Cleaning oiled up spark plugs

[Maurice]

I am having problems with oiling up the spark plugs. This is down to incompetence with the Pilgrim pump adjustment and belt and braces oil in the petrol. Until I learn the correct adjustment I need to clean the plugs. In the absence of garages with the traditional plug cleaner does anyone have a tip on how to clean them?

[chris wastell]

A brass wire brush is the best thing and finish the the faces off with wet and dry.

[efr215]

If it really is just a matter of over-oiling and the plugs are in fairly good nick then to get sparking again the plug(s) just neads degreasing.

Make a visit to Maplins, Radio Spares or simular and buy an aerosol can of electronics degreaser. The cans are small enough to go in a pocket or toolbag, it should come with a length of thin plastic tube to fit the nozzle that will go right into the plug. The solvent leaves no residue, is pretty well inert to plastics & insulation and evaporates quickly.

A quick squirt, a quick shake, screw the plug back in and you should be on your way. A proper plug clean when you get home might be in order but please avoid abrasives, you never know. Use a magneto file on the electrodes or if unavailable a ground down flat swiss file.

Also excellent for de-gunging points, cleaning bearings and all sorts of little jobs, bike and domestic.

[Roger Moss]

I tend to give plenty of good oil to my engines. The only disadvantage is that when they are left standing for a period, which for me is more than one day, I always drain down the wells before trying to start the engine.
When they are left standing, much of the oil that is left on the internal faces, drains down to the wells. When you try and start the engine, this heavy oil residue is lashed up into the combustion chamber and can easily oil up the plug. Most oiled up plugs are caused by not draining the wells before trying to start the engine. You have to have a considerable excess of oil delivery during running to stop the engine through over oiling. As for cleaning, I just spray the plug with ether (Easy Start) as this not only clears away the oil, but if you replace the plug while it is still wet, the ether fumes help start the engine.
So my advice is,– drain wells before you try starting if you want to save much kicking or pushing.
Kind Regards
Roger

[Jeff Reed]

I occasionally pop my plugs in the dishwasher, especially if there is some stuff in there that needs the 65 degree C boost, that seems to do the trick, but you have to get them out before the wife unloads the rest of the stuff.

[Richard Moss]

or

Your plug isnt hot enough..

According to NGK:

Fouling Range

Lower than the self-cleaning temperature of 400°c-450°c (750°f-850°f). Air-fuel mixture richer than 8:1 to 10:1.

A Simple but interesting read is this NGK site..

https://www.ngk.de/Heat_rating_and_heat_rating_nu.657.0.html

If you are running 18mm plugs you can always get 14mm conversion inserts and have access to a wider range of modern replacements.

good luck!

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