Check http://www.boschusa.com/images/SparkPlugFaces.pdf

This was sent to the list recently by George Thorburn.  The reference
document shows photographs of plugs under various common conditions.  You
will need the Adobe Reader (free).

//jack

Date sent:              Mon, 5 Jul 2004 19:12:19 -0400
Send reply to:          Michael Rule <mikerule@UFL.EDU>
From:                   Michael Rule <mikerule@UFL.EDU>
Subject:                Re: Hmmm... sparkplug conditions for the beginner
To:                     vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM

> Hi Stan,
>
> For the sake of discussion- can you please define the look of a
> "lean-burn" sparkie?
>
> And really, no joke- does someone have this simple stuff posted?
> Or- if I find a photo, does someone have a spot where I can post a
> pic of sparkplug appearances/conditions/symptoms after being run
> in an engine?
>
> Cheers,
> MIker
>
>
>
> On Tue Jul 06 06:53:33 EDT 2004, Stan Wilder
> <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET> wrote:
>
> > You may have done exactly the thing that your van needed but by
> > the same
> > token the AFM automatically changes its settings through the CPU
> > processor
> > as the engine warms up and when it reaches full temperatures.
> > I'd suggest that you read at least one of your spark plugs after
> > a few
> > hundred miles to be sure that you're not getting lean burn that
> > will cause
> > detonation, lean burn and crack your cylinder heads or cause
> > valve seats to
> > drop from being overheated.
> >
> > Stan Wilder
> > www.engineceramics.com
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Aerowolf" <aerowolf@GMAIL.COM>
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 5:44 PM
> > Subject: Hmmm...
> >
> >
> >> As I was futzing around with my van today (doing an oil change
> >> -- a
> >> friend suggested using a heavier oil with my power-loss problem,
> >> and I
> >> put 20W50 in, which is perfect for my move to Arizona), I
> >> realized
> >> that one of the things that my friend and I had done was to open
> >> the
> >> AFM and change the rotation on the spring-carrier.  Since we did
> >> that,
> >> the thing was slightly stuttering and hesitating.
> >>
> >> I decided to crack it back open and reset it to what it was --
> >> and it
> >> started running better, but the exhaust scent was off (it
> >> smelled like
> >> it wasn't burning all the fuel properly).  On a hunch, I cracked
> >> it
> >> back open, and moved it another prong toward loosening it up.
> >>
> >> Now, the exhaust smells a bit more 'normal' (less rich, more
> >> carbony).
> >>
> >> I know that "the designers seal the AFM for a reason", and that
> >> you
> >> really shouldn't mess with it without knowing what you're
> >> doing... but
> >> this trial seems to suggest that the spring on the AFM was
> >> preventing
> >> my engine from getting as much air as it needed to combust the
> >> fuel?
> >>
> >> Is there anything wrong with this line of reasoning?
> >>
> >> I'm driving from Chicago to Madison tonight, going to see if the
> >> throttle cleaning and AFM spring resets help at all with the
> >> "loses
> >> power after 30 minutes on open highway" problem I've been having.
> >> Wish me luck. :)
> >>
> >> Thanks again for all your help!
> >>
> >> -Kyle
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --------- <:3~ ---------
>
> Michael Rule
> UFL / UFSCC
> Transgenic Core Facility
> CB-033
> 352.392.4210
> http://transgenics.ufscc.ufl.edu
>
> The trick is to listen to what the experiments tell you -
> and to not be fooled by the myths of authorities --
> Constantine Spyropoulos (1928-1984)