A combustion engine requires three things: fuel, air, and heat. Heat can be generated by an ignition or preheating source. Spark and glow plugs accomplish this. How do they function? When and how should they be changed? Let's figure it out together using Coherent Market insights latest pro tip.
What is a spark plug?
In gasoline engines, spark plugs are found. Spark plugs cause combustion by producing a spark. Each cylinder in a gasoline engine has one spark plug. A spark plug is made up of numerous parts:
a connector to the ignition coil
ceramic insulation;
a base composed of a gasket and an electrode.
The ignition coil is directly responsible for the spark plug. The coil delivers a discharge to the spark plug via the connector, resulting in the spark.
The different types of spark plugs and ignition coils
There are various types of spark plugs available to best fit the gasoline engine. They can differ in the following ways:
Material (platinum, copper, or iridium);
nut or thread size;
joint style (compression or conical washers);
electrode spacing in the cap.
Similarly, there are various types of ignition coils:
The four spark plugs are powered solely by a standard coil.
A ramp coil powers two candles. It is mounted directly on the spark plugs' heads.
A wire system feeds two candles from a twin coil.
Each candle is fed separately by a pencil coil.
Two candles are fed at the same time by an independent double coil. Unlike other coil kinds, each coil is independent and can be changed on its own.
What is a glow plug?
Glow plugs are used in diesel engines that do not require a spark to start. The pressurization of the gasoline by heating permits the engine to start. Glow plugs function as electrical resistors that warm up the engine. The engine is ready to start once it has been warmed.
Whereas a gasoline-powered car requires spark plugs at all times to drive, a diesel engine does not require glow plugs on the road. Glow plugs play a crucial role, especially when the car has been parked for an extended period of time or in cold weather.
When and how to change a glow plug?
Glow plugs can show the following symptoms of wear:
Automobile blows
Starts hard or perhaps impossible
Abnormal smoke emission.
A glow plug's change interval is around 80,000 kilometers. We recommend that you replace all of your glow plugs at the same time. Otherwise, you risk creating an imbalance between the various cylinders. Use a torque wrench to replace the glow plugs. Remove the old candles and replace them.
