dalla
Part of things
Posts: 40
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Hi Guys
I have a problem with my old Lotus Europa. I has a fairly high performance motor, and it is only used on sunny days. This means that it some time can be standing for a month or maybe even longer. After it has been standing for longer time, i experience trouble withg spark plugs almost every time i try to start it. This means misfiring and running on 3 cylinders. Then when i change the plug, it works perfectly. I experience no cut outs or misfires while running. In fact it pulls very strong. Last year i went through a whole box of NGK B8ECS plugs. Also if iam using the car regularly, i don not experience any problems, but when it has been standing for a while, it happens almost every time.
Have you heard about this before?
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andyborris
Posted a lot
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
Posts: 2,158
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What does the plug you change look like, oiled, sooty or other?
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Mark
Posted a lot
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Is it the same plug/cylinder that fails to fire each time?
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BMW 320d (fridge on wheels)
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scruff
Part of things
Posts: 621
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Use it more?
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1994 Lotus Esprit - Fragile red turbo with pop up lights.
1980 Porsche 924 - Fragile red turbo with pop up lights.
I spy a trend...
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dalla
Part of things
Posts: 40
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No it is usually not the same, and there is nothing noticeable on the plugs.
And yes i plan to use it a lot more this year. I was just working way too much last year.
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Mark
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,818
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Using it more seems to be about it then. I'm not sure I'd replace the plugs each time though. Buy a gas powered soldering iron or small blow lamp and heat the electrodes up to burn off any contamination. Re fit and Roberts your fathers brother.
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BMW 320d (fridge on wheels)
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Spark plug issueDeleted
@Deleted
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Have you changed the plug leads? as it might be them.
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I take it you've driven it for a bit with it running on 3 to see if getting some heat into the plug helps? Might just be a bit damp? Do try cleaning the plugs - prefereably with fire - before chucking them away: it really can help. If no improvment... ...try Denso plugs (from sparkplugs.co.uk) instead: perhaps Denso W24ES-V? It would be worth getting someone to confirm the cross-reference though. I've had a couple of recent production NGKs go bad on me - and that's in regular use. I've heard similar from other people as well, and moved to Denso plugs with some success. |
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I have found that NGK plugs, especially nearly new ones for some reason, cannot handle being flooded with petrol or being subjected to very rich running (something the mechanical PI system on my Triumph was very fond of doing). They look ok, if a little black, but just don't spark any more, even after a good cooking with a blowlamp. Changing to Bosch solved the problem. Now also changed to EFI to solve the cause!
Nick
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend)
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dalla
Part of things
Posts: 40
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Vitesse that might be it. Sounds like it could be that. It is running twin 45's. I have to say i drove it very little last year. Maybe 500 km's in total. So i have to get it RR'd this sprin to ensure it isn't running rich.
I have tried running it on 3 cylinders for a little while. And one or two times the 4th have started sparking, but often not. Iam thinking about new leads also.
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dalla
Part of things
Posts: 40
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thanks for your help guys. I will try another brand. NGK B8ECS is as far as i know a little special. It is the same as the Caterham boys use. Any idea what they convert into?
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v8ian
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,758
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What engine do you have in the Europa,  ? Firstly, are the plugs gapped correctly, NGK B8ECS, my last engine ran NGK plugs and generally were not a problem, until I tried altering the heat range, I ran B5ES, which are the same plugs as B8ECS but with a different heat range and a non copper core, as soon as I went to B6ES my car was almost impossible to start from cold on one grade different, I'm wondering if your plugs are too hard, and wetting up before they warm up, If you do try a different heat range, please check the plug reach is the same, the only difference you should see is the amount of electrode that is visible from the bottom of the plug, otherwise the dimensionally they should be the same, Have you changed the coil recently? I have seen similar problems where the coil has been changed, and a 7v ballast resistor coil has changed for a 12 coil causing spark problems. |
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2012 8:34:45 GMT by v8ian
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