Inspection of candles: How to Spot 5 Signs of Engine Problems

NGK lists the main indications of malfunction of spark plugs and the consequences that the lack of inspection of this item can cause on other components of the vehicle

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São Paulo, October 2022 - A component as small as a spark plug is of fundamental importance for the operation of your vehicle's engine. In order to help detect any problems, periodic and preventive maintenance of the car is the best option: in addition to avoiding unnecessary costs with the vehicle and saving fuel and user time, the procedure avoids minor malfunctions that can increase fuel consumption and the emission of polluting gases, resulting in increased environmental impacts. These flaws are not always perceived by the user, but generate major impacts.

Hiromori Mori, NGK Brasil Technical Assistance consultant, Japanese multinational ignition systems specialist, provides tips for drivers to be aware of possible problems in the engine of their vehicle, emphasizing the main consequences that lack of inspection of sails can cause on other engine components.

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5 Key Signs That Indicate Spark Plug Malfunction:

1. The time it takes for the engine to pick up gets longer, that is, The starting time. In addition to the nuisance generated by the fact that we lost more time so we could leave with the vehicle. Increased start-up time forces components as starter (part rotating the motor at start-up) and the battery, reducing the life of these components and increasing the cost of vehicle maintenance.
2. Considerable increase in fuel consumption, part of the fuel that is injected is not burned in the engine, more fuel injection is needed to maintain the same yield.
3. Irregular slow gait, due to ignition failures.
4. Vehicle operation failure, mainly in accelerating conditions and resumption of speed.
5. Raising levels of emissions of environmental pollutants - the measurement is carried out by means of an analysis of the exhaust gases with specific equipment. These limits are stipulated by Proconve (vehicular emissions control program).

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6 main consequences that the lack of inspection of spark plugs can cause in other vehicle components:

1. Use of poor quality fuel, which typically generates accumulation of waste in the spark plugs. Through the inspection of the candles we can identify these residues.
2. Water infiltration into the combustion chamber, causing signs of oxidation in candles. This scenario can cause problems that directly affect the efficiency of the cooling system, may lead to engine overheating failures, that get worse over time.
3. Soaking spark plugs, which is easily identified by the coloration of the ceramic insulator (ceramic tip) the vehicle owner is using as a petrol fuel. When the preference is for ethanol, their identification is more difficult. In this case, may indicate a problem of lack of watertightness of fuel injectors.
4. Oil residue or soaking, which indicates a lubricant oil leakage problem into the combustion chamber, generating waste in the combustion chamber, which can lead to serious engine failures such as pre-ignition. They are usually caused by excessive wear and clearances outside the specified.
5. Carbon build-up in spark plugs, which points to a very rich mixture of air and fuel, leading to high fuel or lubricating oil consumption. Typically indicate a problem in the fuel injection system.
6. Misfires, which may cause damage to the vehicle catalyst - high cost part for exchange working at very high temperatures. When fuel is not burned in the engine, it comes out through the exhaust collector and finds the heated part, above 400°C temperature, that's your normal working temperature. Being able to burn this fuel inside and lead to damage to the part.

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"Spark plugs are natural wear components, which means they wear out with the use of the engine. Vehicle manufacturers indicate in their manuals the period of exchange of spark plugs. If the customer does not perform the recommended maintenance, the wear of the candles causes the electrodes to be rounded and the clearance increased, which raises the tension for the spark, cause damage to ignition cables and coils and, in some cases, also damage the injection module (Centralina or ECU),"says Hiromori.

In such cases, an experienced mechanic can easily identify both a possible problem in the spark plugs - only with a visual inspection of the item - as for the burning condition in the combustion chamber. That is why, NGK recommends that the customer take their vehicle to the mechanic and ask him to examine the spark plugs once a year or every 10 thousand kilometers.

"Spark plugs can and should be constantly inspected by qualified and reliable professionals. If the driver needs extra assistance, in our SAC he will find a specialized technical team to provide full support", Mori ends.