Spark Plug Gapping

[offroadkarter]

First off, does anyone know of a good inexpensive spark plug gapping tool that works?

second, how exactly do you gap a spark plug? I know what it means, just i have never used or had to gap a plug.

[ImpalaSlayer]

you bend the (iforget the word for it) lil metal thing that folds over the electrode to meet what ever spec you need. most come pre gapped.

[offroadkarter]

you bend the (iforget the word for it) lil metal thing that folds over the electrode to meet what ever spec you need. most come pre gapped.


yeah thats what im seeing. Well things get banged around in shipping so it can change, plus i will probably be regapping plugs in my friends car as they were wrong from the factory.

[CKMustangCobra]

Feeler gauges if you want to get technical. Those cheap circle gauges work OK.

I think the stock gap on these engines are .060" Could be wrong.

To gap them... you need to bend the metal tab below the electrode to the desired measurement be either tapping it to close it or prying it open with the circle gauge or small screwdriver.

[Fourth Horseman]

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/6078_spark-plugs-gap.htm

[Joe Walsh]

Don't try to gap Iridium plugs!
They come pre-gapped for the specific application.
The center electrode is very thin.

[Local Boy]

Never contact the electrode when gapping spark plugs...

ALOHA

[Paul T. Casey]

You will need one of these

[Paul T. Casey]

Take the wire which matches the desired gap and pass it between the electrode and ground. If it snuggly passes through, the gap is correct. If its too loose or too tight, you will need to adjust the gap. On the back side of the tool are 2 notches. Place the ground into the best fitting notch and gentle pry it either up or down, maintaining parallelism between the ground and electrode. I usually place the plug into my spark plug sockect to support it for this process. When you move the ground slightly, re-measure the gap as above until you attain the desired gap. Do it in real small steps as you are only trying to move the ground a few thousandths of an inch. In a pinch you could used feeler gagues (shim stock), but the round wire will give you a more accurate reading. Attached is a diagram of a spark plug anatomy.

[Krytin]

Take the wire which matches the desired gap and pass it between the electrode and ground. If it snuggly passes through, the gap is correct. If its too loose or too tight, you will need to adjust the gap. On the back side of the tool are 2 notches. Place the ground into the best fitting notch and gentle pry it either up or down, maintaining parallelism between the ground and electrode. I usually place the plug into my spark plug sockect to support it for this process. When you move the ground slightly, re-measure the gap as above until you attain the desired gap. Do it in real small steps as you are only trying to move the ground a few thousandths of an inch. In a pinch you could used feeler gagues (shim stock), but the round wire will give you a more accurate reading. Attached is a diagram of a spark plug anatomy.


That's textbook quality right there!
If you follow those directions you wont go wrong!

[fastblackmerc]

Never contact the electrode when gapping spark plugs...

ALOHA

How can you do that?

[Dragcity]

How can you do that?

All plugs need to be checked for proper gap upon initial install, ALWAYS !
I have used needle nose pliers in a pinch, by grabbing the side electrode and pulling it up and away from the center electrode. Never contact the center electrode. Especially with todays plugs. I have a very old and very simple "Spark Plug Adjusting Tool" that has a notch in it that fits the side electode and has only 6 feeler gauges. Simple, but works.

In the old days, you could jamb a screwdriver blade in there to pry it apart, but not on the new plugs. There is just not enough material there, in most cases.

The feeler gauge that contains loops are a good choice, as pictured in a previos post. Has the "T" part on top like my old tool. If it needs to be closed a bit, just tap on the top of the side electorde with a heavy object (use of a rachet handle is usually my choice [Snap-on, cause they are smooth])
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/90/Plug_construction.jpg/310px-Plug_construction.jpg (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/wiki/File:Plug_construction.jpg)

[Krytin]

When everyone is saying "don't touch the center electrode" I believe you should be saying "don't pry on or bang on the center electrode". You can and will have to "touch" it with the feeler gauge to obtain the proper gap - just don't Conan the thing!

[O's Fan Rich]

Just slap 'em in right outta the box..... who cares..... these cars suck anyway.... and no need to put anti seize on the threads either..... don't forget to torque 'em up real tight, like you're gonna snap 'em off or sumthin'.... and don't bother resealing the coil covers, water does wonders in there for things....
these cars won't outlast the plugs anyway...... piles of junk.....

[Local Boy]

Hey, I didn't say "touch"...

I said..."never contact while gapping"...

You can certainly touch and handle it, without issues...

Just don't pry on it...to gap it...

ALOHA

[Fourth Horseman]

Just slap 'em in right outta the box..... who cares..... these cars suck anyway.... and no need to put anti seize on the threads either..... don't forget to torque 'em up real tight, like you're gonna snap 'em off or sumthin'.... and don't bother resealing the coil covers, water does wonders in there for things....
these cars won't outlast the plugs anyway...... piles of junk.....

Yeah, and make sure the heads are good and hot when you put the plugs in and torque 'em down as hard as you can. :beer:

(note: do NOT really do that)

[O's Fan Rich]

Just slap 'em in right outta the box..... who cares..... these cars suck anyway.... and no need to put anti seize on the threads either..... don't forget to torque 'em up real tight, like you're gonna snap 'em off or sumthin'.... and don't bother resealing the coil covers, water does wonders in there for things....
these cars won't outlast the plugs anyway...... piles of junk.....

Wow..... watch out for that Guy!