fowled plugs

[1969 k/10]

I just got new plugs a few months back and i pulled them today because it was missing and they were black. They were fouled and one of the plug tips was bent and almost just touching causing almost no gap.I don't know what could have caused this. For now i replaced the plugs for some hotter ones and am going to see what happens. What could be causing them to foul?

[cdowns]

chickrns are fowl

fouled spark plugs are another animal// is it dry powdery soot black or wet tar like black? dry black powder type of fouling is an overrich condition normally from poorly tuned carb//black tar like is bad rings or valves causing oil fouling

as far as the electrode is concerned ,was probally on installation that it got hit

[special-K]

This is new to me.I`ve never seen a spark plug affected my ducks or any other fowl.

All plugs looked the same?Wet black or dry black?You are sure the one ws gapped properly in the first place?Did the truck seem to run normal all this time?
It could be carburator adjustment,timing,or week ignition if it`s dry...carbon=unburnt fuel.If it`s wet you`ll prolly find some low compression from worn valvetrain,piston ring,cylinder walls.Does it puff smoke when started or when pulling off after idling?Could be valve seals or guides.

All that said,you may have just had too cool plugs and what you`ve done may be all it took.Is the motor pretty much stock?Any add-on goodies sittin`on top?What plugs did you have and what`s in there now?

EDIT:I sure type slow.There were no replies when I started.

[thirdstreettito]

Were all of them fowled or only a few?

[LuckyHenriksen]

Haha I was thinking about birds too

[1969 k/10]

Haha i feel dumb now, but anyways they were all FOULED and it was a wet black. It it possible that i smashed the plug on installation causing it to bend. ?The timing is at 8 degrees and the plugs were autolites that were already 1 step hotter. As far as goodies i just have an Edelbrock carb. and intake

[cdowns]

do you have a properly installed PVCsystem?

[Boog]

You put you some AC plugs in there and give that carb some attention and I bet it smoothes right out.
Make sure the choke is operating right.

[special-K]

I`d definately be chicken the pcv/crankcase venting.Is it gobbling alot of fuel?A quacked ring would cause such a problem but not all cylinders at once.Same with valvetrain.Duck under the hood and chick how hot the spark from the coil is.I egrit I`m not closer.If you were heron the east coast I`d come over and have a looksee.Is it puffin any smoke?I`d peep in my mirrors while it`s running.When you goose it off idle and it smoked it`s your guides or seals from no lead.

[heavy70]

I agree with Boog hei put r45ts, points put r44t!!!

[ChevLoRay]

I used to have problems with plugs fouling on my 350. Carb was running rich (Edelbrock 1406), so I changed to an Edelbrock 1901. It was immediately a leaner-running carb, that forced me to add a heat shield to the starter solenoid. It has headers and an HEI. Changed distributors when the GM junkyard HEI broke a wire to the reluctor within the distributor. Changed plugs to AC Rapidfires and have never had another plug to foul....oil or gas-related. Timing on my engine is set to 10-degrees BTDC.

[caminokid]

Originally Posted by special-K

I`d definately be chicken the pcv/crankcase venting.

Chicken?? Do you think the PVC has gone FOWL?

[Arad68]

Originally Posted by special-K

I`d definately be chicken the pcv/crankcase venting.Is it gobbling alot of fuel?A quacked ring would cause such a problem but not all cylinders at once.Same with valvetrain.Duck under the hood and chick how hot the spark from the coil is.I egrit I`m not closer.If you were heron the east coast I`d come over and have a looksee.Is it puffin any smoke?I`d peep in my mirrors while it`s running.When you goose it off idle and it smoked it`s your guides or seals from no lead.

[tim21391]

the people i work with at autozone they said bosch plugs foul up real quick... the ones that only have the one prong..they say those arnt to good... but other then that i dont know

[LuckyHenriksen]

Hmmm

[caminokid]

I have found that the older...I should say higher mileage motors....tend to foul plugs. I was always buying the cheap plugs. I started buying the more expensive plugs...getting away from the AC's and Autolites. I wasnt changing plugs as often.

[special-K]

^Did you miss the rest? If they`re wet,it`s water fowl.I edited in bold type.

Since they are wet,are they oily or smell more like gas?If it`s gassy smelling then I`d look at plugs,carb,etc.If they are oily it`s engine wear.I hotter spark and leaner carb helps compensate,but not the solution.
BTW,Bosch is one of the best products in the world.Which non-qualified person did you speak to at Autozone?Bosch may very well be the best aoto electrical company in the world who know only makes premium products.I just like an American name in my American stuff.Don`t run Oriental name tires either.ACs have been doing the trick since day one for me.You just need the right ones.If which plug you use makes that much diferent,you have bigger problems anyway.

[ChevLoRay]

When I was selling auto parts at Auto Shack (a while back, right?), I learned that there are parts people who will perpetrate a lie, based on what someone told them to be gospel truth.

Each and every one of us knows someone who we trust to always know the answer to our questions, yet there will be times when their answer may not be totally correct.

How well any spark plug performs in an engine is going to be relative to the state of tune and the overall mechanical condition of the engine. It doesn't matter if it's a lawn mower engine or a AA/FD. Reading the condition of your spark plugs is a science that the engine pros use to help the "big boys" out-do the competition....whatever that competition may be and whoever the competitors are.

[caminokid]

Originally Posted by special-K

^Did you miss the rest? If they`re wet,it`s water fowl.I edited in bold type.

I did miss the rest Tim!

[Arad68]

[QUOTE=special-K;3050364]^Did you miss the rest? If they`re wet,it`s water fowl.I edited in bold type.

Since they are wet,are they oily or smell more like gas?If it`s gassy smelling then I`d look at plugs,carb,etc.If they are oily it`s engine wear.I hotter spark and leaner carb helps compensate,but not the solution.
BTW,Bosch is one of the best products in the world.Which non-qualified person did you speak to at Autozone?Bosch may very well be the best aoto electrical company in the world who know only makes premium products.I just like an American name in my American stuff.Don`t run Oriental name tires either.ACs have been doing the trick since day one for me.You just need the right ones.If which plug you use makes that much diferent,you have bigger problems anyway.[/QUOTE]

And what problem would that be?
I just don't like throwing my money away on cheaply made sparkplugs, regardless of who makes them.

[truckdude239]

post some pictures of the plugs and we can tell you what is goin on

[PanelDeland]

In the Back of almost any "Hayne's" manual there is a chart that will be the beginners guide to reading spark plugs.It is a good place to look to help learn which plug fowling problem you are having.
BTW is your shotgun a full choke model?

[Arad68]

Here is a guide to spark plugs and compression that I have found very useful.

If your plugs are black, Your engine is too rich or burns a lot of oil.

I hate to break it to you guys, but NGK and Bosch are the #1 spark plugs out there. All brands are close in comparison, but based on the amount of research and development conducted, NGK and Bosch are by far the best.

This link is useful too. http://www.sparkplugs.com/


Here are the recommendations from edelbrock. I believe the plug seats are flat, so you should use the washers (if they are tapered seats, you don't use the washer...)

Under 9.5 to 1 Compression

Champion ---------- RC12YC / 2071
NGK --------------- FR 4 / 5155 OR BCPR5ES / 6130
Autolite ------------ 3926
Motorcraft --------- AGSFP52
Accel Shorty ------- 0416S

Up to 10.5 to 1 Compression

Champion ----------- RC9YC / 2075
Autolite -------------- 3924
NGK ----------------- FR 5 / 7373 OR BCPR7ES / 3330
Accel Shorty -------- 0414S

11 to 1 Compression

Champion ------------ C63YC / 796
NGK ------------------ R5672A-8 / 7173

12 to 1 Compression

Champion ------------- C61YC / 785
NGK ------------------- R5672A-9 / 7405

[Boog]

NGK or Bosch? Nah. Edelbrocks' choices are his opinion or those of his employees.
We all drive GM products here and GM has long used AC Delco brand parts. I have to believe considerable research was done before GM chose this brand. They are made to GM's standards. I have used only a couple of other brands once or twice in my many years but have always came back to AC. The AC plugs in my 2 97 trucks are said to be good for 100,000 miles. From the looks of them I believe they will do that and more.
In the end I feel like if AC is good enough for the General it's good enough for me. That's my opinion on it!

[Arad68]

Originally Posted by Boog

NGK or Bosch? Nah. Edelbrocks' choices are his opinion or those of his employees.
We all drive GM products here and GM has long used AC Delco brand parts. I have to believe considerable research was done before GM chose this brand. They are made to GM's standards. I have used only a couple of other brands once or twice in my many years but have always came back to AC. The AC plugs in my 2 97 trucks are said to be good for 100,000 miles. From the looks of them I believe they will do that and more.
In the end I feel like if AC is good enough for the General it's good enough for me. That's my opinion on it!

I have all GM products with the exception of my wifes KIA, which happens to be one of the best cars I have ever owned. This doesn't make me an outsider as your opinion would suggest. I ran Champion, AC, and Autolite for a while. I switched to NGK because after looking at them and comparing them to each other, NGK was better constructed. The insulators don't crack as easily either. In my experience if you just tweak the insulators on Champion, AC and Autolite, they crack. Yes , I use the right rubber insulated socket. NGK also happens to be the most used sparkplug worldwide.

I love GM just as much as you do, but I got tired of throwing my money away on (in my experience) a cheaply made product. Not the car or truck, the sparkplug. It tears me up when I see and read about how poorly American companies have been managed recently and the corners they have cut. Not just GM either. When these companies put the quality back in their product, I will buy it. (I.E. sparkplugs.)

It's a damn shame too, because GM is making the best vehicles they have ever made in their entire history. Despite the sparkplugs they use, I will always buy GM. As a matter of fact, I am looking at a Pontiac G8 for my wife right now and will probably buy one when I can afford it. If it has anything other than NGK spark plugs in it, I will change them.