AnotherWs6

iTrader: (17)

^^^^Lol, still good info for newcomers.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

Yep. Like was said 13 years ago, snug and a little bit more. It's a feel thing.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

With a 3" ratchet reallllly tight

With a 6" ratchet snug plus a good ooomph but not meguilla gorrilla

With an 11" ratchet snug plus just a little



Point is, how tight by feel is really subjective. When in doubt torque them. Or tighten and pray. But if need be err toward the tight side, over tightening them a little wont hurt, leaving them a little loose will cause them come loose and pull out the threads as they slowly work their way out. Have had to replace heads for loose plugs on a customers car, but never for tight plugs.

kingtal0n

iTrader: (1)

Use a torque wrench on one, and get the feel from that plug for the rest.

THen come back in a hundred or a thousand miles and double check them all.

anti-seize, but keep it away from the part that sticks into the combustion chamber.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

NO ANTI SEIZE

No need for anti seize. I see a lot of you recommend that. I always watch what the manufacturers do and follow their way. They test these things, they have R&D that far outweighs what any of us can duplicate and they don't use anti seize.

I've been a tech 19 years and I've NEVER had an instance where I said "that wouldn't have happened if someone had put anti seize on the spark plugs"

I have had issues where I said "dammit why do people keep putting this **** on spark plugs!!!!"

Stop with the anti seize. It's not necessary, not even a little. Besides the only person I've ever heard tell me that it is is the autozone guy that knows little to nothing.

Another thing about plugs, they need to ground to the head, with all that goop they aren't going to ground as well. Just stop using it and recommending it, it's snake oil.

pantera_efi

iTrader: (1)

Hi ALL, my guess is Aircraft (A&P) REQUIRED practice may NOT be observed by some here at LS-1 Tech !

I SPECIFY Copper Slip (Jet Nut).

I have used True Silver, Copper, Gold as a "grease" with measurement made by my test equipment. (Micro Ohm Meter)

A LOWER resistance was found when the correct "grease" was applied.

Lance

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

Anti seize is definitely not snake oil. I dunno if you caught a guy sleeping with your wife who had a can of anti seize in his pocket but **** dude, its fine to use. It hurts NOTHING.

pdxmotorhead

I've had a couple engines have firing issues when the owner used too much anti seize, If your going to use it,, it only goes on the threads starting 2 in from the combustion chamber and up to about 2 threads from the top and you only need enough to see it.. As long as you avoid getting it on the taper of the plug or the washer area it doesn't affect conductivity.

Its important to note that its comes in several versions, and you need the silver conductive one thats got metal in it not the silver stuff thats actually a plastic/silicone product.. Or the Aviation anti size as mentioned above available via Wicks or Aircraft spruce or you might be able to get a small amount at your local airport GA shop.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

oh really? read the quote below, i've seen this before too

most people that use it slather it on, and again, it's not necessary, how many times have you had an engine where the plug was seized? I've been a tech for 19 years and never seen it, and I do plugs almost daily. So tell me why it's necessary?

How many times have you changed plugs on an ls motor and the plug was seized to the head? And if it's such a necessity why aren't the manufacturers doing it? Why isn't it standard practice at dealerships? Why isn't it standard practice independent shops?

Yep, if you use the good stuff it's okay but most don't. I have some good quality copper antiseize I use on oxygen sensors.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

This is true if you use quality anti seize. Most use the 99 cent crap and then you may have conductivity issues. And again, I've never come across a seized plug or had someone even tell me a story about it (except fords but those aren't the threads that seize). Sure it can happen but why slather all plugs with it when less than 1% of the time it's actually an issue. Boats and aircraft are a different story.

kingtal0n

iTrader: (1)

I have had a plug rip the threads right out of the head before. Wasn't an LS motor but the point remains- you want some kind of insurance, better than spit.

pdxmotorhead

Used to be really common on the early AL heads, old school mechanics would put them in dry and tighten them to 24ft lbs. I've twisted the spark-plug hole out of the head a time or two myself. But I find if you actually clean the hole well, and put a micro dab of either grease or antisieze at the third thread they come out nice. VW bug motors used to crack easily between the plug hole and the valve .. Usually when the plug was over-torqued..

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

I've had it happen too, but it was on motors that either the plug was left loose, plug was cross threaded, or had the plug left in for wayyy too many years, in which case the anti seize would have likely turned to hardened crud by that time and not helped.

To clarify, anti seize isn't necessarily bad, but the way it's usually used is (too much, cheap low conductive product) but I've seen far more problems from using it than not using it. And again, I do this for a living and I have to do what yeilds the best and most consistent results, so I don't use it.

There are special cases for everything, but I don't make choices based on the minority of situations, I make them based on the majority. When you're trying to run a successful business you have to.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

I understand in those situations, but those days are gone for the most part and we're discussing LS motors like you said. We all have our own ways, it hasn't bit me in 20 years not using it so I'll continue to not use it on cars. I did use it on my boat but it has steel heads with steel plug threads and sees tons of moisture.

I try to insure against things I actually have problems with, maybe some day it'll bite me, and maybe I'll change my mind but very doubtful because none of the 100's of mechanics i've met, none of the guys I know that own successful high end performance shops, and none of the dealerships or independent shops I've been in use it. Most of those people have had more problems using it than not using it. So from a proffesional's standpoint, it's more problematic than helpful. Keep in mind my standpoint comes from changing plugs on multiple vehicles weekly for roughly 20 years, and experiences of others in my position.

kingtal0n

iTrader: (1)

As an aside, while I have you all here, my TR6 plugs didn't come with any kind of crush washer. Is this a normal thing for LS engines? Do any of them use the washer? I would prefer the washer because I like the feel of it, crushing, I guess. Its my first LS plug I ever purchased. "4117" or 4177 or whatever.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

LS has conical seat plugs, not flat seat with a washer.

I love that feel too, so much easier to feel when it's torqued just right.

pantera_efi

iTrader: (1)

Hi ALL, since we are discuss LS engines (NOT MOTORS as the run on Electrons) that are NEVER raced correctly (00POOT) it is common to state little knowledge.

My customers :

The LS ENGINE is the best Air Boat engine EVER fitted. (Gator Chasers)
The LS ENGINE is the best Jet Boat engine commonly fitted. (Snake River, Alaska, etc.)
The LS ENGINE is the best Dune Buggy engine ever fitted. (GLAMAS)
The LS ENGINE is the best Off Road engine ever fitted. (BAJA)

The common Mexican Farmer will "flood" the coarse with water making the mud splash onto/into the race car/driver with a coating of 3" thick being common.

These are my customers AND the cause of my concern for Spark Plug Anti-Sieze.

Lance, BTW MY experience comes from OVER FIFTY YEARS of plug changes.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

I think most of us know that they are engines and not motors, but for the sake of conversation it's easier to use common terminology. But to appease your need for specifics, yes they are engines.

I'm glad you use anti seize on all those retrofitted machines and are worried about the plugs seizing because of moisture, but it's futile being that they are steel plugs in aluminum heads, they aren't going to rust and seize, that's the beauty of aluminum, also the seat of the plug forms a complete seal, so contaminants fluids etc aren't going to penetrate the seal and get into the threads. And here on this website 99.99999% of us have LS ENGINES in cars/trucks so again, I am speaking to the common denominator and using common terminology.

If you want to speak about left field applications, we can certainly do that.

pantera_efi

iTrader: (1)

Hi 00Poot, your MATH IS as BAD as YOUR TECH !

What you state : "99.99999" % of the readers here have car/truck questions.

This IS 1 in 10,000,000, yes one in TEN Million.

THUS LET LS-1 Tech members speak for themselves.

Lance

kingtal0n

iTrader: (1)

Doesn't something terrible happen when you push an aluminum material against a steel material? For some reason I have this nagging thought that in almost any environment something bad is almost guaranteed if you wait long enough with those two together, even if they are clean.