Quick question guys. I started changing my spark plugs out today. I was following the guide from install university. (mainly because this is my first plug swap). I did the driver side first as it is the easiest to get to. I am installing TR55 gapped at .050. I tightened all of them hand tight then about another half. The process calls to remove the AIR connection to the manifold to give more room. Which i did. After i was done with that half I reconnected the battery and tried to fire it up. It just clicked. I figured that the plug wires where not seated all the way so i double checked them. Sure enough they were not. Made them click and tried to start the car again. This time it started, but was almost ready to bog out. Ran that way for about 20 seconds or so, i didnt give it any gas, and then it ramped up to normal idle. It got late and my neighbors dont appreciate my borla as much as i do so I didnt do the other side and havent tried to restart it or drive it yet. The main questions I have are.

1) is the bogging normal after a plug change? on first startup or is it a symptom of something else

2) being that i have changed have the plugs (all on the driver side) is it safe to drive the car and do the remaining plugs tomorrow night?

3) now that i have 1 3 5 7 out i can look at the plugs. My TA has been pinging and getting about 8 degrees of knock according to autotap. I dont have any tuning done at this point so it is mainly stock. The plugs look like they are black and sticky. I heard you can tell alot about what is going on in the cylinder by looking at the plugs. Does anyone have a reference for that so I can examine my plugs to see if I can eliminate this ping/knock.


FYI I am doing the LS6 intake and engine valley cover to help with the oil/pcv problem known to LS1s, but havent done that yet. (that procedure is on ls1howto i think). The pinging is mainly heard on start and up to about 1500 - 1600 rpms. I had the dealer do the engine cleaner and replace my ported maf with a stock and that seemed to quiet it almost entirely for about a month.

Thanks for the help guys,

Mike

 

1. Your reset your computer with your battery disconnected so it had to relearn the idle. Perfectly normal. It shouldn't do that for long.

2. Yes.

3. The first step is to determine if the knock is real or false. Try running unleaded race gas in the car. If it still does it with that then it's likely false knock. If that cures it, then it's real and you need to find the problem (unless you don't mind running race fuel all the time!)

Was the side electrode black and sticky? That could be from a too rich mixture at WOT or it could be an oil consumption problem.

 

The tips of the plugs were not coated, just the sides. I will try to upload pictures.

Thanks for the help!

 

Here is a link to the pictures of the 1,3,5,7 plugs. Hope the resolution is good enough.

http://www.acinfo.org/mike/Sparkplug1357.jpg

 

Kinda hard to tell by that pic. Looks ok from here (I can at least see that your ceramics are mostly tan and that's good.) What I meant was the side strap, as some people call it. The one that comes up from the side of the plug and then over to the middle. Is it REALLY black or is it grey or tan?

Those plugs look like they're gapped even wider than stock (gap can grow with wear.)

 

Yeah they do look gapped a bit more. The car only has 28K miles on it. I imagine these are factory. I believe they are mostly tanish. But ill have to check at home to be sure. The car seems very peppy today. I still have to do the other side, but need to stop at sears for more extenstions.

Thanks

Mike

 

They look ok to me too. But it is a little hard to tell from that pick. Like Colonel said, the gaps do look a bit wide.

 

For the most part the plugs have a light tan burn on them. The gap is about .060 on the old ones. That is factory spec according to alldata. Both sides are done and the car is running great. Still have ping/knock, but i will try the race gas. In a couple days ill be able to test my new 3.73s (have 600 miles on them now...need 1000) and my hands and arms should be recovered enough to grab my license and insurance card..

Thanks for all the help!

Tan plugs good?

Mike

 

Yes, tan plugs good.

You said your have "ping". I take it that you can hear it? Or are you saying that your knock sensors are picking something up?

 

Well Efilive5 picks up as much as 4 degrees of knock retard. But, I can also hear a clicking sound that appears to be getting louder. I am wondering if it is an exhaust leak. Its hard to hear normally, but in the garage or any enclosed area it is very obvious. Open area is tought because my borla is wide open. I was hoping it was an oil consumption issue, but it doesnt really sound like that to me. The sound does not increase when i rev the engine in neutral. Nor does it change when i turn on the ac. Up until recently i heard it more on cold start, but now i hear it almost continually. Maybe these two are unrelated. The knock sensor is usually tripped at about 1500 rpms or when im starting to accelerate (getting on highway is highest ive seen it go at 4 degrees) The car is currently stock toon, although I have ls1edit. I can send logs if anyone is interested.

Thanks,

Mike

 

ok quick update ran the car with race fuel and still got about 2 degrees of knock retard. As a side note the pinging im hearing does not happen when the car is registering knock. This pinging still occured when the car was on race fuel.

These two problems are driving me nuts!

I have put a csv of a efilive5 that shows the knock and associated circumstances.

http://www.acinfo.org/mike/RaceFuel9142003.csv

My mods are as follows

Whisper Lid and K&N filter
SLP Smooth bellow
TB bypass
Borla catback Exhaust
3.73 gears
new tr55 plugs
subframe connectors
strut brace
160 thermo
b&m tranny cooler

Stock tune at this point, but i have ls1edit.


Thanks for all your help!