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Lesson 101 for Driver. The spark plug's location exposes it to extreme temperature variations, chemicals, fuels and oils. It is also attacked by cylinder pressures produced by the piston and cam timing, then it is also assaulted by high-output ignition units. As a result of all of this, one can effectively learn what the engine is doing by reading the firing end of the spark plugs. By careful examination of the plug's color, gap, and any deposits that reside on it, you will be shown the efficiencies as well as deficiencies of what is going on in the engine. Spark plugs should be checked at least yearly, and replaced as often as necessary. In most cases you can follow the manufacturers recommendations for replacement intervals. How a Spark Plug Works: The basics of a spark plug is that it must perform two primary functions. To Ignite the Air/Fuel mixture To REMOVE the heat out of the combustion chamber Spark plugs transmit electrical energy that turns fuel into working energy. A sufficient amount of voltage must be supplied by the ignition system to cause the spark to jump the across the spark plug gap, thus creating what is called Electrical Performance. Additionally, the temperature of the spark plug's firing end must be kept low enough to prevent pre-ignition, but high enough to prevent fouling. This is called Thermal Performance and is determined by the heat range of the spark plug. It is important to understand that spark plugs CANNOT create heat, only remove it! The spark plug works as a heat exchanger, pulling unwanted thermal energy away from the combustion chamber and transferring the heat to the engine's cooling system. The heat range is defined as a plug's ability to dissipate heat. The rate of heat is determined by: The insulator nose length Gas volume around the insulator nose Materials and/or construction of the center electrode and porcelain insulator Now to the actual function: As the Ignition is triggered it sends the spark through the rotor, to the cap, down the wire and then it jumps the gap of the spark plug, a spark kernel is created that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Proper timing of this spark is not the only concern as described above. You must have the proper heat range as well as the correct gap. Opening The Plug Gap: On weaker or stock ignitions, opening up the gap CAN increase the spark kernel size, thereby creating a more efficient burn. The problem lies in that any added gap creates more strain on the other ignition parts. Coils may not have enough stored energy to fire, or in the least case, not enough energy to cross the gap, creating a miss-fire. Plug wires will break down due to the added resistance as the spark tries to reach ground. Rotor and Cap, as well as points (if you still have an interest in prehistoric ignitions), and the carbon bushing in the center of the distributor cap will show early failures. All of this is because the greater the gap and the higher the voltage requirement to jump the gap. Do not forget the gap between the rotor arm to the distributor cap too. A high performance rotor is a bit longer at the tip, allowing less spark loss or chance of spark scatter in the cap as the spark attempts to jump the plug gap. It is also possible to slow down a car if the gap is too big. Spark Plug Heat Range: A spark plug's heat range has no relationship on the actual voltage transferred through the spark plug. Rather, the heat range is a measure of the spark plug's ability to remove heat from the combustion chamber. The heat range measurement is determined by several factors: The length of the ceramic center insulator nose The insulator nose's ability to absorb and transfer combustion heat The material composition of the insulator The material composition of the center electrode The longer the insulator nose gives you a larger surface area exposed to combustion gasses and heat is dissipated slowly. This also means the firing end heats up more quickly. We are talking about exposed ceramic length, not extended tip length. The insulator nose length is the distance from the firing tip of the insulator to the point where the insulator meets the metal shell. Since the insulator tip is the hottest part of the spark plug, the tip temperature is a primary factor in pre-ignition and fouling.The spark plug tip temperature must remain between 450

[bounce2] Friday and Long weekend folks, enjoy yourself and drive safe! [bounce2]

Not about I son or your son ... Was watching Discovery Channel last night and was surprised that most peoples were unaware of the Comet ISON which passed by so closed to Earth and now reaching our Sun today (yesterday 28/11/13, US time). Scientists are watching closely if it crash into the sun or making a roundabout the sun and coming close to Earth again in December. If offset by the Sun magnetic field, "checkmate to Earth" .... From youtube: Updated Images, Comet ISON approaches the Sun, Nov 28, 2013 video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_ho4gJAbohE Should there a miss hitting Earth, we should able to see 'lightup' in the night sky in December ......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sLErPqqCC54 For the first time, extraordinary aerial footage of one of the world’s last uncontacted tribes has been released. Survival’s new film, narrated by Gillian Anderson, has launched a campaign to help protect the earth’s most vulnerable peoples. Find out more: http://www.uncontactedtribes.org

Read in Yahoo and found the star behind 'Jason' and many others in horror movies.... Behind 'Jason' : The actor: Richard Brooker more stars at link: http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/photos/horror-icons-the-men-behind-the-masks-slideshow/#crsl=%252Fphotos%252Fhorror-icons-the-men-behind-the-masks-slideshow%252Fhorror-icons-the-men-behind-the-masks-photo-1383222366859.html%253B_ylt%253DAoYrEKew6Zh6Boglf4byBP.0MOB_%253B_ylu%253DX3oDMTNrOWdiNW5xBHBrZwM5ZDhjNmIzMC00MjI3LTExZTMtYmZmYi05YzgyNzNkMDE1N2IEc2VjA01lZGlhQ2Fyb3VzZWxQaG90b0dhbGxlcnlDQVhIUgR2ZXIDOWUzOGQ3ZDItNDIyNy0xMWUzLWI1YmUtNzZjOTM3ZWE3MWU1%253B_ylg%253DX3oDMTBhMnJuamU1BGxhbmcDZW4tU0c-%253B_ylv%253D3

As above. so far only know of other car parts bushing avaliable. But did not hear that clutch padal bushing avaliable. Cos padal making metal to metal contact sound cos of the bushing wear off. thinking to buy and replace to get ride of the padal metal sound cos when clutch padal depress and release got the metal yak yak sound.

Hi I'm driving a Nissan Latio and just notice this light from my dashbox lighted up. Anyone know what this light mean for? Thanks.

can anyone find the suspect [laugh] Now, this photo is beginning to go viral. Why? Well, as some netizens pointed out, a Malaysian police officer looks like a murder suspect he is hunting down. In an unlikely twist, Datuk Ku Chin Wah, who heads Kuala Lumpur's Crime Investigation Department, looks like the 44-year-old guy in the wanted poster he is holding. The guy in the photo, Kong Swee Kwan, is believed to be behind the killing of Hussain Ahmad Najadi, the founder of the Arab-Malaysia Bank or Ambank. Najadi died after being shot in the chest while his wife, Cheong Mei Kuen suffered serious injuries. Online users with a sharp eye were quick to point out that the police officer bore a striking resemblance to the alleged criminal. User, "Saucy" says, "He is holding his own photo?" But another user "Jack" could see some distinction between the two. "The cop and the suspect look like brothers. lol," he says. Meanwhile user "Ricky" quips, "Hahahahhaa! Spot on!" For user "Jasont", the murder case has been solved. He says, "I found him, he is holding the picture." To this "Andrew" agrees, "Don't be surprised. The high profile murderer may be KL CID chief". Not to disappoint these wanna-be sleuths, but a statement from the police chief himself addresses their hasty conclusions. Ku says the suspect remains at large and may still be Malaysia. .. http://sg.news.yahoo.com/seeing-double--ma...-103532530.html [laugh]

So it seems we men are the culprits!! http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/health...for/710886.html

Today (4th June) is the Anniversary of the 4 June Tiananmen Incident, when China rolled out its military to crush the student protesters. I wonder who will jump onto the opportunity to hold event in Hong Lim park to mark the sad event...

as in topic . Anyone knows the meaning ?>

Many drivers do not know this gadget and unfortunately many more are also beginning to forget they have it. Give it a try, it may make evryone's drive a bit less stressful.

from Yahoo: Why finger tap when tea is poured By Sheere Ng | Makansutra

...and not Aston Martin! My profession is considered LOW-skilled profession [bigcry] From the White PAPER: The footnote included two sentences - "Certain low-skilled jobs like personal services, retail, and nursing are hard to offshore. They will still be needed even as the economy upgrades". Haiz.....i want to be MP in my next life footnote: My profession is in the healthcare related, and is together with the 'low-skilled' professions

As topic, as bro know? Like at kpe where the limit is 70km/hr?

to all bros, if any of u know him/her, please inform that the brake lights of the car is not working. not sure if I'm suppose to send feedback to LTA about this. just in case i post here first.

More pictures at the Link: http://www.worldcarfans.com/112120551379/o...d---46-high-res

Okay pls bear with me.. I changed my battery from a battery shop opposite the Quality hotel along Balestier Rd. The thing is I cannot remember the brand because its on the side of the battery which is blocked from view after installing. All I know is its a common brand they carry. I think its Indonesia made and come with 6mths warranty. So question is anyone know what brand or possible brands it is ? My apologies for the rather lame question...

Hi, I realise the version of vitz that I am getting is manual mirror adjustment. As the car is shared among the family member, I was thinking whether or not can add one of our own since vitz do have such option available. Any bro know where can get? Thanks!

Now then i see and i know after distributing this dg for so many years and i always wonder why my customers say how good it is..good as in? Easy to use or protect? Only until yesterday during a weekly routine wash..wax etc..i found out why..i always see something like gel on the bottle cap.. Abit elastic but not sticky like this once dry.. When i started applying dg271 on trims..i see the similar like rubber gel peeling off from the trim as i reapply it.. Looks like is forming a layer of gel on the trimmings against from cracking and drying

My sofa leather somehow got torn by some sharp object, something like in the photo below Anybody knows if this is repairable? I googled and found this leather renew I went to home-fix, wu jin tian and some furniture shop but they are not selling this. Anybody knows where to get this in sg? Many thanks

How sua ku of me and ignorant of the current diesel engine car prices until yesterday.... Was at Toa Payoh Hub doing some shopping and saw VW having a sale promotions. On display were several models and since I am driving a 7 seaters currently, thought of maybe having a change as it left 4 years. I went straight for their 7-seaters on display. Was looking at their VW Sharan, 2000cc TSI (Euro 5 Diesel engine) on offer with bucket seats all round. Size is slightly bigger than my Picnic, passengers space wise is almost the same but the price of that Sharan was shocking for a diesel engine. Inclusive of COE, the price of Sharan above the range of $225,000+. Didn't know that a diesel engine 7-seaters could cost that much nowadays. The cheapest on displayed was the Golf which above $100k. With my wife and me browsing almost half an hour and no sale engineers approach us. Maybe I was wearing a bermuda & 'T' shirt and to them, we are just another bus & MRT couple feeling shiok touching at their new vehicles on display... Well, will visit BM this weekend to view at the Toyota Previa Hybrid.

Hi all, As title said, if I want to buy a 2nd hand car, how do I know how many previous owners a car has had? Is there an official channel to get this information? or I can only take whatever the dealer says. thanks

Dear all, Anybody know of good caterer that deliver lunch and/or dinner on daily basis ... at a reasonable rates and ok food? Please share.