When to change spark plugs in a Car? Here's the explanation

Spark plugs have a function to convert the electric voltage from the coil into sparks. These sparks are used to ignite the compressed air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. The engine can produce optimal power and engine performance with good spark plug performance.

Spark plugs also require periodic replacement. The goal is to keep the combustion in the car engine optimal so that the engine's performance is always ideal.

Yes, a faulty spark plug will affect the entire working of the engine and make the driving experience unpleasant. If the spark plug is damaged and cannot function normally, the car will be difficult to start. In addition, engine performance will also decrease, and the engine will become limp, making the car difficult to drive. Therefore, we need to replace the car spark plugs regularly.

I. When to change the spark plugs in a car?

It is important to know because every car engine with a different brand and type has a different spark plug type. These different types of spark plug greatly affect the price of the spark plug and the lifetime of the spark plug. To determine how many miles to replace the spark plug, we need to rely on the owner's manual for each car.

As is well known, spark plugs are generally divided into several types. Still, the most commonly used in today's cars are non-iridium spark plugs (regular spark plugs) and iridium spark plugs.

a. Non-iridium spark plug (regular spark plug)

Non-iridium spark plugs (regular spark plugs) are common in older models of low compression engines. The characteristics of these ordinary spark plugs are that they are relatively cheaper than iridium spark plugs.

Ordinary spark plugs are generally priced at $5 to $10 per piece. Typical spark plugs have a wider tip electrode than iridium spark plugs. Well, for non-iridium spark plugs, the time limit for replacing spark plugs is 10,000 miles to 15,000 miles, or at least once a year.

So, if your car engine uses ordinary spark plugs (non-iridium), replacing the car spark plugs should be done every 20,000 miles or once a year.

b. Iridium Spark Plug

Iridium spark plugs are specially designed for use in the latest generation engines with higher compression. The most easily recognizable feature of iridium spark plugs is the very small needle-like shape of the tip of the electrode.

In addition, the price of the OEM version of iridium spark plugs is fairly high. As an illustration, the price of an iridium spark plug ranges from $20 to $40. So, if you have to replace the four spark plugs, the cost to replace these iridium spark plugs is around $80 to $100.

Because the price is relatively high, this iridium spark plug has better quality and durability than ordinary spark plugs. So that the distance and time to replace this iridium-type car spark plug is also somewhat longer.

So, if your car is already using iridium spark plugs, replacing the car spark plugs can be done every 60,000 miles or after five years of use.

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II. REPLACE SPARK PLUGS DUE TO CERTAIN CONDITIONS

Although, on paper, each spark plug has a replacement schedule that the manufacturer has set, certain conditions can make the replacement of spark plugs faster than the existing schedule.

Generally, this occurs due to poor engine maintenance, so the car engine experiences various engine problems. Yes, a problematic car engine can cause the car's spark plugs to be quickly replaced. From what we know, there are at least five engine problems that often cause spark plugs to die quickly and need to be replaced, including:

The engine combustion chamber is always wet with oil
There is a short ignition path
Too much gasoline in the combustion chamber
Inappropriate use of fuel
Using the wrong type of spark plug

Well, engine problems like the one above often make car spark plugs quickly damaged due to spark plugs not working normally. If this condition applies, it is necessary to check the spark plug more carefully before replacing the spark plug.

In conclusion, in the article, when to change spark plugs in a car? We can see that changing car spark plugs can be done every 20,000 miles for ordinary spark plugs and 60,000 miles for iridium spark plugs; with additional conditions, we can replace spark plugs more quickly if some engine problems have already occurred.

That's the information on when to change spark plugs in a car that we can convey. Hopefully, this information can be useful for you.