This faulty data is then sent to the ECU and the ECU adjusts the air-fuel mixture to a lean mixture. The O2 sensor is then tricked into thinking that the engine is getting too much fuel when actually the engine is getting the proper fuel amount. What happens is the spark plug fails to ignite the gasoline in the cylinder causing more fuel than normal to leave the engine through the exhaust. Rough IdleĪ rough engine idle can be caused by bad spark plugs. If the engine isn’t running smoothly you should hear an abnormal exhaust sound. The last indicator of a misfire would be the engine sound. Other symptoms include rough idling, poor fuel economy, and slower acceleration. When this happens the forces in the engine become unbalanced causing vibration. When this happens, you will notice increased vibration, rough running, and the vibration can disappear as the engine speed increases.Ī misfire is what happens when the spark plug fails to ignite the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Sometimes the engine can misfire without any warning sign on your dash. While engine misfires can trigger check engine lights, they don’t always trigger them.
BAD SPARK PLUG SYMPTOMS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHING CODE
A P0300 code indicates a cylinder misfire and can be related to the spark plugs, while a P0171 would be related to PCV valve issues. Be sure to check this code and determine what it means. However, I had barely made it down the road and my check engine light started flashing indicating a major engine problem! The issue turned out to be a bad spark plug that was causing a misfire.Ĭheck engine lights will trigger a certain code. When the engine rpm climbed above 1,000 rpm it smoothed out. Upon starting my truck for work I noticed a little more vibration than normal. Check engine lights can be caused by malfunctioning spark plugs In serious cases, it can trigger a flashing check engine light. Check Engine Lightįaulty spark plugs can trigger a check engine light. The large variance in issues that can be caused by faulty spark plugs just goes to show how critical these parts are to your engine. Bad Spark Plug SymptomsĬommon signs of spark plug issues include: rough idling, poor acceleration, reduced fuel economy, misfiring, hard starting, and even the dreaded check engine light. Its very important that you look at your specific vehicle and see what interval the manufacturer recommends. In motorcycles, plugs typically only last 15,000 miles, while car and truck spark plugs can last from 30,000 miles to even 100,000 miles.Īs you can see the replacement intervals can vary by 70,000 miles in different applications.
Copper plugs will be good for 10,000 to 20,000 miles, while platinum or iridium plugs can be good for 60,000 miles or more. Spark plug life can vary drastically by the material used.
Whereas a car usually operates in the 2,000 – 3,000 rpm giving 500 to 750 spark plug ignitions per minute. Since a motorcycles regularly operate at 8,000 rpm or higher, the spark plug is igniting 2,000 times per minute. In a four stroke engine, a spark plug will ignite every four revolutions. This is due to the higher RPM a motorcycle engine sees. Plugs have a shorter lifespan in a motorcycle versus a car. Spark plug life varies depending on the application. This higher voltage causes a “spark” in the spark plug’s gap, igniting the air fuel mixture.
The ignition coil jumps the 12 volts it receives into several thousand volts. The engine control unit ECU sends an electrical signal to the ignition coil.
The spark plug’s function is rather self explanatory, its job is to ignite the fuel in the combustion chamber. Spark plugs are a key ingredient to any proper functioning gasoline combustion engine. Rough idling engines, lack of power, poor fuel economy, and even check engine lights are all possible causes of bad spark plugs.
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