If an engine has a lot of fuel in it and it is turned over by a hand held starter, is it possible to damage a glow plug? I just got a Sportwerks Mayhem with a 26C in it. I have gone through 8 glow plugs in two days. A good amount of these look like the coils in the glow plug have been damaged. I know that a few times the fuel has been pretty heavy in the engine while trying to start it.

I never had any problems with that.

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The extra fuel introduced into the combustion chamber increases compression by adding non-compressible matter; this also increases cylinder pressure during the combustion process, which may cause detonation. Detonation occurs when the fuel explodes instead of burning, and that can cause internal engine damage and glow plug damage .


GLOW PLUG
A glow plug’s temperature range is critical to proper performance. Small-block engines generally use warm to hot glow plugs, while big-block engines use plugs in the colder range. If you choose a plug in the wrong temperature range, you could be chasing the tune of your engine till the sun goes down. Changes of the relative temperature of the glow plug can be beneficial, however.

A combination of compression, heat and a catalytic reaction between the platinum in the glow-plug coil and the methanol in the fuel creates combustion in a nitro engine. Altering the heat range of your glow plug can alter the timing of the combustion process. Nitro engines don’t have an ignition system that can be used to advance or retard combustion timing, but a hotter plug that causes ignition a little earlier in the combustion process can have the same effect. “Advancing” the ignition timing can increase overall power output, especially at higher rpm. There are limits, however, and installing too hot a plug causes pre-ignition (detonation) and risks damaging your engine.

It’s a challenge to figure out a glow plug’s temperature range. Manufacturers don’t use a consistent and universal standard to rate the temperature ranges of their glow plugs. You will probably know the temperature of a plug relative to others within a given product line, but currently, no rating system allows comparisons among manufacturers. Here again, plain old experience with a variety of glow plugs will help you to know which are best for the effect you want.

“Reading” the glow plug is a tuning technique advanced by Ron Paris. It suggests that looking at the glow plug tells you something about how your engine is running. The element in a glow plug will turn gray in an engine that is close to the optimum fuel mixture. This method requires a new glow plug, as the element will eventually turn gray regardless of the needle settings; the length of time it takes to turn gray is the issue. Plugs that turn gray in just a tank or two of fuel (running at race pace, not diddling around) indicate a fuel mixture close to ideal—but also close to trouble. If the plug stays wet and shiny for a few tanks of fuel, you’re in the safe zone; a little rich but safe. When the plug wire gets distorted or broken, however, you’re in real trouble. It’s a sure sign that the mixture is way too lean, or that there is too much compression and the engine is detonating.
so by flooding your engine you are cousing to much compression and cousing detenation and probably using a real hot plug[X(]

The short answer is yes, too much fuel can harm the plug. but I'd be concerned that it's something else if it's gone through that many plugs. I think you might be lean somewhere, you might have bad fuel, or you're buying the wrong plug.

shorter answears wont teach him anything and he would be coming back with more questions atleast he can read and get a better understanding of it, instead of coming back and asking 1000 questions .Its always good to read kid and not always depend on someone answear without knowing some facts yourself ,it did mention the lean factor or choosing the right plug ,see i can tell you dont like reading lol but you are right it can be bad fuel also [>:]

mgtman....Interesting read, thanks.

yw read on bro [8D]lots of excellent knowledge for beginers and pros to use as references atleast

http://www.*********.org/cars_eng-tuning.htm

Don't read so much....

If your engine is flooded just take the plug out and turn over the engine to get rid of excess fuel. Install plug again and run.