Characteristics of Car Spark Plugs That Need to Be Replaced

If it has reached its expiration date with some of its characteristics, the car's spark plugs need to be replaced with new ones so that the car does not get damaged.

Spark plugs are one of the main components in a car. Just like other components, spark plugs also have an expiration date. If it has reached the expiration date, the car's spark plug needs to be replaced with a new one so that the car does not get damaged.

When it's time, you should replace it immediately. Generally, the maximum age of a spark plug can last a vehicle trip that covers 45,000 kilometers. To help you determine the condition of the spark plugs that need to be replaced, here are the general characteristics.

Characteristics of Car Spark Plugs Need to Be Replaced

The condition of the car feels strange when used on the road

One of the most easily recognizable characteristics when the spark plugs are worn is that the acceleration of the car becomes hampered, even running slower. Not only that, the car also sometimes experiences a spike in the engine while it is running.

Fuel that is usually economical also turns out to be more wasteful, and fuel consumption increases more sharply than usual. This could be a sign that the spark plug is not in good condition. You need to clean the spark plug so that the car returns to normal.

In addition, the acceleration of the car can feel much heavier when the car is carrying a lot of cargo. The main reason is that the fuel used is mixed with the oil. Not only that, the additional materials used are sometimes also not quite right so that it affects the car.

When the Car Dies, The Condition Is Also Disturbed

Not only when the car is running, bad conditions can also be experienced when the car is dead. Besides being marked by strange conditions when the car is operating, you can see how the state of these spark plugs is by changing the color of the spark plugs when the car is off.

The color of the spark plug will turn brown if it's been a long time, which indicates that the spark plug is worn and it's time to replace it. In contrast to the color of the spark plug which becomes a bit reddish. This color indicates that the car engine is too hot.

Difficult to Start or Turn on

When you are about to start the car, the car is sometimes more difficult to start. This could be due to a worn spark plug. Spark plugs do have an important influence on vehicle performance. Without spark plugs that are 'healthy', the car will also experience various disturbances or damage.

Another obstacle that may also be experienced is, when at low RPM the car becomes unstable. Vibration in the engine will also feel uncomfortable and strange. This is a common sign that you should immediately replace the spark plugs with new ones.

Being Insensitive or Less Responsive

Have you ever experienced a condition where the car suddenly became insensitive or less responsive? Most likely this is caused by the spark plug that is worn and needs to be replaced. Here, the pull on the car usually becomes heavier and is no longer responsive.

Finally, the acceleration of the car will also decrease along with the difficulty of pulling the car.

In this condition, you need to immediately replace the spark plug so that the car can return to its original state. That way, your trip will remain smooth and uninterrupted.

The color of the spark plugs becomes darker

As explained in the points above, spark plugs that are already brown in color must be replaced. This occurs due to incomplete combustion, leaving soot or a dark black color on the electrode and the tip of the insulator on the spark plug.

Not only does it make the color of the spark plugs darker, the car smoke will also be blacker than usual. Sometimes this will even make the car difficult to start. Related to the reduction of fuel, fuel can experience a reduction of up to 30%.

When the Machine is Idle, The Condition Becomes Unnatural

Have you ever felt something strange while in the cabin? This is most likely caused by the engine that is no longer smooth. Anomalies like this will be more pronounced when you are in the cabin.

The vibrating engine rotation will be felt when the car is stationary. In addition, when the gas lever is stepped on, it will also feel much heavier. Well, some of these things also turned out to be an early sign that you should immediately replace the spark plugs with new ones.

Engine Performance Drops Drastically

Spark plugs have a fairly close relationship with the engine part of the car. If the spark plugs are not in good condition, engine performance will drop dramatically. Not only will it drop drastically, the car's engine will deteriorate as the spark plugs get worse.

In addition to the engine being difficult to start, the condition and performance of the engine when the car is used is also greatly reduced. If this happens, you must replace the spark plugs immediately before it can damage the car further.

Electrode Part Covered by Black Soot

The next characteristic of car spark plugs that need to be replaced is when the part of the spark plug electrode is covered with black soot. The black color of this spark plug is natural because it is included in the combustion effect that occurs in the car engine.

However, if the black color on the spark plugs is quite 'stubborn', you better clean it immediately before making the car's engine performance decrease.

If it's hard to clean, it means you need to replace the spark plug with a new spark plug.

There is a lot of scale and oil droplets on the spark plug

If you have arrived at this condition, you are obliged to immediately replace the spark plugs in the car. This is because spark plugs that have crust and oil droplets indicate that there is a lot of damage to the spark plug.

The scale contained in this spark plug can block the mass of the spark plug. This spark plug mass is used as a sparking medium. In this condition, if the medium is covered by scale, it will interfere with the connection between the electrodes and the mass.

Then, how can spark plugs fire? This occurs due to the super high voltage flowing from the tip of the electrode to the mass that is in the form of a small flat iron at the tip of the spark plug.

Already Reached 20,000 Kilometers

The next characteristic that you can see is the kilometers that have been traveled by the car. Unlike the motorcycle, you are advised to immediately replace the spark plugs in the car at least every 20,000 kilometers.

If you have reached the kilometer distance, you really have to replace it before it affects other car equipment, especially the engine. Otherwise, the highest possibility that will also occur is carbon fouling or scale will be very accumulated.

For those of you who have difficulty remembering the number of kilometers that have been traveled, the easiest way is to follow the car service period. You can ask the nearest authorized repair shop to clean or replace the car's spark plugs when it's time.

After knowing when to replace the spark plugs in your car, make sure you choose the right type of spark plug. In this case, there are several types of spark plugs that are sold in the market. Among them are standard spark plugs, resistors, platinum, racing, iridium, hot spark plugs, to cold spark plugs.

Each type of spark plug has different characteristics. In the selection, please adjust to the needs of your car. Also make sure to choose spark plugs with good quality.