Spark Plug Installation

By Mike Palermo Jr.

The other day, a customer-friend reported to me that he had experienced a phenomenon that I think is worth sharing.

He was experiencing a perplexing misfire. When he would remove the malfunctioning plug and ground it, it fired just fine. Yet, when placed back in it's hole, it would not. All tests indicated that there was nothing wrong with that cylinder.

What my friend finally traced it down to was this: Aware that there is a real danger of stripping spark plug threads in our alloy cylinder heads, he always took the precaution of putting a small dab of anti-seize compound on the plug prior to installation. Over time the buildup of this compound formed an electrical barrier that prevented the plug from firing. After cleaning the plug and the threads in the hole, the misfire was gone.

Although this eliminated the misfiring, it returns us to the original problem of pulling threads with a dry plug. I have seen where placing a drop of motor oil on the plug can result in a buildup of carbon that can cause galling and pulled threads.

The answer: A drop of synthetic motor oil. Because of its composition, it doesn't break down like the petroleum oils. I use Redline Synthetic Oil in the crankcase, so it is a simple matter of touching the dipstick to each plug, and I have found that the plugs always come out and return with ease.

Good racing!

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