They also told us that their recommended torque setting can be misread by as much as 40 percent if the threads have been greased or lubed prior to installation. The danger is not so much that the plug will break, but rather that it will be very difficult to remove the next time around.
They pointed out another problem. Many anti-seize materials come in a jar with a brush built into the top. With such an applicator, it is very easy to put too much goop on the threads. When this happens, installing the plug will effectively pump the excess material either toward the spark gap end or the spark plug wire end of the spark plug. The likely story is that it will do some of both.
Anti-seize compound is basically a mixture of grease and metal particles. Aluminum, copper, and zinc powders are commonly used. The way this works is that whenever you have two different metals, in this case the aluminum of the head and the steel of the spark plug shell, you can set up a battery action if there is an electrolyte between them. This is called a galvanic cell. What happens is that you get a transfer of metal that could cause the plug to effectively weld itself to the cylinder head. Putting the metal particles between the threads of the plug and the threads of the head gives the galvanic cell something to work on rather than the materials of either the head or the plug shell.
Anti-seize works in the same way as putting zinc on a garbage can, which is called galvanizing. It prevents rusting. The zinc sacrifices itself to the rust reaction, leaving the steel protected. The downside to anti-seize is what happens when too much of it is used. The grease and the metal particles can wind up in places where it not only doesn’t help, but it can actually interfere with the operation of the plug and the engine.
Several things could result from such contamination. The central electrode of the spark plug has a ceramic base that insulates it from the steel shell of the spark plug. To the extent that this is covered in metal particles and grease, it gives an unintended path for the spark. Instead of the spark being in the right place across the electrodes, it could wander off down the side of the plug. This can result in a misfire or even a late firing event.
To the extent that it is the grease that covers the firing end of the plug, this can cause a no-fire condition. Excess fuel fouling of the plug can cause much the same situation. When we look at these plugs, what we see is that we have deposits on the ceramic insulator that do not belong there. We can also see anti-seize residue on the threads and at both ends of the threaded area.
"We found excessive amounts of anti-seize compound on the threads. This vehicle has a DIS ignition system, which uses the threads of the spark plugs as an electrical conductor."
Don't ALL spark plugs used in IC engines use the outer thread as the negative electrode? The high tension wire from the coil is one side of the circuit, the "load" is the gap between the electrodes, and the outer shell of the spark plug is the other side of the circuit.
Why is this "DIS" ignition system different?
Using NEVER-SEEZ or similar anti-sieze compound is not new. It was first employed decades ago when Chevrolet introduced the VEGA, which had an all aluminum engine, including the cylinder block. It was part of the procedure to apply a compound when changing spark plugs. Ask any "old-timer" who owned a VEGA, and serviced it himself. He'll tell you that IF you didn't apply the compound, after the recommended 10K or so miles, you COULD NOT remove the spark plugs. They became welded into the head.
And, there were kits available for those who stripped the threads. It consisted of a HELI-COIL insert, a special-sized drill bit, and the insertion tool. These kits were sold for more than just the VEGA. IF you went to an outboard motor shop, the mechanics there were very accustomed to performing that task also.
I was surprised to read that the use of anti-sieze on spark plug threads caused this type of issue. The installer must have used an excessive amount of anti-sieze on the plugs. It is common practice in the automobile repair business to place a little anti sieze on the spark plug threads to prevent galvanic corrosion of the steel spark plug threads and aluminum head joint, which are commonplace in todays engines. I have been doing this well over 25 years and never had an issue. I do however use a very light coat of anti-sieze as a little goes a long way.I am glad to see that spark plug manufacturers have finally addressed the issue, but I am not sure all have, especially with plugs that designed long ago for older non-aluminum head engines, but carried over after the switch to aluminum heads.
Carbon tracking down the side of a spark-plug is an indication that the plug itself was defective and had no center conductor or there was a conductive film on the outside of the plug (maybe Never Sieze??). There should be enough thread contact area that the 5-8KV firing voltage would break-down any minor contact resistance. Considering the number of spark plugs broken during removal, the use of an anti-sieze lubricant is the best insurance policy. Consider the number of copper and brass fittings applied using teflon tape, a much better insulator than metal filled paste such as Never Sieze, yet these applications exhibit excellent conductance.
The spark plug boot grease is more important than you would thing it would be. I understand the grease being a good way to not have the boot stick to the plug, but the containment of the 35000 volts seems like a much more important reason to use the grease
So.. the spark was interrupted with antiseize because it was not conductive and you just don't grease up spark plugs. After all... they make special sockets for spark plugs and always use a small wratchet so you don't apply too much torque. If you don't have a small torque wrench.
This is actually a fascinating diagnosis, in that it was the chemistry of the anti-seize compound which reacted and caused the backfire in the context of the aluminum engine block. I've personally encountered another issue which is the bane of alumnium blocks, and which is why the user in this case applied the anti-seize in the first place. Namely, it's very easy in aluminum blocks to cross-thread the spark-plug sockets, which will ultimately result in blowing out the cross-threaded plug (physically, as in shooting out of the engine block) because it's not being held in securely. Then you have to put a shield into the block to hold a new plug and it's a big mess.
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