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Author Topic: How bad is it when you... (auto mechanics question)  (Read 1926 times)

Pantharen

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How bad is it when you... (auto mechanics question)
« on: January 18, 2006, 03:27:16 PM »

put the wrong spark plugs into a car, and run it for almost a year? My dad and I bought plugs for our vehicles at the same time. I just pulled the plugs on my car, and the numbers on them were 11YNC4 (for a Dodge Caravan) instead of 9YC for a Suzuki Forsa, andway they were fouled (expected), BUT what damage might I have caused, other than the lousy fuel econemy, and the constant misfiring, loping, and rough idle?

The upside is the car might be replaced sometime this week (key word tho is MIGHT)
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newsman

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Re: How bad is it when you... (auto mechanics question)
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2006, 08:35:17 PM »

The big scare over wrong plugs is the chance of them sticking out too far into the cylinder and putting a hole in your pistons. I would say this has not happened to you since you are still driving the car after a year. If you had a hole in one or more of your pistions you would be burning oil by the quart and smoking everyone out. My estimation without seeing your car is that you are badly carboned up from an improper burn. Cure get the right plugs and few cans of a good combustion chamber cleaner.
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Till the next time, "keep your fly in the water!"

Pantharen

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Re: How bad is it when you... (auto mechanics question)
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2006, 09:13:15 PM »

I gto very lucky, the plugs were the same length, the only difference (according to a mechanic friend) is the firing temp, the caravan plugs fire differently then the Suzuki, and my fuel consumption, the loping, the misfiring on cyl 1, and the rough starting were all from the plugs, even with 2 correct in, it runs much better....

The newish car is sounding better.... 1986 Suburu Justy 4x4 (my last suburu 87 GL10 got trashed in 2002 with a cracked manifold @ 880,000 klicks, and before that I had an 86 GL10 that died with a pushrod thru the block @ over 1 million klicks :) )
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newsman

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Re: How bad is it when you... (auto mechanics question)
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2006, 10:40:52 AM »

Man you must have horseshoes to get that many klicks out of your vehicles.
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Till the next time, "keep your fly in the water!"