Understand what spark plugs do
What you need to know:
- Spark plugs are positioned at the top of the cylinder, where the air-fuel ratio is compressed.
- Spark plugs are a very important part of the engine, which must always be kept in perfect shape.
Many drivers might know how a spark plug looks like but know little or nothing at all on how it works.
Spark plugs are part and parcel of internal combustion engines and are an important facet that must always be checked.
For an engine to be in perfect shape, it needs two things in good supply – sufficient fuel and air and sparks to ignite the engine.
Simply put, the primary function of the spark plugs is to ignite the engine or act as the matchbox that sets the fuel on fire to generate power.
However, it also removes heat out of the combustion chamber, which means that worn-out spark plugs cannot do any of the two functions.
Spark plugs are positioned at the top of the cylinder, where the air-fuel ratio is compressed.
The tip of the spark plug sits inside the engine while the other end is attached to a wire or an ignition coil, which fires the air-fuel mixture to give off energy.
The explosion inside the combustion chamber forces the pistons to move thus turning the engine.
This process, which opens up the exhaust valve, releases burned gases through the exhaust pipes, which gives the car energy to make movements.
Therefore, spark plugs are a very important part of the engine, which must always be kept in perfect shape. They must be maintained well to get the best out of them and must be replaced as and when it is required.
They are easy to replace and it is recommended that they are replaced every after 40,000 kilometres.
Therefore, it is not a requirement that you change spark plugs every time you go maintenance or servicing.
Spark plugs are usually robust, which means they will rarely fail if you fit the right specification and standard. There are different types of spark plugs some of which include copper core, iridium, platinum and double platinum.
These are some of the specifications produced by different manufacturers such as Denso, NGK and Bosch.
All these manufacturers are known for high quality production and it is only fair that you buy high quality.
The best quality is double platinum, which is manufactured by the above three companies.
