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Your opinion on plugs

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710ltd2002

710ltd2002

Member
Location
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The Farmall A Im working on has Champion D15Y plugs now, and I want to replace them with brand new after the rebuild. I can get the Champions easily enough but it will take a day for them to be brought in. All the parts stores have Autolite and/or NGK equivalents on hand. Im inclined to stick with Champion, but I wonder what people think of the other brands? Also, would you use the D15Y in this engine or do you like something else? New pistons, sleeves, valves. Thanks for your ideas. Dave
 
I can only comment on Champions as that is all I have in my 12 tractors and don't have problems with them. Some people here hate them and claim they are junk but a lot of us has not seen that. I would recommend going up one heat range from the D15's you currently have. I think there is a D18 plug. D15's were the original recommendation back in the 1940's when gas was a lot different than it is today.
 
The last time I replaced electric consumables on a tractor I used Autolite plugs. I was not happy with the way the engine has started since that tune up. That has been several years ago and it is time for another now. Going back to Champions this time. I'm fully aware it might have been some other ignition component that made me unhappy.
 
I put Champions in my last rebuild,they lasted about two hours. The Autolights have been in it for ten years
 
NGK are fine plugs. Use the D15 or 16 if you intend heavy field use with the engine doing work. use a higher number equivalent in the D series for moderate real farm work that gets the tractor warmed up and operated for periods of an hour or more. D18. if puttzing around and short operation, D21 Equivalent is a good selection. Jim
 
I prefer anything but Champion. Autolites in my old tractors work good. My old dump trucks foul the hottest Champions I can get, NGK is the alternative the parts store had in stock, and that fixed it.
 
The debate over plug brands will never end or prove anything.

Plug life is more dependent on the engine condition, work load, and fuel mixture.

Always use the correct plug as far as the size, reach, and sealing surface (gasket or taper seat). But the heat range can be adjusted for the particular application. On a healthy engine that gets used as intended, the factory recommended plug is a good starting place and most likely will be the ones you stay with.

If the engine runs under a heavy load, possibly with less than desirable fuel (a problem from the past) then colder plugs will be a better choice.

An engine that gets little use, frequent starts, not run up to temperature, or as it ages begins to consume oil, then it needs hotter heat range plugs.
 
Probably doesn't matter in a low compression engine but I gave up on Champion because I had a couple blow the porcelain right out. One cost me a good bit because it happened in a dump truck on a highway right at the toll booths. Truck was making a lot of noise so LEO that was there pulled me over and I got a ticket(not for noise but that was why I was pulled over). Happened to have an old plug so could go on my way.
 
Well you asked for opinions,heres my story. At 17 years old I owned a 1971 Dodge Charger 400 cubic inch replacement for a worn out 383, points style ignition. It would chew through a set of champions in about a week and a half,which is odd since mopars came off the factory floor with champions at the time (1987) the only other plugs I could easily get my hands on were ac delco chevy plugs in a mopar lol. Now however in every thing I have gets ngk. Even our massey harris 333 gets ngk it doesnt like champions either. I think since allied signal or whoever owns champion now moved all production to the land of almost right!
 
I use what came in them. Ford car gets Motorcraft, GM AC Delco, Motorcycle and chainsaw NGK, Tractors get Champion Nevr a problem with any of them

BUT when I tried Autolite in my car, it fouled out. Champion in the motorcycle just up and died Shorted out maybe.
 
My opinion on plugs? They're ugly and their mommas dress them funny.

Aside from that I started using Autolite 3116's and 389's after several people who's judgement I trust, had outright failures of Champion plugs. Just stopped sparking for no apparent reason.
 
biggest thing I noticed is when both Champion, and now Autolite, moved there production out of the US their quality suffered severely NGK makes quality products never in 35 years of wrenching have I got a dud NGK producta Autolite, AC Delco, and if I absolutely cant find anything else Champions. But I buy 2 sets😳
 
I have screwed in a few plugs in my time. I have lost count many, many years ago when I finally stopped doing it.
Champions are a great plug when installed in the engines that ORIGINALLY ran them.
Autolites I used to screw in with no problems on most everything else.
NGK (No Good Kind - I joked the salesman) Went into all the Japanese foreign jobs
Bosch went into the German cars.
That finally put an end to vehicles coming back with oddball running problems.
At least that was the trick in the 90's.
Now Autolite has been sold off and the quality has gone south

Biggest thing is the heat range of the plug your screwing into what engine?

How about plugs that never wear out and never need gapping?
Yep. Those have been designed and built.
Then shelved.
Bosch made them.
No money selling lifetime plugs.
They even gave better mileage and more power.
Nope. Not gonna do that.

Nowadays? Roll the dice.
Just don't put platinum or other style plugs into a standard copper plug engine.
Those typically foul out in a month.
YMMV.
 
I am also a Ford fan but have NEVER had good service out of Autolite in my Moline tractors. Champions seem to last forever. Just my experience
 
Now to blow some misconcieved notions, NGK plugs and sensors have been made in Sissonville WV since 1995. Ford buys truck loads a week from them. I used to haul them to the ford mustang plant in Flatrock MI
 
Bruce, HOW do sparkplugs ''know'' that they've been installed in the ''wrong'' brand of engine? Or, is it the engine that is somehow programmed to ''reject'' the ''wrong'' brand of sparkplugs? HOW does it all work?
 
I guess you missed the part where I mentioned Heat range. Do a bit of research and you might find that the heat range from one plug catalog to another is a bit different on a given engine. I spent a few years, few being more than two and as many as eight according to Ripley's Believe it or Not, and found what it is that I wrote to be a true fact. I have dealt with enough comebacks due to bad plugs enough to know what went where, for the lowest return rate.
 
I have several of the old time plug testers and test and clean my plugs. I find that on a new set of champs or autolite, at least one out of 4 will not fire at 120 lbs of compression. All of the jap plugs pass if clean. After years of using the tester back in the 70's,,, the ac plugs, 8 out 8 passed champs, was mostly 7 out 8, the autolite as also more like 7 out of 8 on anything at 120 or higher. Total lucky to get 3 out of 4..
 
I had one champion blow the porcelain out a half hour after puting them in a ford Escort. My boy called me and said the car sounds funny. I thought it blew the threads out but it was just the porcelain.
 
Neither NGK nor ND have let me down. Can't say that about others. Started using NGK in the early 1972s, when the performance parts houses sold them under the Holly brand.
 
Just for information purpose's (I lost money on this 40 some years ago)Look it up for your self. A.C sparkplugs the A.C stands for Albert Champion that's right Albert Champion. So at one end of the factory they make Champion plugs at the other end who knows they might make A.C plugs My self I use Motorcraft or Autolite. Champion used to be a good plug I haven't had much luck recently with them. Back in the day I've used them in Harley-Davidson Triumph & BSA motorcycles and a Plymouth Duster & my farmalls they were good. Never had good luck with NGK (Yamaha motorcycle) Dave F.
 
With the quality of the products a few manufactures put out today I install OEM plugs. I have learned not to trust the aftermarket to farm their manufacturing out to china. Autolite did and it hurt them bad so bad they had to admit it they lost my TRUST. Trust is what you are buying and selling we all can understand a defect but not a long run of defects. If I worked on your car are whatever you trust me to deliver a quality repair and use a quality part I can not do that with some aftermarket parts. If you have to keep bringing it back because of a parts failure I lose your trust.

Y'all tell me I am wrong about that.


From the aftermarket
Bosch is a NO!
Autolite a NO!
Champs if they come from a Chrysler dealer and are original equipment.

Let say you con me into installing your own plugs I can tell ya I will say NO take them back and get a OEM plug : ) I will pull up the part number for ya. If my work is gonna be in question its not going to be because low bidder got the contract for the part.
 
I have ran all of them. In a variety of engines. Everything from e3s, to bosch, to ngk. In everything from motorcycles, to old pick ups, to garden equipment and yes my old tractor. I also worked in auto parts for a stint.

Starting with champion, absolute junk. I used to run them in my Harley because that was the factory plug, I'd get about a season out of them, sometimes less. Switched to NGK and haven't changed them since. Four or so years strong. I have a 72 plymouth that was long past due for a tune up when I got it. The car doesn't get driven much and I put in champion because thats what it came with. Less than a year, probably less than 5k miles. I put in NGK 3 years ago and haven't had to mess with it since. Threw a set of champions in my Dakota around the same time and they lasted two months. Now has a set of Autolites in it because who wouldn't want lifetime warrantied spark plugs? Have changed cap, rotor, and wires on that truck twice. Same plugs. Even had a set of champions start arking through the porcelain out of a garden tractor out of nowhere one day. I refuse to use them anymore and rip them out of anything I buy.

As for AC delco, I'm not sure who makes them. When I worked in autoparts we found out that several of their plugs were branded NGK coming out of the box. They were literally stamped on one side with a delco number then a ngk number on the other. That said, never been a gm guy but never had a problem in the few GMs I put them in over the years.

Autolites are good. Ive put them in alot of stuff before I switched to NGK. Still have a set in one of my pickups though. A buddy of mine pulled a set out of his old ford pickup ine day cause it was missing. Those plugs had no center electrode left. It was just a hole in the porcelain, on every plug. All but 1 still somehow firedLord knows how many miles were on them.

Bosch are good, just stay away from the gimmicky ones.

E3s belong at the bottom of the ocean next to the titanic, I'm not convinced they aren't champion made. Had a set in a Ford last 2 months, had a set in a Harley not last a season, and a buddy of mine put them in his 87 Ramcharger for whatever reason, two blocks.

Ngk I switched to because a larger variety are stocked locally. More availability on small engine plugs. I was also recommended them by a few friends into drag racing, and even the local harley dealer. I have never had one fail or foul. Infact I've only ever replaced on set on a 74 charger, but thats because we flouled the hell out of them trying to get it to start for the first time in 30 years.

Motorcraft is about the only brand I've never ran. Mostly because I don't own Fords anymore, but when I did they were never in stock and the local parts store when I needed them.
 
Sure, some plugs are made better than others, BUT, the main problem is using different types, not brands. You cannot compare a extended tip plug to a standard plug which I see a lot of people do by the numbers of the plugs they are talking about.

Kind of like comparing a Champion D 16 to a D 15Y. Totally different plugs, near same heat range though. By the way, all the new IH gasoline tractors we got in used 8 comm and not D16 like some say up until they went to the D 15Y. That would cover 450 to 806 and I took out a lot of 8 comm in older models that were , according to dealer the plug number when new.
 
yes, you are totally right! me trying to explain stuff they keep poofing it. 8 com is a really old plug. poof this now! i got over fifty years of plug experiences, just like you.
 
Back when we put hundreds of hard hours on these gas tractors I think one brand of plug might have lasted longer than another brand in a particular brand and model of tractor. Plugs and points were replaced every year. Today I don't think any brand is inferior in these same tractors because they aren't required to lean into the harness anymore. We do run hotter plugs today because the tractor isn't worked hard and our gas burns sooty compared to yesterday's gas. We seemed to get more trouble free hours on Autolites in our two bangers than we did Champions but other farmers claimed just the opposite. I haven't replaced plugs in any of my old gassers since I don't remember when because they just putz around for a few hours every year. Most of my old tractors have Champions because a boat load of Champions fell in my lap for free a few years ago.
 
There never was a good gas engine. I've never had one that didn't sputter around and puke as they ran. I'll take number 2 oil and injectors and be gone while you guys argue about spark plugs.
 
(quoted from post at 07:46:17 06/19/22) There never was a good gas engine.[b:1e8116e244] I've never had one that didn't sputter around and puke as they ran.[/b:1e8116e244] I'll take number 2 oil and injectors and be gone while you guys argue about spark plugs.
Click to expand...

That says a whole lot about your comprehension and abilities.
 
(quoted from post at 04:59:06 06/19/22)
(quoted from post at 07:46:17 06/19/22) There never was a good gas engine.[b:79663fe445] I've never had one that didn't sputter around and puke as they ran.[/b:79663fe445] I'll take number 2 oil and injectors and be gone while you guys argue about spark plugs.
Click to expand...

That says a whole lot about your comprehension and abilities.
Click to expand...


Carlmac, just making friends with everyone, huh?
 
(quoted from post at 19:28:16 06/30/22)
(quoted from post at 04:59:06 06/19/22)
(quoted from post at 07:46:17 06/19/22) There never was a good gas engine.[b:ae3dcea098] I've never had one that didn't sputter around and puke as they ran.[/b:ae3dcea098] I'll take number 2 oil and injectors and be gone while you guys argue about spark plugs.
Click to expand...

That says a whole lot about your comprehension and abilities.
Click to expand...


Hey man, I just call 'em like I see 'em. His statement is BS.



This post was edited by Carlmac 369 on 06/30/2022 at 06:03 pm.
Click to expand...
 
(reply to post at 10:19:44 0 6/17/22)
Click to expand...

In the past 20 years or so, Champion has been hit or miss for me, so has Autolite. NGK and Bosch seem to be good. Haven't seen an AC available locally ever that I can recall. Have had Champions with the center electrode loose, with incomplete porcelain too. OTOH, I have some that must be 50 years old still chugging along.

Nothing is made as well as it used to be, nothing!
 
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