed, you should go for a quality spark plug. There are several choices available, but spark plugs made of precious metals such as platinum or iridium are better than those made of copper. They require paying a bit more, but platinum or iridium spark plugs do not wear and tear quite easily.

You can adapt to a more comprehensive approach to your car's care, especially when your vehicle has reached a certain age or covered a significant distance. Service My Car offers you comprehensive car maintenance to keep a check on unwanted repairs that might result in a hefty bill. You can visit Service My Car for any car maintenance-related work.  There is also online booking for a car service available. You also get the facility of ordering a car repair quote on our website or app.