Even the smallest engine components like your spark plugs can greatly affect the performance of your vehicle. In a four-cylinder engine spark, plugs can fire up to 1600 times, that equals 400 fires per min per cylinder. Worn fouled or damaged spark plugs can damage your engine, reduce fuel efficiency and cause poor performance like misfiring, hard starting, and sluggish acceleration. Check your owner’s manual to see at what intervals your vehicle requires its spark plugs to be changed. The regular maintenance of your vehicles spark plugs can prevent more costly problems from developing in the future.
Here is what to look for:
- Rattling, pinging or knocking sounds
- The misfiring of spark plugs can cause sounds from the force of the pistons and from the failure of the combustion to not work properly. Pistons move at very high velocities and bad spark plugs that misfire could lead to constant rattling, pinging and knocking sounds coming from your engine compartment.
- Hard vehicle start-up
- With damaged or worn spark plugs you may find it more difficult to start your car, or it may feel jerky due to misfires and the vehicle may perform erratically.
- Performance reduction
- Misfiring spark plugs can cause the vehicle to feel sluggish because sparks plug fire when a car accelerates and changes gears.
- Old, worn or damaged plugs won't fire at the proper intervals reducing the car's performance.
- Poor fuel economy
- Bad spark plugs waste fuel because the car doesn’t produce enough heat generated sparks at the right time leading to poor fuel economy.
When changing your spark plugs it is important to do all of them at the same time with the same type of plugs that are recommended by the manufacturer. Spark plug replacement is easily done by the savvy DIY’er or by a professional automotive technician. If your vehicle feels sluggish, has reduced fuel economy, is difficult to start or is making odd sounds contact us at (310)473-2235 to make an appointment, or come by our shop Monday- Friday 8 am to 5:30 pm at 2050 Cotner Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90025.
For more car care tip, specials, and other useful information. Keep up with our weekly blog posts. You can find links to our blog posts every Friday on Facebook, Instagram and on our website www.westsidetransmission.com.
Check out next week’s blog post about taking the worry out of buying a used car.
Until then, thanks for reading!
Laura @ Westside Transmission & Automotive