You want to know how a spark plug works? Then check out our article here and learn more about the importance of this component.
What is a spark plug?
The biggest difference between diesel and gasoline engines is that a gasoline engine is spark ignited. This means that the gasoline engine cannot ignite the air-fuel mixture itself like the diesel engine.
For this reason, it is necessary in the gasoline engine that in the “compression stroke” the air-fuel mixture combustion is initiated by an electric spark.
Now the spark plug comes into play, because the main task of the spark plug is to generate exactly this electrical spark that is necessary for combustion.
What do spark plugs do?
In order for the spark plug to generate the electrical spark at all, a high voltage must first be provided by the ignition coil. If the high voltage of the ignition coil is applied, the current jumps over to the electrodes of the spark plug and the electrical ignition spark is generated.
What requirements must a spark plug meet?
To ensure faultless and, above all, environmentally friendly engine running, several requirements must be met. But one of the most important points here is that the perfect amount of air and fuel is available. But the ignition spark must also be precise and at the right time.
For this reason, the spark plug must meet the highest requirements. In a four-stroke engine, the spark plug must produce a spark 500-3600 times per minute. Even in very hot or cold temperatures, the spark plug must function properly.
Modern spark plugs are capable of ensuring combustion with as few pollutants as possible without misfiring.
Different types of spark plugs
Spark plugs with multiple ground electrodes
In order to be able to achieve a longer replacement interval with conventional spark plugs, these are equipped with up to four ground electrodes.
Due to the ever-changing temperatures, the ignition spark always jumps over at a different ground electrode.
This distributes the ignition spark to the up to four installed ground electrodes, where wear is reduced.
Hybrid spark plugs
The biggest disadvantage of modern gasoline engines with direct injection is that the spark plugs can soot very quickly depending on the driving profile.
For this reason, there are extra spark plugs for precisely these engines, which have one large and two small ground electrodes. The two smaller ground electrodes are located on the side of the spark plug and become active if the engine control unit detects that the spark plug is sooty. Simply you can say that this type of spark plug can clean itself.
LPG/CNG spark plugs
Gas engines (CNG, LNG or LPG) usually require different spark plugs than gasoline engines. In some cases, other ignition coils are also needed.
The reason for this is that the combustion of a gas mixture requires a higher ignition voltage. In addition, the risk of the ignition spark breaking off at high engine speeds is higher than with gasoline combustion.
How to tell if a spark plug is bad?
The best and easiest test for this fault is to replace the spark plug crosswise. This means taking the faulty spark plug from the cylinder and fitting it to another cylinder. In turn, the spark plug from the latter cylinder is installed on the previously faulty cylinder. When this is done, the fault memory should be cleared and a test drive made until the fault reappears. Then the vehicle should be read out again. If the fault has now migrated to the other cylinder, this means that this spark plug is really defective. If the error has not migrated, the same must be tested with the spark plug. Here, too, a test drive must be carried out again and then the fault re-evaluated.
How long do spark plugs last?
A spark plug should usually be changed every 30,000 to 60,000 kilometers or every 2 to 4 years, depending on the type of engine. For vehicles that use gas as fuel, it may also be necessary to change the spark plugs earlier, depending on the case.
We recommend that you follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations or the prescribed replacement interval.
How to change spark plugs?
Normally, it is no problem to change the spark plugs yourself. As a rule, no special tools are required here. In this video you can see how to change the spark plugs on a vehicle using a BMW as an example.
Which spark plug belongs to which engine?
The right spark plug for an engine depends on various factors, such as the displacement, the power and the type of construction. Here are some important factors for the selection of a spark plug:
- Thread size: The spark plug thread size must match the diameter and length of the bore and thread area of the cylinder head.
- Power: The power of the spark plug must meet the requirements of the engine. Higher output spark plugs may be required to support higher engine speeds and higher horsepower.
- Design: There are different designs of spark plugs, such as conical, flat and double-sided electrodes. The type of spark plug must meet the requirements of the engine.
To ensure that the correct spark plug is used, it is best to follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations.
How to gap spark plugs?
To gap spark plugs, you need to adjust the distance between the center electrode and the ground electrode to a specific measurement. This measurement is called the “gap size” and is usually specified by the vehicle manufacturer or the spark plug manufacturer. To gap the spark plugs, you can use a spark plug gapping tool, which is a small tool that fits over the spark plug and has a gauge to measure the gap. Here are the steps to gap your spark plugs:
- Remove the spark plug from the engine.
- Check the specified gap size in your vehicle owner’s manual or the spark plug manufacturer’s specifications.
- Place the spark plug in the gapping tool and adjust the gap by carefully bending the ground electrode with a small screwdriver or pliers until the gap is the correct size.
- Repeat the process for each spark plug.
- Reinstall the gapped spark plugs in the engine.
Note: Make sure to handle the spark plugs with care and wear gloves to avoid damaging the center electrode.
Je, unataka kujua jinsi balbu ya moto inavyofanya kazi? Angalia makala yetu hapa na kujifunza zaidi kuhusu umuhimu wa hii. Kioo cha kuwasha ni nini? Tofauti kubwa kati ya injini za dizeli na za petroli ni kwamba injini ya petroli huwasha moto kwa mwangaza. Hilo lamaanisha kwamba injini ya petroli haiwezi kuwasha mchanganyiko wa hewa na mafuta yenyewe kama injini ya dizeli. Kwa sababu hii, ni muhimu katika injini ya petroli kwamba katika <unk>compression stroke<unk> mchanganyiko wa hewa-mafuta kuchoma ni ilianzishwa na cheche ya umeme. Kwa hiyo, kwa sababu ya kuunganisha kwa spark plug, ni muhimu sana kuunda umeme wa umeme unaohitajika kwa ajili ya moto. Vipuli vya kuwasha hufanya nini? Ili kwa ajili ya kuzima kuzima kuzalisha umeme spark wakati wote, voltage ya juu lazima kwanza kutolewa na coil ya kuwasha. Wakati voltage ya juu ya coil ya kuzima ni kutumika, sasa kuruka juu ya electrodes ya kuzima kuzima na umeme kuzima cheche ni kuzaliwa. Ni matakwa gani yanayopaswa kutimizwa na balbu ya kuwasha? Ili kuhakikisha injini inafanya kazi bila kasoro na, juu ya yote, kwa uaminifu kwa mazingira, mahitaji kadhaa lazima yatimizwe. Lakini moja ya mambo muhimu zaidi hapa ni kwamba kiasi kamili cha hewa na mafuta inapatikana. Lakini mnururisho wa kuwasha lazima pia uwe sahihi na kwa wakati unaofaa. Kwa sababu hiyo, balbu ya kuwasha lazima ikubaliwe kwa viwango vya juu zaidi. Katika injini ya 4 stroke, spark plug lazima itokeze spark mara 500 hadi 300 kwa dakika. Hata katika joto kali sana au baridi, balbu ya moto lazima ifanye kazi ifaavyo. Vipuli vya kisasa vya kuwasha vina uwezo wa kuhakikisha kuchoma kwa uchafuzi wa chini iwezekanavyo bila kukosa kuwasha. Kwa mfano, kwa ajili ya mabomba ya umeme, kuna aina mbili za mabomba ya umeme: mabomba ya umeme na mabomba ya umeme, ambayo yana umeme wa umeme wa umeme, ambayo ina umeme wa umeme, ambayo ina umeme wa umeme. Kwa sababu ya joto linalobadilika-badilika, cheche ya kuwasha daima huruka kwenye elektroni tofauti ya ardhi. Hii inasambaza cheche ya kuwasha kwa hadi nne imewekwa electrode ardhi, ambapo kuvaa ni kupunguzwa. Hybrid spark plugs - Madhara makubwa ya injini za kisasa za petroli na sindano ya moja kwa moja ni kwamba spark plugs inaweza kuharibika haraka sana kulingana na profile ya kuendesha gari. Kwa sababu hii, kuna spark plugs za ziada kwa injini hizi, ambazo zina elektroni moja kubwa na mbili ndogo za ardhi. Vipuli viwili vidogo vya ardhi viko upande wa bozi la moto na huanza kufanya kazi ikiwa kitengo cha kudhibiti injini kinagundua kwamba bozi la moto lina chokaa. Unaweza kusema tu kwamba aina hii ya balbu ya moto yaweza kujisafisha yenyewe. LPG (CNG) - LPG (CNG) ni injini ya gesi ya kawaida ambayo inahitaji kuzunguka tofauti na injini za petroli. Katika baadhi ya kesi, coils nyingine ya kuwasha pia zinahitajika. Sababu ya hili ni kwamba kuchoma kwa mchanganyiko wa gesi inahitaji voltage ya juu ya kuwasha. Kwa kuongezea, hatari ya moto wa kuzima kuvunjika kwa kasi ya injini ni kubwa kuliko kwa kuchoma kwa petroli. Jinsi ya kujua kama balbu ya moto ni mbaya? Mtihani bora na rahisi kwa ajili ya kosa hili ni kubadilisha spark plug crosswise. Hilo lamaanisha kuchukua balbu yenye kasoro kutoka kwenye silinda na kuifunga kwenye silinda nyingine. Kwa upande mwingine, kiwambo cha moto kutoka silinda ya mwisho huwekwa kwenye silinda iliyokuwa na kasoro hapo awali. Wakati hii ni kufanyika, makosa kumbukumbu inapaswa kuondolewa na gari mtihani kufanywa mpaka kosa reappears. Kisha gari linapaswa kusomwa tena. Kama kosa sasa imehamia silinda nyingine, hii ina maana kwamba hii spark plug ni kweli kasoro. Kama kosa haijahamia, sawa lazima kupimwa na spark plug. Hapa, pia, gari la majaribio lazima lifanywe tena na kisha kosa hilo lichunguzwe tena. Vipuli vya kuwasha huendelea kutumika kwa muda gani? Kwa kawaida, plagi ya moto inapaswa kubadilishwa kila baada ya kilomita 30,000 hadi 60,000 au kila baada ya miaka miwili hadi minne, kulingana na aina ya injini. Kwa magari ambayo kutumia gesi kama mafuta, inaweza pia kuwa muhimu kubadilisha spark plugs mapema, kulingana na kesi. Tunapendekeza kwamba ufuate mapendekezo ya mtengenezaji wa gari au umbali uliopendekezwa wa kubadilisha. Jinsi ya kubadilisha vijiti vya moto? Kwa kawaida, si tatizo kubadilisha vijiti vya moto mwenyewe. Kwa kawaida, hakuna vifaa maalum vinavyohitajika hapa. Katika video hii unaweza kuona jinsi ya kubadilisha spark plugs kwenye gari kwa kutumia BMW kama mfano. Ni kioo gani cha kuwasha ambacho ni cha injini gani? Kupata spark plug sahihi kwa injini inategemea mambo mbalimbali, kama vile displacement, nguvu na aina ya ujenzi. Kwa mfano, kwa ajili ya kuchagua spark plug, ni muhimu kuzingatia: ukubwa wa thread: ukubwa wa thread ya spark plug lazima ifanane na kipenyo na urefu wa shimo na shimo la kichwa cha silinda. - Nguvu: Nguvu ya spark plug lazima kukidhi mahitaji ya injini. Zaidi pato spark plugs inaweza kuhitajika kusaidia kasi ya juu ya injini na nguvu ya juu ya farasi. - Ubunifu: Kuna miundo tofauti ya vijiti vya moto, kama vile electrodes conical, gorofa na pande mbili. Aina ya spark plug lazima kukidhi mahitaji ya injini. Ili kuhakikisha kwamba kuzima sahihi ni kutumika, ni bora kufuata mapendekezo ya mtengenezaji wa gari. Jinsi ya gap matundu ya moto? Kwa spark plugs, unahitaji kurekebisha umbali kati ya electrode ya katikati na electrode ya ardhi kwa kipimo maalum. Upimaji huu inaitwa "ukubwa wa pengo" na ni kawaida maalum na mtengenezaji wa gari au mtengenezaji wa spark plug. Kwa ajili ya kuziba plugs, unaweza kutumia chombo cha kuziba plugs, ambayo ni chombo kidogo kinachofaa juu ya plugs na ina kipimo cha kupima pengo. Hapa ni hatua ya gap matundu yako spark: - Ondoa matundu kutoka injini. - Angalia ukubwa maalum gap katika mwongozo wa mmiliki wa gari yako au spishi ya mtengenezaji wa spark plug. - Kuweka spark plug katika chombo gapping na kurekebisha pengo kwa makini bending electrode ardhi na screwdriver ndogo au pliers mpaka pengo ni ukubwa sahihi. - Rudia utaratibu huo kwa kila balbu ya kuwasha. - Reinstall plugs gapped spark katika injini. Kumbuka: Hakikisha kushughulikia spark plugs kwa uangalifu na kuvaa glavu ili kuepuka kuharibu electrode ya kati.