What are the signs of a bad spark plug? What is a Spark Plug and how does it work? What happens if the spark plug is damaged?
Do you notice that your vehicle does not work as it should? Have the check engine lights come on sometimes? It could be due to a bad spark plug. Spark plugs are an important component of your engine. If they fail, they can cause many unusual symptoms and even damage to the engine.
This article will cover the symptoms and causes of faulty sparkplugs.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of a Faulty Plug?
- Engine failure
- Check engine fault lamp
- Idle fluctuation
- Slow acceleration of vehicle/Loss of performance
- The vehicle needs to be worked hard
- Fuel consumption has increased
Engine Misfire
Engine misfire is the most common sign of faulty spark plugs. These misfires can cause the vehicle to run rough when it comes to idling or sudden acceleration. This can also lead to an increase in fuel consumption. After a while, you will see the engine control fault light come on. The engine’s sound and misfires will change.
Engine Check Fault Lamp
The engine control module (ECU), locates the source of the misfire, stores it and generates a fault codes. To notify the driver, the check engine light is illuminated. While your vehicle is being repaired, the OBD2 scanner will allow you to view the fault codes and make an intervention.
Idle Surge
The O2 sensor can be fooled if raw fuel is ignited by defective spark plugs. The O2 sensor re-arranges the fuel mixture to send signals to the ECU. This results in a lean mixture, which can lead to more misfires.
The cylinders can misfire when they have defective spark plugs. This can be especially evident at idle and low revs. It is possible that your spark plug has failed.
Slow Acceleration / Loss Performance
You may experience performance drops due to misfires or poor mixing with the O2 sensors mentioned above. This is often more evident at rapid accelerations. Because there won’t be any ignition in the cylinder with the defective spark plug, the engine will still run.
Vehicle hard operation
When starting an engine for the first-time, it is important to get the first spark. A defective spark plug can cause the engine to not start or slow down cranking times. You should inspect the spark plugs if you smell raw fuel when the engine is being started.
Increased fuel consumption
Misfires and O2 sensor adjustments can increase fuel consumption. Check your spark plugs for signs of fuel consumption and inefficiency.
What is a sparkplug?
The spark plug is what ignites the fuel/air mixture in the engine’s pistons. The fuel injectors inject fuel into your combustion chamber and then the pistons pressurize the mixture. The spark plug ignites the mixture and sparks it. This pushes the pistons down. If the spark plugs are defective, the air/fuel mixture will not ignite. It will instead be thrown out of the exhaust pipe and will not burn. This is the “” “Missing” .
You will find spark plugs in the cylinder heads of your engine, under the engine hood or under your ignition coil. They can sometimes be attached to the side of the engine, making it easier to replace.
