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My glow plug thread...

Old 10-12-2012, 07:14 PM
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1QwkSport2.5r
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Default My glow plug thread...

This might seem odd to some, but I was sitting around tonight wondering what kind of correlation I could make between the various glow plugs. Of course I cannot determine the alloy of the wire element, but I grabbed all of the good glow plugs I have and measured the cavity the wire coil resides, the diameter of the wire, and noted the brand and heat range. There are two plugs I do not know the heat range or manufacturer of, but they work pretty decent. Pictures of these plugs are at the bottom of this post.

I don't know if this information is of any benefit to anyone besides myself, but I thought I'd share it anyhow. If anyone knows the brand/heat range of the two plugs I have pictured below, please let me know.

I will list the known manufacturer/brand, heat range, wire cavity diameter, wire diameter. These numbers are as close to exact as I can get without destroying the plugs.
Enya #3 Hot, 2.8mm, .17mm

McCoy MC4C Hot 4-cycle, 3.13mm, .17mm
McCoy MC59 Hot, 3.17mm, .17mm

Fox Idlebar Hot Gold tip, 3.30mm, .19mm
Fox Idlebar Hot Silver tip, 3.30mm, .19mm
Fox Miracle Hot 4-cycle, 2.45mm, .18mm

K&B 1L Hot, 2.60mm, .16mm

SuperTigre (Italy) Hot, 2.85mm, .18mm

OS Type F 4-cycle, 2.85mm, .18mm

No-name plug #1, 2.75mm, .17mm



No-name plug #2; Possibly a Fox car plug - Hot, 3.20mm, .14mm


The above 2 glow plugs have been used to break in a few engines, the top one most recently a SuperTigre S29 with new ring, the bottom one a SuperTigre G51 with new ring and bearings.

I can't really conclude any rhyme or reason as to the size of the wire's cavity vs. the diameter of the wire itself. The McCoy's have the largest cavity, and a mid-sized wire diameter. The Fox Idlebar plugs have the largest wire diameter, and the largest cavity yet the Idlebar plugs will only keep my Enya 4-cycle running without the driver attached. All other engines I own will not run on the Idlebar without the driver attached no matter the mixture. Performance-wise, the Fox Miracle has the lowest peak rpm of the bunch, but is reliable for rich mixture running. The McCoys work very well, with the MC59 being the plug I use in nearly all of my engines.

Does anyone know if there is or should be a correlation between the wire's cavity and the diameter of the wire? Are all elements Platinum/Rhodium alloy or are there other metals used? Am I chasing my tail asking these questions? I'm just curious about it is all.
Old 10-12-2012, 08:19 PM
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jeffie8696
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Default RE: My glow plug thread...

The diameter of the wire, the alloy and the size of the hole determine the heat range but Aldon Kelly of Merlin Glow Plugs knows it all. I would give him a call.
Old 10-13-2012, 01:43 AM
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Default RE: My glow plug thread...

Iridium is alloyed with platinum in the filament wire of some glow plugs.
Old 10-13-2012, 04:44 AM
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Default RE: My glow plug thread...

The stems on those two plugs look sorta familiar...
Ya think the first one might be a Picco or Novarossi std.? (just a WAG there, but the plug in your pic has a long reach? )

The lower one kinda looks like the plug O.S. makes for the Traxxas 3.3 (what is it...LC3 or something like that...but there are no markings?? ) The Fox (Blaster ) car plugs that I've used have a completely smooth stem...w/ a conical tip.
Old 10-13-2012, 05:58 AM
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Default RE: My glow plug thread...

ORIGINAL: proptop

The stems on those two plugs look sorta familiar...
Ya think the first one might be a Picco or Novarossi std.? (just a WAG there, but the plug in your pic has a long reach? )

The lower one kinda looks like the plug O.S. makes for the Traxxas 3.3 (what is it...LC3 or something like that...but there are no markings?? ) The Fox (Blaster ) car plugs that I've used have a completely smooth stem...w/ a conical tip.
The top plug with the single notch in the stud came in one my 3.3's I bought used a few years ago. It has no markings on it, but it does work rather well for running-in ringed engines. That surprised me. My SuperTigre S29 isnt bothered with it, although its not peaking as high as it does on MC59's. Both of the above plugs are long reach. Traxxas doesn't use rebranded OS plugs. There has been a ton of rumors that OS, McCoy, Odonnell, and others have made plugs for Traxxas. The Traxxas plugs are made by somebody, but look very different from any other plug I've used. The stud is pointed, and has 2-3 little ribs on the stud towards the plug casing. I dont have any more TRX plugs, as I dont really care for them so I cant post a photo of them. I gave away my last one to a friend that likes using them.

This is an OS rebranded plug, DuraTrax LR3. Hot, long reach. The opening on this one is pretty small, pretty doubtful I can measure the wire of this one.



By the way, its good to see you around again, Tom.. Its been awhile!

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