One of the main parts of any car’s engine is its spark plugs, which have the task of igniting and lighting the car in a way. The car spark plug is an important part in the fuel car engine and without the proper functioning of the spark plugs, the cars will not be able to move. In this article, we are going to provide information about the car spark plug and examine this vital part in the car engine.
What is a car spark plug?
The car spark plug is a piece consisting of electrode, porcelain insulation, gaskets, etc., which is placed on top of the combustion chamber and cylinder of the car, and on the one hand, it receives the high voltage current and on the other hand, by creating a spark at the moment of ignition, it causes an explosion of compressed steam. gasoline and as a result of creating the necessary force to move the car. In fact, car spark plugs have the task of exploding in the combustion chamber and moving the cylinders downwards. By injecting fuel into the cylinder by the injector and then compressing it by the valve, the spark plug creates a spark and causes an explosion at the moment of ignition.
The figure shows the components of the candle
If the car’s spark plug cannot ignite at the right time or does not ignite at all, then the compressed gasoline in the combustion chamber will not explode properly and as a result, the cylinders will not move. Therefore, the function of this part in the car engine is very important and we must take necessary measures to maintain it.
Types of car spark plugs
Car candles are not all designed in the same way and have different types, each of which is made for a type of car engine. The classification of car spark plugs is as follows.
- Cold spark plugs: designed to operate in high temperature engines and have short bases to quickly reduce the heat generated by ignition.
- Hot plugs: designed to operate in low temperature engines and have longer bases to lose their heat more slowly and thus burn the remaining deposits from combustion on the plug itself.
- Nickel candle: whose electrodes are made of nickel alloy and have a short lifespan.
- Platinum candle: whose electrodes are made of platinum alloy and have a very long life. Such candles have the ability to withstand temperatures up to 2500 degrees Celsius and are able to function usefully for up to 50,000 kilometers.
- Iridium spark plug: this kind of car spark plug whose positive electrode is made of iridium and has a longer lifespan than platinum spark plugs.
- Multi-electrode spark plugs: This type of car spark plug has several negative electrodes, which makes it last longer. Because every time ignition causes the negative pole to corrode, after each electrode is corroded, it changes its place with an electrode closer to the positive pole, and as a result, they create a longer lifespan for the car spark plug.
Car spark plug troubleshooting
As we have seen, each candle has a specific lifespan, after which it should be replaced. But sometimes, due to the increase of deposits resulting from combustion in the head of the electrodes and its dirtiness, or incorrect ignition and the destruction of the electrodes, it will be necessary to replace the car’s spark plugs before reaching the standard lifespan. In these cases, the car will not work well and will suffer from misfire. One of the spark plugs not working properly causes the corresponding cylinder to burn the fuel incompletely, and as a result, it causes an increase in emissions and, as a result, damage to the engine parts.
Nickel candles
Normal and common spark plugs in the market are made of nickel alloy, which have a thermal tolerance of 400 degrees, and for this reason, their maximum life is 20,000 km, and because of the flatness of their positive electrode, the spark is not completely regular, and this point causes the rise Fuel consumption and crude burning, but needle spark plugs have a needle-like positive electrode, which makes the spark from the spark plug more focused, precise and stronger than a normal spark plug, when the spark is stronger. The flame resulting from the explosion is bigger and as a result, the gasoline inside the cylinder is completely burnt, all its energy is released, and the result of this process is a reduction in fuel consumption, an increase in acceleration, and a reduction in the sound and vibration of the car engine, which last indicates a better engine performance and increase The life of engine parts and reducing its depreciation.
Needle candles are produced and marketed with two types of alloys.
Platinum candles
The alloy material of these candles is made of platinum metal, which has a heat resistance of about 800 degrees Celsius.
The high thermal resistance makes the spark voltage drop in the spark plugs at high temperature and high engine speed, and the quality of the spark remains constant. to have a useful life of about 40,000 kilometers.
Iridium candles
The alloy used in these candles is iridium metal, whose thermal resistance is 1200 degrees Celsius.
In these candles, in addition to the positive electrode, which is needle-shaped and with iridium alloy, the negative electrode also has a platinum point, which causes the highest and most accurate spark limit among professional candles.
These spark plugs also have a useful life of 60,000 kilometers according to the fuel consumed, and if octane supplements are used in the fuel, this life span will naturally increase.
Benefits of needle candles
The lack of raw fuel burning has a significant impact on the cost-effectiveness of needle spark plugs from an economic point of view, reducing visits to the repair shop, saving time and money, and the health and longevity of engine parts are the result of using this type of spark plugs for your car.