Well, my mileage according to my calcualtions has been averaging around 16mpb
witha high of 17 and a low of 13(play time and towing stuff, dump trailers,
car dolly with old DAK, wifes old GrandAm). I will fill up thursday night
as I have no need to go to town for next couple of days other than my oil
change today and again keep track of the mileage. I will most likely get new
plug wires and rotor today in town for oil change and slap them on as well.
On Sunday July 31 2005 7:24 pm, Rick Barnes wrote:
> Glad you got through the plug replacement, good stuff. Herein is just MY
> own experience...
> I have changed maybe thousands of plugs, mostly Champions, in thousands of
> Harleys over many years. Some of the stuff I have seen might well amaze
> you. Anyways, to make a long story bearable, you most certainly can see
> gaps way past .65, and even beyond...I have pulled plugs out of Harleys
> that had little of anything left of them. Can you expect an increase in
> gas mileage due to the plug change? Most certainly SOME increase, how
> dramatic? Only time will tell, but what was your mileage before the change?
> Can plugs last 100k miles, yes, but why do that? The iridium plugs are
> supposed to go that long, but conventional plugs, nah...and they are cheap
> anyway so why push your luck? One other thing...use very little anti seize
> stuff on your plugs...the stuff acts as an insulator and will change the
> heat range of your spark plugs. A good idea is to break the plugs loose at
> least yearly even if you don't want to change them, but then, why just do
> that, right?
>
> Anyways, this is just my own experience, but good job getting all those
> done, its kind of a pain.
>
> Rascal
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net
> [mailto:owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net] On Behalf Of Bill Day
> Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 3:43 PM
> To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
> Subject: DML: WOW! What a difference! Kinda long, all DAK with a 'Q' at
> bottom.
>
>
> Since the DAK had been running a little rough and I was coming up on
> 90k on
> plugs etc, since I had the heart changed in early 2k, and with the poor
> starting and incident this past tuesday, I decided to give her a partial
> tune-up. I only installed plugs at this time as the wires ohm'd out
> pretty
>
> darn good compared to a brand new set. AnywayI have never changed the
> plugs
>
> in her so I gave here a go.
>
> One at a time I began removing the wire, heat shield, broke the plug
> loose
> and squirted some trusty PB Blaster at the base of plugs. Let them sit
> about
>
> 15 minutes and then started Drivers front(#1?). This was not a good
> sign(however everything got better, for a while) when I was hard pressed to
> get it out. Seems it was carbon caked or something and the plug was only
> in
>
> a bout 1/2 way at most. Now the last person to remove plugs on this truck
> was(in spring of 2k when the intake & heads were pulled to slap on a short
> block) was my trusty Dodge mech in Marshall(he has long since retired). so
> I
> grunt and moan get it out and check out the threads with my flashlight,
> lots
>
> of carbon about halfway down. I attempted to return the plug using some
> antiseaze(brown formula from napa), no go. Well out comes my little setup
> of
> a shop vac and .22 bore brush and I begin cleaning the threads out with
> some
>
> knife stone oil, slap some more antiseaze on it and it slides down in, all
> the way...
>
> Begin working my way back to the firewall and they get a little easier.
> Start
> on passenger side front removing and they come out pretty darn easy until I
> get to the last one... not a good sound in my past experience when I hear
> a
>
> "crack"... Pulled the plug socket out and I can see the remains of the
> plug
>
> in the head.. 8-( Bad memories of disabling a good car of my
> wifes(lost the threads of a plug in her Quad4 GA, 1993) when it separated
> from the socket of the plug... I began to worry.. grabbed the remainder
> of
>
> the plug with some needle nose to se if it wobbled, seemed sturdy still so
> I
>
> hit her with more PB and ran inside to drink a beer. Come out 3 beers
> later
> and went back at it and out it came(beer was for preparation in case I got
> mad to help keep me from setting a stick of T.N.T. under it). Well, it
> came
>
> out just fine.
>
> So, with antiseaze, gapper and plugs(AP 3924s) in hand I began
> reinstalling
> all the plugs, not a one needed forcing down in. everything went right to
> the but and then added my 1/4 past tight for plugs as I have used for years
> on numerous vehicles. Hooked the wires back up, moved my tools and
> dropped
>
> the hood.
>
> A quick flip of the switch and the old girl roared to life like she
> hasn't
> ran in years. Went right out to the roda and dropped a couple small black
> strips until the nobbys caught some chip and seal country road and launched
> me down the road.
>
> Here's the kicker. I gapped every plug to spec at .35" I checked
> all of
> the plugs I pulled out(Champions, black ceramics, no idea of the number on
> them) of it when I was done(they looked wide). Not one plug was under
> 0.55"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> Now, I ask you this, has anyone ever ran a set of plugs for 100k? Is the
> gap
> that I found(upto 0.65" on one of them) a common wear amount? I am
> expecting
> a large increase in gas mileage out of this minor amount of work. I just
> can't believe they were that bad. I never, ever considered they would be
> that bad as, she has almost faithfully started everyday for 3 1/2 years
> other
> then when the timing gear sheared and went out this year. I guess now I
> should considered new plug wires and a new rotor as well.
>
> Comments and suggestions are always welcome.. but please keep yuour flame
> bait
> to yourself 8-)
>
> Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the BBQ and I am still planning on making the
> DML
> Nats in July '06!!
--Bill Day
"A rich man isn't always wealthy, he just has all the love he can give and ever wanted.." http://counter.li.org #384146 284016
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