The spark plug is an important component that determines the performance of the engine. internal combustion. The timely start of the motor, the stability of work on idling, power, efficiency and acceleration of the car. Candles work in extreme modes. They need to be replaced periodically. Let's find out how these details are arranged, and also consider how the marking of spark plugs is deciphered.
How does it work
The part consists of a body part, a contact rod, electrodes and an insulator made of ceramic materials. The device also has a special ceramic insulator. The body is threaded. With its help, the element is installed in the holes in the cylinder head.
These holes are called candle wells. The case is equipped with a special hexagon for the standard one. Also, the element has a special nickel coating. It protects the spark plug from corrosion. The device and marking of spark plugs are discussed in detail below.
reference plane
The candle body has a special reference plane. It helps seal the hole. On various types candles use a flat and conical support. In the first case, a special sealing ring is used for additional sealing. The conical surface itself seals well the junction of the part and the cylinder head.
Insulator
These elements of candles are made from special very durable ceramic materials. There are special grooves on the surface of the insulating part. They protect the part from electricity leaks. One of the parts given element has a conical shape. This is the so-called thermal cone.
electrodes
If you cut the candle, you can see the central electrode, as well as contact rod. These elements are made of special alloys resistant to high temperatures. The material for the manufacture of the central electrode are two types of metals. So, central part made from copper alloy. Then it is enclosed in a shell that can withstand high temperatures.
A special resistor is installed in new candles. It is needed to suppress electromagnetic interference. There is no such element in old-style products. Therefore, when the engine is running engine compartment you can hear a characteristic crack.
Characteristics
Candles have different properties. Each model is prepared for certain types modern internal combustion engines. The main characteristics of candles are encrypted in symbol. Below will be considered the marking of spark plugs.
dimensions
Candle wells in motors have different size. Hence the different diameters of the elements. The size of a candle is its diameter, thread parameters, length, and also the size of the turnkey part.
heat number
The marking of spark plugs contains a glow number that can be deciphered and read. It denotes the thermal characteristics and properties of the element. A candle, in which the glow ignition is small, is called hot. The thermal cone of such an element can be heated up to 900 degrees at relatively low loads. Such elements are installed on weakly boosted engines, where the compression ratio is low.
There are also cold spark plugs. Their marking is different and depends on the manufacturer: abroad, unlike domestic manufacturers, there are no scales of incandescent numbers. "Cold" elements are installed on highly accelerated engines. And glow ignition occurs at high thermal loads. Until the candle cone is heated to 400 degrees, carbon deposits form on it. It leads to current leakage. Because of this, the process of spark formation is significantly disrupted. At temperatures close to 400 degrees, carbon deposits burn out. This is normal. Thus, the candle is self-cleaning. domestic producers produce elements whose glow numbers are equal to - 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23 and 26. If you install too “cold” candles on the car, they will not self-clean well. As a result, the engine will run unstable. If the candle is excessively “hot”, there is a risk of incandescence, that is, spontaneous ignition. The symptoms of this phenomenon resemble detonation. The size of the spark gap is indicated in the vehicle's operating instructions.
Located given parameter within 0.5-2 mm. The marking of spark plugs includes this size, it can be read on the package. Depending on the design of the electrodes on a particular candle, the gap can be adjusted. On some, it may be unregulated.
Labeling of domestic products
On products made Russian manufacturer must include the following information.
This is the date when the part was installed - the month or the last two digits are indicated, by which the year can be read. Also indicate trademark or the name of the manufacturer. The type of candle is also indicated (it is indicated that the candle is made in Russia). A marking is also applied, where you can read the main characteristics of the product. We will talk about it in more detail.
Deciphering Russian candles
We will consider the marking of spark plugs for VAZ. All of them are made on Russian enterprises. Let's decipher it - A-U17 DVRM 10:
- The first letter indicates the thread or its parameters. This marking indicates the letter "A", which corresponds to a M14 thread with a pitch of 1.25. It can also be designated differently - "M". this corresponds to an M18 thread with a pitch of 1.5.
- The following are the design features of the product. In our case, "U" indicates that the turnkey hexagon is reduced. The manufacturer also indicates the letter "M". This indicates that the candle is small.
- The number "17" in this marking is the glow number. It can be anything. IN this case This hot candle.
- The letter "D" indicates the length of the thread. It can be 12, 19 and 17.5 millimeters. Then the marking tells about the cone. He may or may not be speaking. In the latter case, the "B" in the marking indicates that the cone is protruding.
- Further, "P" indicates the presence of a built-in resistor. It protects against various interferences. In this case, it is. "M" - this designation indicates the type of the central electrode. It can be standard or with a copper core. And finally, "10" is a serial number.
Because of foreign manufacturers do not use a unified marking system for candles, then it is possible to determine what the marking of Bosch spark plugs means only from the manufacturer's catalogs.
Deciphering the marking of candles from foreign manufacturers
So, we looked at how to decipher products from domestic brands.
But the problem is that Russian products have a small resource. Therefore, it is best to purchase imported products. According to reviews, the service life of such candles is higher.
NGK
Take candles for example. NGK ignition.
The decoding of the marking is actually almost the same as in the case of domestic candles. The designation itself is BCPR7ES-11. The first letter is the thread diameter, in our case it is 14 mm. The second number is the candle key. In our case, the key size should be 16 mm. "P" indicates that the insulator is a protruding type. R indicates the presence of a resistor. 7 is the heat number. E - thread length. S - standard product. And finally, the number 11 is the gap. In this case, it is 1.1 mm.
Brisk
These candles are made in the Czech Republic. The company has been operating since 1935. Candle marking Ignition Brisk- DOR15YC-1. Let's try to decrypt it:
- D is the diameter, 19 mm, for a standard "14" key.
- The thread is standard with a pitch of 1.25 mm.
- "O" indicates that we have a special design.
- R - indicates the presence of a resistor.
- The number 15 is the heat number.
- Y - remote type arrester.
- "C" - a core made of copper.
- "1" is the gap size from 1 to 1.1 mm.
So, we found out what spark plugs are and how to decipher their marking.
The ignition system is one of the most important systems each spark ignition engine. Candles are responsible for generating sparks in the engine cylinders. The spark plug is used in all types of ignition systems: contact, non-contact and electronic. The leading manufacturers are such companies as: Denso, NGK, Bosch, Champion, Beru. The spark plug device is a ceramic tube with a conductor in the center and a metal electrode on the side.
This article will help you find out:
Properly selected spark plugs, interacting with quality fuel, will last without replacement for enough high mileage car. On average, this is 30-60 thousand km, and if it is iridium or platinum, then much longer. That is why, when choosing spark plugs, it is so important to be well versed in marking, types and their purpose, such knowledge will help you choose best candles for your transport.
Parameters and characteristics of spark plugs
The main parameters of the characteristics of candles are the size and glow number, this is in addition to the fact that they also differ in the number of electrodes and in the material of manufacture. With all these points, and how they affect performance, we will understand in order.
One of the most important thermal characteristics of spark plugs is the so-called glow number. This is a parameter indicating the pressure at which glow ignition occurs. Usually, the car documentation indicates the brand of candles and the glow number that should be used in it. Try to follow these guidelines.
Incorrectly selected glow number affects the self-cleaning of the spark plug.
The heating number is divided into three ranges:
- cold candles (k. h. from 20 and above);
- hot (11 - 14);
- medium (k.ch. from 17 to 19).
The the parameter indicates the thermal operating modes of the candle the higher it is, the higher temperatures it can work with.
A candle with a higher glow number can work in a more aggressive environment with high temperatures, and a candle with a lower one will often overheat, which naturally affects its service life.
In addition to the heat number and geometric dimensions, there is one more enough important parameter when choosing candles - their design.
Specifications
General information about spark plugs
Spark plug specifications include:
- thread diameter;
- key head size;
- thread length;
- gap between the electrodes.
Diameter car candles ignition is usually 14 mm. According to the length of the thread, candles are divided into three groups:
1) short - 12 mm;
2) medium - 19-20 mm;
3) long - 25 mm or more.
The length of the threaded part of the candle will depend on the engine power - the more powerful, the longer the candle. This design is due to the fact that the temperature long hull spreads faster and more evenly. The most common size tool for screwing in candles is a 16 mm head, less often - 14 and 18 mm. The size of the gap between the central and side electrodes for all spark plugs is within 0.5 mm - 2.0 mm, but the most common is 0.8 or 1.1 mm.
The characteristics of the spark plug are marked with a type designation- an alphanumeric code that is applied to the candle and to the packaging. Type designations of candles differ depending on the manufacturer; there are no unified designations.
What materials are spark plugs made from?
Among other things, candles differ in the material from which they are made. Candles can be single or bimetallic, but since the times when candles were made only for Soviet technology passed, at the present time they are made of two metals - a copper (or chromium-nickel) core and a steel shell. This method is used to ensure fast and reliable engine start, as well as fast heat dissipation during operation, since the steel shell warms up quickly at the initial stage of operation, and copper core good heat dissipation operating temperature from 500 to 900 °C.
But in order to increase corrosion resistance and, accordingly, increase the service life, such a classic layout is diluted by soldering on the central electrode, from alloys of steel and other expensive metals such as platinum, iridium, palladium or tungsten, or completely replacing the copper core.
In classic style the spark plug is a two-electrode- with one central electrode and one side electrode, but due to the evolution of the design, multi-electrode electrodes appeared (there may be several side electrodes, mainly 2 or 4). Such multielectrode allows to increase reliability and service life. Also less common due to their high cost and conflicting tests are torch and pre-chamber candles.
In addition to the design, candles are also divided into other types, due to the material used to manufacture the electrode. As it already turned out, often this is steel alloyed with nickel and manganese, but to increase the service life, various solderings are made on the electrodes. precious metals usually made of platinum or iridium.
Spark Plug Testing
A hallmark of platinum and iridium spark plugs ignition- a different form of the central and side electrodes. Since the use of these metals allows for a constant powerful spark in harsher operating conditions, the thin electrode requires less voltage, thereby reducing the load on the ignition coil and optimizing fuel combustion.
It makes sense to put platinum candles in turbo engines, as this metal has a high corrosion resistance and is also resistant to high temperatures.
Unlike classic candles, platinum candles should never be cleaned mechanically.
By replacement frequency candles can be placed in this order:
- Copper/nickel spark plugs have a standard service life of up to 30 thousand km., Their cost is consistent with the service life, the price of one such candle will be around 250 rubles.
- Platinum candles(implies sputtering on the electrode) are in second place in terms of service life, applicability and price tag. Duration uptime spark ignition is twice as much, that is, about 60 thousand km. In addition, the formation of soot will be significantly less, which has an even more favorable effect on the ignition of the air-fuel mixture.
- iridium candles dramatically improve thermal performance. These spark plugs provide an uninterrupted spark at the most high temperatures. The resource of work will be more than 100 thousand km, but the price will be much higher than the first two.
The best spark plugs
Having learned about the types of candles and their characteristics, it arises logical question when selecting: "?". When looking for a definite answer to this question, you can scroll through the pages on the Internet for a long time and study the various ratings of spark plug manufacturers. But it’s impossible to tell absolutely everyone that you need to buy iridium and enjoy the operation of the motor.
Whatever the candle, if it is chosen incorrectly, it will certainly affect the operation of the engine and its service life.
What should be considered when choosing candles?
First of all, look into the service manual for your car, often, there you can always find information about which brand of candles is installed from the factory. The best choice will be those candles that the automaker recommends., because the plant takes into account the needs of the engine and specifications spark plugs. Especially if the car is already high mileage- investing in it in the form of expensive platinum or iridium candles will at least not justify itself. You also need to take into account what kind of gasoline and how much you drive. It makes no sense to pay money for expensive spark plugs for an engine with a volume of less than 2 liters when the engine does not require prohibitive power.
How to choose the right spark plugs for your car
The main parameters for the selection of spark plugs
- Parameters and specifications
- Temperature regime.
- thermal range.
- Product resource.
And in order to quickly navigate in candles with necessary requirements, you need to be able to decipher the markings. But, unlike, the marking of spark plugs does not have a generally accepted standard and, depending on the manufacturer, the alphanumeric designation is interpreted differently. However, on any candles there is necessarily a marking indicating:
- diameter;
- type of candle and electrode;
- heat number;
- type and location of electrodes;
- gap between the center and side electrodes.
Which candle manufacturer is better
You need to look, first of all, not at the model and manufacturer, but at the design and workmanship of the candle. For normal use, any candle is suitable that is capable of providing spark stability at a pressure of at least 8 atm, but it is still recommended to take those that have a pressure margin of at least 16 atm.
Below is a series of candles from different price category, designs, types and popular manufacturers that, during the test, showed the best results:
- Iridium DENSO VK20(No. 5604) - will cost around $15 a piece, but the price justifies expectations. Works steadily at pressures up to 25 atm., has an effective blue spark with a minimum number of gaps.
- regular candle DENSO W20TT with nickel center electrode without any dredges. metals, costing just over 100 rubles. Suitable for both VAZs and various foreign cars.
- Candle DENSO IRIDIUM POWER IK16 will cost about 700 rubles. works stably under heavy loads.
- A little cheaper than the previous ones, but not at all worse quality candle work NGK DILFR5A-11(93759). These candles are original for the Lancer, stably withstand any load.
- Platinum Longlife Spark Plugs VAG BOSCH BOM 06H905611 R1 DC will cost about $ 11 apiece, designed to work in turbocharged German motors. The service life of these candles is at least 100,000 km.
- Bosch ones will be pretty good BOSCH SUPER PLUS FR8DPP33 with doped yttrium, but with a platinum tip of the central electrode and with an average price tag ($ 5). The service life of such candles will average at least 50 thousand km.
- NGK VAG 03F905600A R1 NG4 with iridium electrode designed for use in TSI motors Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda cars, as well as Bosch ones, of the VAG concern, only the price will be slightly lower. Thin electrode and a small gap, only 0.7 mm allows you to get a powerful spark and achieve complete combustion fuel.
- For older engines good choice there will be candles BOSCH SUPER4 WR78X R6 208(original no. 242232804), after democratic price, a little more than 600 rubles. For a set of 4 pieces, you will get a multi-electrode candle with decent results.
- NGK R ZFR5V-G- a classic budget candle with a stable result of work up to a load of 25 atm.
- not bad a budget option with copper center electrode DENSO KJ16CR-L11 will cost you a little over a hundred rubles apiece. Such candles can be used on various foreign cars, including Hyundai, Kia, Opel.
Which good candles ignition, each car owner decides for himself. Someone prefers to select made exclusively from rare and expensive materials, while someone first of all takes into account the brand of the part and the brand of the car, as well as the conditions in which his car is operated.
| Designation | Decryption |
| B |
|
| P |
|
| R |
|
| 7 | heat number 2 heat ↓ 12 cold |
| E |
|
| S |
B: SAE fixed contact nut (CR8EB) CM: Incline Combat Electrode, Compact Type (18.5mm Insulator) CS: same as above G,GV: racing plug I: iridium electrode IX: iridium electrode (IX) J: 2 ground electrodes K: 2 ground electrodes L: intermediate heat number LM: compact type insulator 14.5mm N: special ground electrode P: platinum electrode Q: 4 side electrodes S: standard type T: three ground electrodes U: semi-surface discharge VX: platinum candle Y: V-shaped center electrode Z: special design |
| - | |
| 11 |
|
Owners of outboard motors often put in their units different candles, but not those recommended by the manufacturer. There are brands of candles that you will never find anywhere else. Where did they buy them? When? And most importantly, why did the owners install them on the motor when there are exact recommendations from the manufacturer. No need to try to be smarter than the engineers who designed the motor.
Now the trend of installing unknown candles in the engine is gradually fading away, since such experiments for the sake of saving the owner of the engine often end up being twice as expensive. Often this happens with low-power motors, more expensive models owners prefer to carry to specialized service centers for service. And they do it right.
The marking of candles in the manual is indicated for a reason. Electronics, electrics and the engine itself is designed to work with these candles. With them, he works more stable and will work for many more hours. Chinese outboard motors are another story. I had to meet different requirements for candles in the original manual and in its Russian version. Apparently our translators are better versed in motors. If you have Chinese motor and you doubt which candles to put, there is one a win-win. Any Chinese motor is a copy of a Japanese or American motor. Look in the manual of the "donor" and put the candle indicated there. But there is one "BUT", not the fact that the electrician Chinese model withstand the characteristics of the candle, and the guarantee is likely to disappear, but still there are much more advantages from the original.
It is also recommended to periodically check the gap of the candles. Proper clearance directly affects sparking and ignition. The gap sometimes changes over time and this affects the operation of the motor. And to check the gap, you need to use not a screwdriver or a knife, but a special probe.
In addition, you should pay attention to the moment of tightening the candles. Heat dissipation and compression depend on it. Ideally, for spinning candles, you need to use torque wrench, but domestic owners of motors are in no hurry to buy it for such a trifle. But here it is rather important not to strip the thread when tightening. On a cold engine, the candle is unscrewed with not much effort at all, but again, all this is subjective and also depends on the length of the handle. With a "lever" of 1.5 meters, you can tighten the candle with a little effort so that you can't unscrew it later with a 2-meter pipe.
When choosing candles, pay attention to the glow number. This is the level of heat transfer of the candle. A higher glow number indicates less heat absorption, the candle is colder, and vice versa. Hot candles (with a low glow number) are placed on unpowered motors. During operation, such a candle is self-cleaning even at low temperatures. Cold candles in such a motor will quickly fail, because. temperature for self-cleaning will not be enough. A spark plug that is too hot will cause glow ignition, which has nothing to do with normal sparking. So it’s not worth experimenting with the glow number if you don’t know exactly what it will lead to. But if you've owned multiple engines, changing the heat rating can improve your engine's performance. For example, for trolling, you can put hotter candles with a low glow number. Candles will self-clean for low revs and periodic re-gassing is no longer required. But do not change this number too much, by a maximum of 1 unit.
The length of the candle is also of great importance in the operation of the motor. A short spark plug will give abnormal sparking, unstable job and loose threads will be clogged with soot. Subsequently, it will be problematic to install a normal candle. A long spark plug can cause internal block damage. (The condition of the spark plugs outboard motor)
Motorists want to know what the ngk spark plug markings are. The question is quite interesting, it will be useful not only for novice drivers, but also with experience. The fact is that everyone uses cars, buys all kinds of consumables. But at the same time, not everyone understands what the marking means. modern candles and what to pay attention to.
Marking spark plugs ngk - every driver should know it in order to choose the right spark plugs. After all, if you put something wrong, a lot of problems will arise, the car simply will not work correctly. This should always be remembered. In addition, you will not have problems during self-selection candles. The fact is that not all sellers will tell you correctly, because the main thing for them is to sell goods that are stale. In order not to get into an unpleasant situation, you should consider the issue of labeling. In addition, you will be pleased to show off your knowledge among your peers who are not very versed in this area.
What are candles for?
Separately, it is worth telling why spark plugs were invented at all. From the name it is clear that they must set fire to something, or rather air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Without this, it is impossible to get a powerful push on the piston, which will transmit torque to the drive wheels. It is worth noting that the better the sparking is, the faster the fuel will burn.
Each car has its own characteristics, so you should carefully study the instructions from the manufacturer in order to buy exactly the candles that are required. If the instruction is missing, then you can contact the specialists in the service. They know exactly which cars should be fitted with ngk spark plugs and which should not. After all, if you put the wrong candles, the engine will not be able to burn all the fuel entering the combustion chamber. The rest will go to the crankcase, which is not very pleasant. Power drops, speed decreases and, accordingly, consumption increases.
Decryption
Here we come to the most interesting. Let's take a small example, marking BDPR7ES - 10. If you have no experience, then this is just a set of numbers and letters, which is logical. But if you have experience, then:
- The diameter is 18, and the size of the hexagon is 26 millimeters;
- In third place is a sign that indicates the type of candle and electrode;
- The figure should be understood as potassium content. It can be in the range from a minus value to a plus one;
- Next comes the length of the skirt. Starting with E and ending with EF;
- How are the electrodes located?
- As for the number, it denotes a gap.
How to distinguish between original and fake
In the original candle, the upper part is twisted very tightly, it is almost impossible to unscrew without effort. In a fake, the upper part is very easy to remove, the rod is not attached well.
The original candle has a special powder that can be seen without any problems. This suggests that the candle is made according to new technology. In a fake, you can find a lot of defects, an uneven surface and incorrect engraving.
The ngk spark plug has the correct gap at the end, the insulator white color. As for the fake, then the gap is not very even, there is bevelling. The insulator itself is not perfectly white, dirt is visible. All these signs allow you to distinguish the original candle from a fake.
If you have several vehicles in your fleet, then you need to buy special instructions for each, so as not to be confused. Fortunately, they do not cost very much, every driver can afford. If this is not possible, then the necessary information is printed from the Internet. Agree, quite convenient and practical. Moreover, each modern driver There is Internet access, which is logical.
And in conclusion, I would like to say that every driver must understand the marking of candles, know which ones are suitable for him. vehicle. Marking ngk spark plugs is not very complicated. Of course, there are many letters and numbers, but do not be afraid. The main thing is to find a special guide and study it carefully. After all, in the future it will be useful for both novice drivers and those with experience. You will not be deceived in the store, distinguish the original from the fake.
