KenGPW

I just got my Ik24 sparkplugs and installed them yesterday. I was very carefully when gapping them not to touch the electroid. I gapped them to .035 and installed them. I took the car for a ride and it ran great for about 10 min. Once the car warmed up it seemed to stark bogging/missing at about 4000 RPM. Then when I came to a stop and tried to start going again, it started putting then came out of it after i slipped the clutch and brought the RPM's up higher. I put the OEM plugs back in with stock gap and the car ran great.

What could be wrong with the plugs???? Is the gap wrong??????

My mods are listed in sig...... Right now I am running comptech S/C with smaller #7 pulley and no A/C. The temp outside was very cold, prob about 50 degrees F. Is the outside temp to cold to be running the IK24's??????

Any info would be very helpful.

FF2Skip

Only guessing, but I just pulled my plugs(IK24) today after 10 days. I had them gapped to .034" I didn't want to run these, but didn't have copper ones on hand when I was at the dyno place. I'll upload a pic.

FF2Skip

FF2Skip

I've heard that some of the guys are gapping them to .031"-.032" with the smaller pulley. For the relatively low miles on the plugs(probably about 500 miles), they seem to be a bit too black.

xviper or the like can probably give a better answer.

xviper

Skip, those plugs do look like they have been subjected to a bit of a rich condition, but the tips actually don't look too bad. If the car runs good, you should just carefully clean the plugs, check the gap and put them back in. Maybe open the gap up just slightly to maybe 0.034" (but no more) to give a slightly stronger spark. This might reduce the condition you see. When changing boost, it's kind of like playing with the A/F - you must make sure that the engine doesn't run too lean, but it's easy to overcompensate and run too rich. Although safer, it can rob you of a few HP. Plugs are a bit the same. Reduce the gap but only to the point that it doesn't cause problems with the spark. Large gap and you risk "blowing out" the spark at high boost. Too small a gap and you risk poor spark for when you are not "on it". You might have to experiment with this a bit.
I've been running IK-24's for a couple of months or so now and upon inspection, they look fine and if anything, they might just be ever so slightly tending toward lean (so the opposite of your situation). I'm also running 0.034" gap. The car starts and runs like a champ. I have no complaints and winter has just arrived and I'm hoping it will run just as nicely when the temps get down to the -30*C range.

Ken, I'm not sure what's going on with your plugs. The gap sounds like they are fine for your application. This is what I suggest you do:
Go back and double check that each and every coil pack wiring harness is clipped in solidly. A post was seen here a couple of years ago on a NA car with the same symptoms. It turned out the dealer tech did not clip on one of the coil pack harnesses fully. The engine vibration caused the harness to make and break contact. Failing this, you should remove all the plugs and test each one for good spark. Also, when installing each coil pack, make sure that you clear the obstructing wire bundle out of the way so you can firmly tap the coil pack down onto the top of the plug. For all we know, you may have one coil pack that is pinching a small piece of wire bundle insulation tape, preventing the pack from seating fully on top of the plug.

FF2Skip

I'm having it tuned via VAFC Thursday. I do not have all the items I need to do it via the AEM EMS. I was actually going to close the gap to about .032". They are at .034" right now. Most of my driving since installing these plugs does not involve engaging VTEC or WOT. I know that Hardtopguy's guys left the Comptech progressive fuel pump running rich in the low end so as not to run too lean up top. Since I haven't been getting on it, perhaps that is the reason for the blackening of the plugs?

We have FC this weekend and the track. It might see VTEC once or twice.

KenGPW

Thanks for the info.....

One other thing I noticed when the car was bogging is that my A/F gauge (autometer piece of crap) was all the way on the lean side. only the lfirst light was lit. (light throttle). Normally the gauge is in stoich with that throttle. As soon as the car stopped bogging the A/F gauge looked normal. I know that the gauge is not accurate but I know how it responds to the way I drive it......

Salaska

Hi,

i also checked my IK24 and it seems they look like the same as the ones on Skip's Pictures. And i also noticed the same effects as Ken has (worse stop and go + bogging at 4000rpm when the engine is warm).

I have not changed the gap, so i am running the IK24 with a 0.032" gap. My car has a Comptech S/C + A/C + Stock Pulley.

With an E-Manage i modified the A/F Ratio at about 13-12.5 during normal drive and 11.0 at full boost (maybe this is a little to rich...)


Maybe i should change the gap to 0.034 and test again...