Never judge a book by its cover

[desert_max]

I have two reasons for this title.

First, was the previous owner. Acquired the bike in March and up until now, everything he had told me about the bike has been accurate - even the "deficiencies". I felt pretty good about it. So, when he told me the bike had new plugs, I believed him and didn't even take a peek. The bike was running pretty well, so it seemed reasonable to look (and spend) elsewhere. So, I did. But, when I finally did peek, I was shocked at their outward appearance (see attached photo). While the electrodes were consistent and mostly gray/tan with little wear, the outsides looked like they'd been soaking under the ocean. I can only conjecture that he washed the bike with water a lot.

Anyway, as nasty as they looked, I felt little (if any) improvement after installing new replacements.

So, never trust anyone's word on what has been done to a machine, and just because a plug looks like hell doesn't mean it's not projecting a decent spark.

Not sure why I post such drivel, but I was surprised on both counts.

Oh, and the oil on the threads was my doing. After getting shocked and until I got the new ones, I re-installed the ugly ones and used a bit of oil on the threads of a couple of rough twisters.

 

[kevman]

I change my spark plugs fairly regularly and my plugs always look like they have rusted in place.The first time I changed them I thought I would spray them with CRC to make it easier to get them out.But it wasn't needed and I do put a little bit of anti-seize on the threads just toCheers Kevman. make sure they will come out again.

 

[steelfish]

Man, do they look like crap. On my Vmax, previous owner told me oil was changed recently. Well it was the blackest black I've ever seen. Don't believe anyone.:confused2:

 

[COP RUNNER]

in my professional opinion , it is burning great , they are just a old , but thats a great sign of how well its running , the outer metal on spark plugs are shit , mine does the same thing , i have changed mine 5 times in 3 years / 6,000 miles , and it is garage kept & the only water it sees is when i wash it ! ... They just get oxidized from the humidity & the air !

 

[spursmech]

unk: Hey, the only plugs I've seen that look like that were in Lincoln Welders during the Alaska Pipeline Project, and they were changed at the end of the project. My lawn mower plug looks better than those and it gets real abuse. I think your seller was full of something. Did you buy it local in Az, hard to believe if it's from here. Later, Spur

 

[RaWarrior]

IMO people worry way too much about spark plugs. Plugs virtually never wear out. In cars they are usually only recommended to be replaced every 100k miles(which translates to ~2000 hours). However, my friend has an '80's Camry with almost 300k miles and original plugs(motors never been touched).

I really don't get why people replace plugs in recreational vehicles constantly. The plug either fires or it doesn't, and other than fouling from another problem, there is absolutely nothing to break in them and cause them not to spark. Even in 2 stroke motors plugs last virtually forever. A lot of snowmobilers go through plugs like tic-tacs, changing them every few hours. If they're fouling, changing them constantly is just covering up another problem in the motor. Fix your fuel issue and leave the plugs alone. I realize they're cheap, but they're also not free so I see no need to senselessly throw perfectly good plugs away. I guess if it helps you sleep better at night.

If you think those plugs look nasty, you must never have owned a boat. Seeing plugs like that would be on the "fantastic" end of the scale. Saw a jetski once and the nut part was so rusty, it was practically rounded off and the socket wouldn't fit over it anymore. I was going to replace them, but I couldn't get them out, and the motor ran great so they stayed. External appearance has absolutely zero effect on the plug's performance.

 

[naughtyG]

Actually, I think the PO told you the truth. I had brand new plugs that looked like that after less than a year. I think the electrodes tell a better story than the outside, and for two reasons:

1 - old plugs will have worn (burnt out) electrodes. Yours are in a very good condition, so they really cannot be that old.

2 - there is a little drain hole on the side of each cylinder. On my bike all 4 of those holes were completely plugged by dirt, and as a result every time the bike saw rain or was washed, the plugs' base would be drenched in dirty water that would stay there until engine heat evaporated it.

I've since cleaned those drain holes, and now blow them with compressed air every time the bike gets washed. The outside of my plugs stays better-looking a lot longer now..

 

[desert_max]

Actually, I think the PO told you the truth. I had brand new plugs that looked like that after less than a year. I think the electrodes tell a better story than the outside, and for two reasons:

Yeah, he was a pretty upright guy. It could very well be that he was just obsessive about washing it. It was pretty clean, but luckily the only corrosion ANYWHERE on the bike was the plugs. It has been in Arizona since new as I bought it from the 1st owner who lives in Cave Creek. A chiropractor, no less.

Thanks for all the comments - and I truly believe we are too anal about replacing plugs. I've always been totally underwhelmed after changing them. Rarely does it make a difference - unless one was fouled.