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Old 11-26-2005 | 01:51 PM
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pe reivers
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From: Arcen, , NETHERLANDS
Default RE: Plug Reading Question

There is a general rule, that rubbish in is rubbish out. Since you rephrased the question to meaningful content, a meaningful answer is possible.
Very important is, that you run the engine for a significant period of time, before conclusive answers can be given. Many engine tuners insist on using a new plug for every analysis, lest the old plug hides the new carb settings.
having said that, these are the things to watch for, and only after the engine has been cut in flight.

1) the central electrode and isolator body.
these parts indicate plug heat range and mixture strength. The lower down into the body the discoloration is, the hotter the plug is. The colour itself determines the mixture strength. Think of colour in shades of gray, because fuel and oil can influence hue (shade of colour). If the central electrode itself looks burnt, the plug is way too hot, or there is too much preignition.

2) the earth electrode.
This can be used to judge ignition timing and compression ratio by the distance the colour travels toward the body. Halfway is about good. Too much means early ignition, too litle, and ignition should be advanced a bit. The electrode looks "baked' if the CR is too high. in this case, the central electrode looks weird as well, sharp edges may become rounded, requiring a re-dressing of the plug.
Prolonged lowe power running:
Central electrode glazing occurs when the engine is run at intermediate power too long, and then suddenly high power is asked for during a little period. The condensed particles are glazed onto the electrode before they had a chance to flash off by rising plug temperature.

Worn plug:
Dispite correct heat range, plugs wear out sooner or later. With every spark, a wee bit of material evaporates or melts, so bye and bye the plug looses it's sharp-edged appearance. Time to replace the contraption, and fit a new one.

Needless to say, that every now and then, the plug needs to be set at 0.5 to 0.6 mm gap (0.020 to 0.025" ) , or to ignition manufacturer's specification.