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re: "... all this fiddling with the spark plug gap to account for the
engineâ??s particulars must be a foolâ??s errand, and cannot possibly work!! "
It works if your car runs smoothly. If you run a little toward the lean
side--which Healeys don't like--a performance coil and a little more gap
may help give a little smoother running engine. Running very rich, to
the point you get black soot out of the exhaust is not advisable for a
number of reasons. So, set your mixture as you like and set your gap at
book 'spec,' or a little larger if you like. A carburetted engine isn't
likely to run at stoichiometric, except possibly under specific
conditions and, probably, purely accidentally. Running very lean
increases NOx emissions--why some engines have EGR valves (boo
hiss)--and running rich will kill a catalytic converter before someone
even gets a chance to steal it.
Piston aircraft with well-designed fuel injection systems--typically
Continentals--tuned injectors and multi-cylinder CHT/EGT meters can run
'lean of peak' for economy/endurance. Running at peak, i.e.
stoichiometric, is inadvisable because it produces the hottest
combustion temperatures and will cook these glorified lawnmower engines.
Richard M. probably has dyno numbers that show the effect of mixture vs.
plug gap.
bs
On 5/5/2023 4:05 PM, alfuller194@gmail.com wrote:
>
> Bob â?? Iâ??m afraid you have me confusedâ?¦
>
> You indicated â??â?¦theoretically, as long as the spark is hot enough to
> jump the gap it will ignite a proper mixture. A very lean mixture is
> harder to ignite, and a very rich mixture could 'drown' the spark
> ('stratified charge' engines use a richer mixture to ignite a leaner
> mixture). A hotter spark may more reliably ignite a non-ideal mixture,
> and may help a bit to ignite a proper one (higher compression engines
> require a hotter spark)â?¦.â??
>
> BUT Josef tells us that â?? â?¦Some people try to adjust the fuel mixture
> with a CO-tester. You can do that, but it doesn´t give best results
> for road use, especially in hotter climates and high above sea level. â?¦â??
>
> SO â?? If one can use an instrument and get a perfectly stoichiometric
> air/fuel ratio and it doesnâ??t give best results [Worse at altitude or
> in the summer driving season!] â?? then surely all this fiddling with
> the spark plug gap to account for the engineâ??s particulars must be a
> foolâ??s errand, and cannot possibly work!!
>
> P.S.: And whatever you â?? do NOT adjust the timing to try to make the
> car run its best.
>
> ----------------
>
> All the best,
>
> Al Fuller
>
> *From:* Healeys <healeys-bounces@autox.team.net> *On Behalf Of *Bob
> Spidell
> *Sent:* Thursday, May 4, 2023 7:56 AM
> *To:* healeys@autox.team.net
> *Subject:* Re: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
>
> I'll chime in here (as is my wont). I'm not an EE--my electrical
> knowledge is self-taught--so if I'm incorrect feel free to correct.
>
> The theoretical output of a coil--which is essentially half of an AC
> transformer--is determined by the ratio of its secondary winding to
> its primary. For example, a coil with 10 primary windings and 20,000
> secondary windings will boost the primary 'signal' 2,000 times, so it
> would boost a primary signal of 12V to 24,000 volts. When the primary
> pulse to the coil is discontinued--e.g. points open--both the primary
> and secondary induced electrical fields collapse, and the secondary
> field is directed to the plugs*. The secondary field collapses until
> it produces sufficient voltage to overcome the resistance of the plug
> gap; hence the width of the gap determines the strength of the spark.
> For example--pulling numbers out of my exhaust pipe--if a 0.025" gap
> requires 10K volts to produce a spark, then a 0.030" gap might require
> 12K volts to produce a spark. So, a larger gap produces a 'hotter'
> spark, up to the theoretical limit of the coil, and a hotter spark is
> better, no? Well, yes and no; theoretically, as long as the spark is
> hot enough to jump the gap it will ignite a proper mixture. A very
> lean mixture is harder to ignite, and a very rich mixture could
> 'drown' the spark ('stratified charge' engines use a richer mixture to
> ignite a leaner mixture). A hotter spark may more reliably ignite a
> non-ideal mixture, and may help a bit to ignite a proper one (higher
> compression engines require a hotter spark). But, as Josef noted,
> since every spark transmits some of the non-ground electrode--probably
> billions of atoms--to the ground electrode a hotter spark will erode
> the electrode faster (since erosion starts with the first spark and
> with a wider gap you should re-gap more often). Note condensers
> (capacitors) are used in points systems and SU fuel pumps to suppress
> spark arcing and subsequent points erosion. Which is why ...
>
> Exotic metal--platinum or iridium--plugs are more resistant to
> erosion, which is why newer cars can go 80K miles or more without a
> 'tuneup,' which, for all intents-and-purposes just means swapping
> plugs (note they come in 'single' (default) or 'dual' types, meaning
> one or both electrodes are the exotic metal, respectively) . Old-style
> plugs with copper and steel electrodes can reliably go 15K miles or
> more, with one or two re-gaps, so exotic metal plugs aren't
> particularly useful for our cars which might do a couple thousand
> miles a year but, hey, knock yourself out. Note that platinum and
> iridium plugs come pre-gapped, and you'd best not mess with them. When
> I swapped plugs on my '08 Mustang I couldn't find a gap spec anywhere,
> but IIRC I futzed with them anyway (of course) and think they were all
> about 0.025". Fortunately, the car still ran well after my meddling
> and I traded it in in a few years anyway. Curiously, I watched a David
> Vizard video where he claimed he saw a /slight/ mileage increase using
> E3 'DiamondFire' plugs, so there may be something to the plug voodoo.
> Fun fact: All the iridium on planet Earth came from a single asteroid,
> and is found in a layer of said earth deposited around the same time
> the dinosaurs went kaput. Coincidence? I think not.
>
> Anybody who's worked on 'modern' cars, say, newer than 2000MY or so,
> has noted 'Coil On Plug' ('COP') technology, where each plug get its
> own coil. Now, the coils on these are small, about the size of an old
> 35mm film canister--remember those?--and you might say to yourself
> 'Self, how do they stuff all that wiring into that little film
> canister' and the answer is, the wires gotta be real tiny and, yep, as
> you might expect they are fragile compared to our Bud Light can-sized
> (sorry) old school Lucas coils. Early COP systems--looking at you,
> VW--were prone to gremlins and I still hear about COP failures on
> newer cars and other makes, esp. with DOHC engines which always,
> eventually, seem to get leaky valve cover gaskets which dump oil into
> the plug tubes (as opposed to leaky Healey valve cover gaskets which
> just dump oil, well, everywhere).
>
> OK, caffeine rush is fading. Ciao.
>
> Bob
>
> * Note coils for our Healeys come with either 'SW' ('switch;' i.e.
> ignition switch)Â and 'CB' ('contact breaker;' i.e.
> points/distributor)Â or '+' and '-' labels on the primary terminals.
> They'll work either way, but some voodoo is employed whereby, when
> properly connected the secondary field is routed in series with the
> primary circuit to give a slight boost to produced spark.
>
>
> On 5/4/2023 4:43 AM, josef-eckert--- via Healeys wrote:
>
> Sorry, I am out here. This guy wants to play till the engine is shot.
>
> -----Original-Nachricht-----
>
> Betreff: RE: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
>
> Datum: 2023-05-04T12:45:37+0200
>
> Von: "simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com"
> <simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com>
>
>
> Thanks for that. Iâ??ll certainly bear it in mind. Likewise, Iâ??ll
> keep a close eye on my engineâ??s temperature. The latter is quite
> well protected with a modern rad, all the correct baffles, 5 blade
> fan plus electronic fan. But, as I said, Iâ??ll keep an eye on it.
>
> Someone mentioned that he used â??Iridiumâ?? plugs from NGK. I googled
> themâ?¦.horribly expensive. Can they be worth it in our old cars?
>
> Simon
>
> *From:*josef-eckert@t-online.de <josef-eckert@t-online.de>
> *Sent:* 04 May 2023 07:06
> *To:* simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com; Healey, Forum
> *Subject:* AW: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
>
> For me, i prefer Champion plugs plugs to NGK, but that´s a matter
> of taste. I think both, Champion and NGK, are of similar quality.
> Matter of taste, as I wrote. But NOT the car manufacturer
> determines the plug gap, its the plug manufacturer. Definitely the
> car manufacturer takes this for his specs in the workshop manual.
>
> There is to much hype about plugs anyway. I am working as a
> professional, Elecrtonics and Elecrtrcian engineer, at a big
> classic car parts supplier here in Europe and I never go away from
> the given plug gap as set by the plug manufacturer. Austin-Healey
> engines are not high tech, they are tractor engines and can take
> a lot of misfit, but anyway BMC knew at the time what´s best to do
> with them, even its printed 60 or 70 years ago.
>
> Some people try to adjust the fuel mixture with a CO-tester. You
> can do that, but it doesn´t give best results for road use,
> especially in hotter climates and high above sea level.
>
> When you are very good in engine engineering and have all the
> tools you can try to find some more horsepower in your engine, but
> you always pay that with some more heat produced, which is not at
> all good for our old BMC engines.
>
> Josef
>
> -----Original-Nachricht-----
>
> Betreff: RE: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
>
> Datum: 2023-05-04T00:06:58+0200
>
> Von: "simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com"
> <simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com>
>
> An: "josef-eckert@t-online.de" <josef-eckert@t-online.de>
>
> You may be right. Not sure.
>
> Actually I thought that the gap was determined by the carâ??s
> manufacturer ie one could expect to find the same plug in two
> different cars and to find that the recommended gap was not the
> same for each car.
>
> Likewise, the BMC manual suggests Champion plugs at 0.024â?? to
> 0.026â?? and that was some 60+ years ago. Iâ??ve always been told that
> Champion plugs arenâ??t the best in the world and Iâ??m sure that a
> modern NGK can stand a little more heat than the Champions that
> were around 60 years ago.
>
> Anyhow, Iâ??ll keep an eye on them. Iâ??m a pretty tame driver so
> there wonâ??t be undue stress under the bonnet.
>
> Simon
>
> *From:*josef-eckert@t-online.de <josef-eckert@t-online.de>
> *Sent:* 03 May 2023 20:56
> *To:* simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com; healeys@autox.team.net
> *Subject:* AW: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
>
> Spark plugs are designed and tested to be used with the gap given
> by the producer of the spark plug.
>
> When you widen the gap the plug gets hotter as it is designed for
> and the electrode can melt or wear very fast.
>
> Its a very short win you gain modifying them.
>
> I never understand why people think they are better engineers and
> know better than the designers of the system they use.
>
> Josef
>
> -----Original-Nachricht-----
>
> Betreff: [Healeys] Spark plug gap
>
> Datum: 2023-05-03T21:39:57+0200
>
> Von: "Simon Lachlan via Healeys" <healeys@autox.team.net>
>
> An: "'Healeys'" <healeys@autox.team.net>
>
> I run my MkII BT7 on NGK BP6ES which were recommended by some of
> the wise ones on this list.
>
> The car has a â??Sportsâ?? coil and a 123Ignition distributor. DW fast
> road camâ?¦etc
>
> Now, talking of â??recommendedâ??, the rolling road guys told me to
> set the plugs at 0.028â?? and pooh-poohed anything bigger when I
> suggested that Iâ??d heard of much greater gaps with my approximate
> setup.
>
> So, I went with 0.028.
>
> The other day, I decided to experiment and set my spare set at
> 0.032â??. Same NGKs, no mileage on them..decent plugs. Anyhow, it
> made a very surprising difference. All round performance is much
> enhanced.
>
> Despite itâ??s 3:54 diff and 28% OD, it was never sluggish on our
> local hills. But now it fairly zooms up them.
>
> To be frank, all a bit of a surprise.
>
> Not boastingâ?¦just putting that out there in case anyone else is
> thinking of going up a few thouâ?¦..
>
> When I asked about gaps a few years back, some of the suggestions
> were near 0.040â??. Surely that a bit much?
>
> Simon
>
> 
>
> _______________________________________________
>
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>
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>
> Archive:http://www.team.net/pipermail/healeys
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>
>
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re: "... <span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">all
this fiddling with the spark plug gap to account for the engineâ??s
particulars must be a foolâ??s errand, and cannot possibly work!! "<br>
<br>
It works if your car runs smoothly. If you run a little toward the
lean side--which Healeys don't like--a performance coil and a
little more gap may help give a little smoother running engine.
Running very rich, to the point you get black soot out of the
exhaust is not advisable for a number of reasons. So, set your
mixture as you like and set your gap at book 'spec,' or a little
larger if you like. A carburetted engine isn't likely to run at
stoichiometric, except possibly under specific conditions and,
probably, purely accidentally. Running very lean increases NOx
emissions--why some engines have EGR valves (boo hiss)--and
running rich will kill a catalytic converter before someone even
gets a chance to steal it.<br>
<br>
Piston aircraft with well-designed fuel injection
systems--typically Continentals--tuned injectors and
multi-cylinder CHT/EGT meters can run 'lean of peak' for
economy/endurance. Running at peak, i.e. stoichiometric, is
inadvisable because it produces the hottest combustion
temperatures and will cook these glorified lawnmower engines.<br>
<br>
Richard M. probably has dyno numbers that show the effect of
mixture vs. plug gap.<br>
<br>
bs<br>
</span><br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 5/5/2023 4:05 PM,
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:alfuller194@gmail.com";>alfuller194@gmail.com</a> wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:013d01d97fa6$286f9400$794ebc00$@gmail.com">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
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<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal">Bob â?? Iâ??m afraid you have me
confusedâ?¦<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Â </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">You indicated â??â?¦theoretically, as long as
the spark is hot enough to jump the gap it will ignite a
proper mixture. A very lean mixture is harder to ignite, and a
very rich mixture could 'drown' the spark ('stratified charge'
engines use a richer mixture to ignite a leaner mixture). A
hotter spark may more reliably ignite a non-ideal mixture, and
may help a bit to ignite a proper one (higher compression
engines require a hotter spark)â?¦.â?? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p>Â </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">BUT Josef tells us that â?? â?¦<span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
Some people try to adjust the fuel mixture with a CO-tester.
You can do that, but it doesn´t give best results for road
use, especially in hotter climates and high above sea level.
â?¦â??<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p>Â </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">SO
â?? If one can use an instrument and get a perfectly
stoichiometric air/fuel ratio and it doesnâ??t give best
results [Worse at altitude or in the summer driving season!]
â?? then surely all this fiddling with the spark plug gap to
account for the engineâ??s particulars must be a foolâ??s
errand, and cannot possibly work!! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p>Â </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">P.S.:
And whatever you â?? do NOT adjust the timing to try to make
the car run its best.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Â </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">----------------<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All the best,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Â </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Al Fuller<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Â </o:p></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Healeys
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
href="mailto:healeys-bounces@autox.team.net";><healeys-bounces@autox.team.net></a>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Bob
Spidell<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, May 4, 2023 7:56 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:healeys@autox.team.net";>healeys@autox.team.net</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Healeys] Spark plug gap<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Â </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">I'll chime in
here (as is my wont). I'm not an EE--my electrical knowledge
is self-taught--so if I'm incorrect feel free to correct.<br>
<br>
The theoretical output of a coil--which is essentially half of
an AC transformer--is determined by the ratio of its secondary
winding to its primary. For example, a coil with 10 primary
windings and 20,000 secondary windings will boost the primary
'signal' 2,000 times, so it would boost a primary signal of
12V to 24,000 volts. When the primary pulse to the coil is
discontinued--e.g. points open--both the primary and secondary
induced electrical fields collapse, and the secondary field is
directed to the plugs*. The secondary field collapses until it
produces sufficient voltage to overcome the resistance of the
plug gap; hence the width of the gap determines the strength
of the spark. For example--pulling numbers out of my exhaust
pipe--if a 0.025" gap requires 10K volts to produce a spark,
then a 0.030" gap might require 12K volts to produce a spark.
So, a larger gap produces a 'hotter' spark, up to the
theoretical limit of the coil, and a hotter spark is better,
no? Well, yes and no; theoretically, as long as the spark is
hot enough to jump the gap it will ignite a proper mixture. A
very lean mixture is harder to ignite, and a very rich mixture
could 'drown' the spark ('stratified charge' engines use a
richer mixture to ignite a leaner mixture). A hotter spark may
more reliably ignite a non-ideal mixture, and may help a bit
to ignite a proper one (higher compression engines require a
hotter spark). But, as Josef noted, since every spark
transmits some of the non-ground electrode--probably billions
of atoms--to the ground electrode a hotter spark will erode
the electrode faster (since erosion starts with the first
spark and with a wider gap you should re-gap more often). Note
condensers (capacitors) are used in points systems and SU fuel
pumps to suppress spark arcing and subsequent points erosion.
Which is why ...<br>
<br>
Exotic metal--platinum or iridium--plugs are more resistant to
erosion, which is why newer cars can go 80K miles or more
without a 'tuneup,' which, for all intents-and-purposes just
means swapping plugs (note they come in 'single' (default) or
'dual' types, meaning one or both electrodes are the exotic
metal, respectively) . Old-style plugs with copper and steel
electrodes can reliably go 15K miles or more, with one or two
re-gaps, so exotic metal plugs aren't particularly useful for
our cars which might do a couple thousand miles a year but,
hey, knock yourself out. Note that platinum and iridium plugs
come pre-gapped, and you'd best not mess with them. When I
swapped plugs on my '08 Mustang I couldn't find a gap spec
anywhere, but IIRC I futzed with them anyway (of course) and
think they were all about 0.025". Fortunately, the car still
ran well after my meddling and I traded it in in a few years
anyway. Curiously, I watched a David Vizard video where he
claimed he saw a <i>slight</i> mileage increase using E3
'DiamondFire' plugs, so there may be something to the plug
voodoo. Fun fact: All the iridium on planet Earth came from a
single asteroid, and is found in a layer of said earth
deposited around the same time the dinosaurs went kaput.
Coincidence? I think not.<br>
<br>
Anybody who's worked on 'modern' cars, say, newer than 2000MY
or so, has noted 'Coil On Plug' ('COP') technology, where each
plug get its own coil. Now, the coils on these are small,
about the size of an old 35mm film canister--remember
those?--and you might say to yourself 'Self, how do they stuff
all that wiring into that little film canister' and the answer
is, the wires gotta be real tiny and, yep, as you might expect
they are fragile compared to our Bud Light can-sized (sorry)
old school Lucas coils. Early COP systems--looking at you,
VW--were prone to gremlins and I still hear about COP failures
on newer cars and other makes, esp. with DOHC engines which
always, eventually, seem to get leaky valve cover gaskets
which dump oil into the plug tubes (as opposed to leaky Healey
valve cover gaskets which just dump oil, well, everywhere).<br>
<br>
OK, caffeine rush is fading. Ciao.<br>
<br>
Bob<br>
<br>
* Note coils for our Healeys come with either 'SW' ('switch;'
i.e. ignition switch)Â and 'CB' ('contact breaker;' i.e.
points/distributor)Â or '+' and '-' labels on the primary
terminals. They'll work either way, but some voodoo is
employed whereby, when properly connected the secondary field
is routed in series with the primary circuit to give a slight
boost to produced spark.<br>
<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On 5/4/2023 4:43 AM, josef-eckert--- via
Healeys wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Sorry,
I am out here. This guy wants to play till the engine is
shot.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">Â <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">Â <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">-----Original-Nachricht-----<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">Betreff: RE: [Healeys] Spark plug
gap<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">Datum: 2023-05-04T12:45:37+0200<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">Von: <a
href="mailto:simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com";
moz-do-not-send="true">"simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com"</a>
<a href="mailto:simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com";
moz-do-not-send="true"><simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">An: <a
href="mailto:josef-eckert@t-online.de";
moz-do-not-send="true">"josef-eckert@t-online.de"</a> <a
href="mailto:josef-eckert@t-online.de";
moz-do-not-send="true"><josef-eckert@t-online.de></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">Â <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">Â <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">Â <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Thanks
for that. Iâ??ll certainly bear it in mind. Likewise,
Iâ??ll keep a close eye on my engineâ??s temperature. The
latter is quite well protected with a modern rad, all
the correct baffles, 5 blade fan plus electronic fan.
But, as I said, Iâ??ll keep an eye on
it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Someone
mentioned that he used â??Iridiumâ?? plugs from NGK. I
googled themâ?¦.horribly expensive. Can they be worth it
in our old cars?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Simon<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><strong><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">From:</span></strong><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
<a href="mailto:josef-eckert@t-online.de";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">josef-eckert@t-online.de</a>
<a href="mailto:josef-eckert@t-online.de";
moz-do-not-send="true"><josef-eckert@t-online.de></a>
<br>
<strong><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Sent:</span></strong>
04 May 2023 07:06<br>
<strong><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">To:</span></strong>
<a href="mailto:simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com</a>;
Healey, Forum <a
href="mailto:healeys@autox.team.net";
moz-do-not-send="true"><healeys@autox.team.net></a><br>
<strong><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Subject:</span></strong>
AW: [Healeys] Spark plug gap<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For
me, i prefer Champion plugs plugs to NGK, but that´s a
matter of taste. I think both, Champion and NGK, are
of similar quality. Matter of taste, as I wrote. But
NOT the car manufacturer determines the plug gap, its
the plug manufacturer. Definitely the car manufacturer
takes this for his specs in the workshop manual.</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">There
is to much hype about plugs anyway. I am working as a
professional, Elecrtonics and Elecrtrcian engineer, at
a big classic car parts supplier here in Europe and I
never go away from the given plug gap as set by the
plug manufacturer. Austin-Healey engines are not high
tech, they are tractor engines and can take a lot of
misfit, but anyway BMC knew at the time what´s best to
do with them, even its printed 60 or 70 years ago.</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Some
people try to adjust the fuel mixture with a
CO-tester. You can do that, but it doesn´t give best
results for road use, especially in hotter climates
and high above sea level. </span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">When
you are very good in engine engineering and have all
the tools you can try to find some more horsepower in
your engine, but you always pay that with some more
heat produced, which is not at all good for our old
BMC engines.</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Josef</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â </span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">-----Original-Nachricht-----<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Betreff:
RE: [Healeys] Spark plug gap<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Datum:
2023-05-04T00:06:58+0200<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Von:
"<a href="mailto:simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com</a>"
<<a href="mailto:simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com</a>><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">An:
"<a href="mailto:josef-eckert@t-online.de";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">josef-eckert@t-online.de</a>"
<<a href="mailto:josef-eckert@t-online.de";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">josef-eckert@t-online.de</a>><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">You
may be right. Not sure. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Actually
I thought that the gap was determined by the carâ??s
manufacturer ie one could expect to find the same
plug in two different cars and to find that the
recommended gap was not the same for each
car.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Likewise,
the BMC manual suggests Champion plugs at 0.024â??
to 0.026â?? and that was some 60+ years ago. Iâ??ve
always been told that Champion plugs arenâ??t the
best in the world and Iâ??m sure that a modern NGK
can stand a little more heat than the Champions
that were around 60 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Anyhow,
Iâ??ll keep an eye on them. Iâ??m a pretty tame driver
so there wonâ??t be undue stress under the
bonnet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Simon<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><strong><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">From:</span></strong><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
<a href="mailto:josef-eckert@t-online.de";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">josef-eckert@t-online.de</a>
<<a href="mailto:josef-eckert@t-online.de";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">josef-eckert@t-online.de</a>>
<br>
<strong><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Sent:</span></strong>
03 May 2023 20:56<br>
<strong><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">To:</span></strong>
<a
href="mailto:simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">simon.lachlan@alexarevel.plus.com</a>;
<a href="mailto:healeys@autox.team.net";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">healeys@autox.team.net</a><br>
<strong><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Subject:</span></strong>
AW: [Healeys] Spark plug gap<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Spark
plugs are designed and tested to be used with the
gap given by the producer of the spark plug.</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">When
you widen the gap the plug gets hotter as it is
designed for and the electrode can melt or wear
very fast.</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Its
a very short win you gain modifying them.</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">I
never understand why people think they are better
engineers and know better than the designers of
the system they use.</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Josef
</span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â </span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">-----Original-Nachricht-----<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Betreff:
[Healeys] Spark plug gap<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Datum:
2023-05-03T21:39:57+0200<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Von:
"Simon Lachlan via Healeys" <<a
href="mailto:healeys@autox.team.net";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">healeys@autox.team.net</a>><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">An:
"'Healeys'" <<a
href="mailto:healeys@autox.team.net";
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">healeys@autox.team.net</a>><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">I
run my MkII BT7 on NGK BP6ES which were
recommended by some of the wise ones on this
list.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The
car has a â??Sportsâ?? coil and a 123Ignition
distributor. DW fast road
camâ?¦etc<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Now,
talking of â??recommendedâ??, the rolling road
guys told me to set the plugs at 0.028â?? and
pooh-poohed anything bigger when I suggested
that Iâ??d heard of much greater gaps with my
approximate setup.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">So,
I went with 0.028.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The
other day, I decided to experiment and set my
spare set at 0.032â??. Same NGKs, no mileage on
them..decent plugs. Anyhow, it made a very
surprising difference. All round performance
is much enhanced.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Despite
itâ??s 3:54 diff and 28% OD, it was never
sluggish on our local hills. But now it fairly
zooms up them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">To
be frank, all a bit of a
surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Not
boastingâ?¦just putting that out there in case
anyone else is thinking of going up a few
thouâ?¦..<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">When
I asked about gaps a few years back, some of
the suggestions were near 0.040â??. Surely that
a bit much?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Simon<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Â <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<pre>_______________________________________________<o:p></o:p></pre>
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<pre>Suggested annual donation $12.75<o:p></o:p></pre>
<pre><o:p>Â </o:p></pre>
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<pre><a href="mailto:Healeys@autox.team.net"; moz-do-not-send="true"
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<pre><o:p>Â </o:p></pre>
</blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Â </o:p></p>
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