What do you make of these spark plugs?

[Conor]

As the title says.. They have just come out of my E350.

Mechanic reckons they were never changed before... :/

 

[LostKiwi]

I think he may be correct. That's a lot of carbon build up on the electrode.

 

[TheBlimp75]

Wow they look grim !!

What year is your E class ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LostKiwi]

Wow they look grim !!

What year is your E class ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SL....

 

[TheBlimp75]

??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LostKiwi]

??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My mistake I thought they were from his SL.

 

[Wighty]

My mistake I thought they were from his SL.

They might be worse

 

[LostKiwi]

They might be worse

Well they'd be older if original ...

The E is 2010.

 

[Conor]

E class is 2010 but with 196k miles.

SL is 2004 with 78k miles.

I am expecting a verrrrry smooth ride after they are changed.. I wonder if it could solve the rich error and oil consumption issue..

Somebody said before that bad ignition can cause the fuel to wash the oil off the cylinder walls? I don't know.

 

[bembo449]

I wouldn't expect a magic cure from this Conor , defo wont hurt of course

 

[Botus]

E class is 2010 but with 196k miles.

SL is 2004 with 78k miles.

I am expecting a verrrrry smooth ride after they are changed.. I wonder if it could solve the rich error and oil consumption issue..

Somebody said before that bad ignition can cause the fuel to wash the oil off the cylinder walls? I don't know.

iridium / palladium / platinum tipped should do 60 to 100k... the electrode looks way to good to say they are knackered
the build up of crud its concerning …. does he understand what the throttle pedal is for ?

"Platinum is much harder metal than nickel alloy and has a higher melting point. Since platinum is harder, it holds its sharp edge much longer than a conventional spark plug, up to 100,000 miles. Longevity is a key advantage of platinum spark plugs.

Another advantage of platinum spark plugs is that they run a little hotter, which burns deposits off the spark plug better and helps prevent fouling. Platinum also handles high heat, enabling the spark plug to wear better.

Platinum spark plugs come in two varieties - single and double platinum. A single platinum plug is much like a copper spark plug with a platinum disc welded to the center electrode.

Iridium is said to be six times harder and eight times stronger than platinum with a 700° higher melting point. Iridium spark plugs have extremely fine electrodes while retaining excellent wear characteristics. Thanks to its strength, iridium spark plugs can last up to 25% longer than comparable platinum spark plugs.

Iridium spark plugs feature a fine wire center electrode that is designed to conduct electrical energy better and increase firing efficiency."

 

[LostKiwi]

iridium or palladium tipped should do 60 to 100k... the electrode looks way to good to say they are knackered
the build up of crud its concerning …. does he understand what the throttle pedal is for ?

The middle one is definitely knackered. The insulator has broken on the side facing us.

 

[Botus]

The middle one is definitely knackered. The insulator has broken on the side facing us.

oh yes….

looks like a cam cover gasket might be weeping, the top one is wet all over the out side... and I guess drained in to the cylinder when you took it out?

 

[Conor]

oh yes….

looks like a cam cover gasket might be weeping, the top one is wet all over the out side... and I guess drained in to the cylinder when you took it out?

Yes true... I think the oil is sitting in the spark plug recess from a previous leak. Note: When I bought the car, everything was covered in oil, but has since all been cleaned down with degreaser and oil not returned.

I think that oil on the outside is from previous issues.

The remaining issue is oil consumption. I need to change the crankcase breather and that should resolve, hopefully. When the crankcase breather fails it is reputed to let a nice bit of oil into the engine.. It's a mega PITA to change though as very little room.

Going to have a look now.

 

[Conor]

I wouldn't expect a magic cure from this Conor , defo wont hurt of course

Oh here was hoping lol.

Further note on the plugs....

It might be the case that the plugs were changed.. over the last 3/4 thousand miles the car has burned quite a bit of oil, which may have cause the plugs to fowl up.. i'm not sure. Just a thought.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Does the car smoke for a few seconds on start-up if so your valve stem seals may need replacement but at circa 200k there will be some oil passing the piston rings which will foul the plugs relative to how much, if the car isn’t a smoker no harm in taking the plugs out once a year to clean them up

 

[Conor]

Does the car smoke for a few seconds on start-up if so your valve stem seals may need replacement but at circa 200k there will be some oil passing the piston rings which will foul the plugs relative to how much, if the car isn’t a smoker no harm in taking the plugs out once a year to clean them up

Fair enough.. and something I wouldn't mind doing but... have you seen the tools required to get at the plugs easily (Ref here). The guy who replaced these the other day didn't have them and it took him about two hours.. I'm not sure how long it should usually take but it's a job I would rather not need to do each year lmao.

I will change the crankcase breather and see how that works. I went about changing the breather today and noticed the pipe had some oil in it..

Out of the 4 E Torx bolts, there is one which is a pain to remove and I need an offset spanner to get at it This one is €15

Is it worth buying this set? Are offset Torx spanners so rare that they are this expensive? Any cheaper places I could look?

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Not as easy as it used to be I know, the 6 spark plugs on the B*M IL6 aren’t too bad access wise but the two near the bulkhead are tricky, coil packs don’t help of course especially as the engine ages and plastics turn brittle, nowadays it’s more about not doing collateral damage to plastic components than doing the job itself

 

[Conor]

Does the car smoke for a few seconds on start-up if so your valve stem seals may need replacement but at circa 200k there will be some oil passing the piston rings which will foul the plugs relative to how much, if the car isn’t a smoker no harm in taking the plugs out once a year to clean them up

Fair question.. and this is something I was just thinking about earlier after a little reading. I have never ever noticed smoked clouds of smoked at any point of running (idle, hill ascent/descent, startup etc..) which leads me away from valve seals.

I am really keen to replace the crank breather and see how that affects things.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

No harm in helping the engine breath at least you know it’s serviced properly, we live with imperfections in the best of engines so I’m not so bothered as I used to be. The biggest hurdle in car ownership is finding someone to maintain it as it left the factory, even the best of organisations fail at times