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What happens if a spark plug is bad?
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Jun 18, 2024 · Has your vehicle’s performance suddenly had a drastic change? Engine sputtering or not even running at all? Before you spend money on a mechanic, see if a bad spark plug could be the culprit—and replacing one is a repair you can do on your own.
- Visual Inspection. Remove and compare your old spark plugs to a new one. If the tip and/or electrode show excessive wear they should be replaced. Also, look for fuel and oil contamination.
- Trouble Starting. If you are experiencing what seems to be longer cranking times, especially on a cold morning, you’ll want to look at your spark plugs and related ignition and fuel system components.
- Rough Idling. If your vehicle’s engine is running rough or noisy when idling, you likely have a problem in your ignition system. Heavy rumbling when waiting at a stoplight or in a drive-thru may indicate your car is overdue for maintenance.
- Misfiring. Misfires are hard to miss, as the engine will shake so badly that you’ll feel the vibration throughout the car. Misfiring results in poor performance, reduced fuel economy, increased emissions, and rough idling.
Feb 12, 2023 · If the Check Engine Light is flashing, the spark plugs may be bad. Defective plugs can also lead to a misfiring engine, a rough idle, trouble accelerating, a hard-starting engine, decreased fuel economy and exhaust that smells like fuel. Here are the symptoms that matter the most. 1. Flashing Check Engine Light.
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- Slow acceleration. The most common cause of poor acceleration in most vehicles is a problem in the ignition system. Today's modern engines have multiple sensors that tell the onboard computer and ignition system when to send electric pulses to fire the spark plug, so the issue may be with a faulty sensor.
- Poor Fuel Economy. A fully-functioning spark plug helps burn fuel efficiently in the combustion cycle. When this occurs, your car can achieve better-than-average fuel economy.
- Engine is Misfiring. If the engine misfires, it's typically due to an issue in the ignition system. In modern cars, it's usually due to a sensor malfunction.
- Engine Surging or Hesitating. You may notice the engine hesitating while accelerating. In this case, the engine is not responding correctly to the driver.
The most common signs of bad spark plugs include start-up trouble, rough idling, sluggish acceleration, declining fuel economy, engine misfiring, and engine knocking.
Feb 3, 2021 · If the spark plugs are bad enough, bad spark plugs can cause a car not to start at all. Starting the engine requires several conditions, one of them a good air-fuel mixture ignition. When spark plugs are faulty this condition is not met or is partially met, which causes the hard starts.
Dec 19, 2023 · Below are eight signs of faulty spark plugs that you should keep an eye out for: 1. Car Feels Rough at Idle. If you’re dealing with a bad spark plug, you’ll likely experience rough idling, which may include rattling noises, excessive vibrations, and sudden surges or drops in the internal combustion engine’s RPM.
