I agree with you about NOT using silicone grease (insulator, not a conductor) crammed into the coil socket, and NOT using oil on the plug threads. I disagree about not using a torque wrench. Why does Honda give plug torque specs. in the repair manuals if the wrench is not to be used?

"Dielectric" means non-conductive. Use "conductive grease" instead. It is black in color due to the carbon fibers in the light grease. The aim is to protect against corrosion while increasing conductivity.

 

The FAA and the Air Force REQUIRE anti-seize on ALL aircraft spark plug threads. They also require that they be torqued with a certified torque wrench. All A&Ps are taught to place a little anti-seize on the plug threads starting with the 2nd thread in. There are several different types of Anti-seize. Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Copper-aluminum and most usually contain graphite). They do not specify which type is to be used which is very unusual for them. All torque wrenches must have a certificate of calibration / inspection not more the 24 months old.

If you do get anti-seize on the electrodes they definitely will short out and cause a misfire.

Years ago VW had a problem with seizing plugs in the cylinders. Especially cylinder #3. VW released a service bulletin suggesting the use of anti-seize and periodic removal and inspection of the spark plugs.

I just replaced a water pump in a 100,000 mile aluminum block Colorado engine. I noticed that the bolts had been anti-seized from the factory. I cleaned up the threads and reused the old bolts with fresh anti-seize on them.

 

Thank you man , i used same spark plug E3.48 and is fine on my 2009 fit ,, just take one hour to change it !

 

What? Is that a sarcastic joke? Why do you post something when you have no idea what you're talking about? You never use conductive grease on a plug. The purpose of dialectric grease is to bleed off charge slowly so it doesn't build up and cause an arc. You put it on the insulated electrode portion and boot only.

 

No strange beliefs here. NGK agrees too: http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/tb-...1antisieze.pdf The issue with proper torque on spark plugs is that they are very sensitive to over-torquing. The steel wall of the plug threads is thin and you take a risk if you think dry torque and wet torque is within the bounds of torque gauge error.

Bottom line: Do what the instructions that came with the plug say to do.

 

Of course it's not a sarcastic joke, and I don't know why I waste any time with you at all. I agreed with your objection to the huge glob of silicone grease that Sid (Jason) showed in his DIY because that could only get forced down on top of the plug and coil interface and would definitely cause misfires. The proper way to use silicone grease to aid in getting the coil boot to slide over the plug porcelain is to apply a very small amount INSIDE the rim of the boot using a cotton swab. To insure the best conductivity and prevent corrosion of the coil/plug top interface, a dab of conductive grease carefully applied with a different cotton swab achieves long lasting positive effects.

I didn't come on the forums trying to tell you how to change plugs, and I sure don't need your obsessive advice copied from a magazine or the Internet. My methods work perfectly, and I have NEVER experienced ANY of the spark failures that you are screaming about.

Bottom line: no one needs your preaching.

From "The Born Again Guru of Spark Plugs": 'Verily, I say unto you, Anti-Seize and Torque Wrenches are the TOOLS of SATAN!!! Darken not my door with such instruments of EVIL!!!'.

Now take your meds and go drool all over someone else.

 

Triskelion, you wrote to put conductive, carbon filled grease, that is conductive on your spark plugs and I simply said that is wrong. I do not need to prove myself with my credentials to make that point. The facts speak for themselves. Please accept it and move on.

 

And I don't need to prove myself with my credentials either. I asked you several questions that you ignored. Now, another one. How can increasing conductivity where the plug wire clip attaches to the plug through the use of conductive grease, to promote conductivity and eliminate corrosion, cause harm? It has never done so for me.

I don't accept anything from "Monkeyville".

Your insistence that "My way is the ONLY waY" has no place on forums. Now you move on. Claim to be "The World's Expert" in some other bullshit thread.

 

Trislelion, I don't know where you got this thing about using conductive grease on a spark plug but all I can tell you is that it is wrong, makes no sense, and you should stop talking about it here because you're confusing readers.

All you should do is use a little bit of dielectric grease (or none at all) between the spark plug boot and the white ceramic portion of the plug. This aids in insulation and helps keep moisture out. Water is conductive and you don't want it there. The whole purpose of this grease is to STOP conductivity, and to lightly bleed off charge in case it does build up on the insulator and cause an arc gap that will cause a misfire because it didn't occur at the end of the plug.

If you put some sort of conductive grease, which I've never heard of, which no engine or plug manufacturer recommends, then you are simply risking getting that grease onto a rubber or insulator surface and defeating the insulating qualities of those surfaces. There is absolutely no need to help the electrical connection between the plug center electrode and the coil pack metal electrode because at 10-20 kilo-volts electrons will find their way to cross that interface even if there was a gap between them (hence the firing gap at the other end of the plug). Grease there will only foul the connection and create an opportunity for a misfire.

 

I typically use a dab of anti-seize on the threads, di-electric grease on the plug boot, and often no torque wrench. Though its not a bad idea.

We have to change plugs on my turbo cars and my buddies nitrous T/A often.. have yet to damage any heads.



When we're done bro-ing it out, go vote on my inconsequential poll where I fucked up the options lol

/attention whoring

 

Thanks, DSM, thought so. Come On---- anyone else???

 

Triskelion,

You take my comment on torque wrenching out of context. I never said anything about NOT using a torque wrench. I did say that some plug manufacturers instruct to turn a certain amount, like NGK. The manual says torque wrench. Do whatever.

You rebut my argument about not using conductive grease with an argument about anti sieze. Having problems sticking to the point? Have you decided you made a mistake there yet?

But about anti-seize: I lot of people like to use anti-seize, which I argued against, and that is fine. I presented no opinion, just the advice of NGK, the spark plug manufacturer. Take it or leave it.

It is also a fact that oiled/greased threads have a lower separate spec for torque than dry threads. You can take it or leave it. It may not be much, and maybe there's enough margin to not worry about it. It's still a fact though.

I'm a lot older than probably most people here with experience in designing, building, and running electron guns for electron microscopes, which is where my electrostatic experience came from. And I'm an A&P, a mechanical engineer, contract engineer for a German auto performance company, and a contract engineer for an aircraft and aerospace company. My writings are based on industry accepted textbook references like Shigley, Bruhn, Timoshenko, NASA tech briefs, and Machinery's. They are not just my opinion, but the opinion of most of the world.

Stop arguing with me and just do what you want. But don't tell people to put conductive grease on their plugs.

 

I have used anti-seize products on my spark plugs on various cars over the decades and also used a torque wrench and have had no problems whatsoever.

 

I used anti-seize on threads and a dab of dielectric grease; torqued everything down to Honda specs using a torque-wrench.

No problems after a year and a half.

...I was under the impression that dielectric grease (same I use when installing new bulbs) was a non-conductive insulator to keep moisture and as a result corrosion down to a minimun (or zero.)

But this is just my experience/opinion...

 

^^^
And you are absolutely right.

 

Quick question, does it matter what type of fuel you run when you upgrade the spark plugs. Just wanted to make sure its okay to keep putting in the "87". I was planning to replace mine soon as well.

Still learning the DIY stuff, slowly but surely..

 

No, it does not matter as long as you use the grade recommended by Honda, or better.

 

I dont use any of that. Its not recommended by dealer. I work for a dealer. Done a ton of them and haven't had any problems.

 

Is the use of anti-seize discouraged by Honda?

The problem we are referring to does not occur on installation. The problem occurs years later when you try to remove them and you, the original installation mechanic, are long gone from the picture. We are trying to prevent future removal problems, not fix an existing one.

I just this week fixed one of these Honda mechanic installed problems on a 1999 Accord owned by my mother. The cap was replaced by a Honda dealer in 2001. Why, I do not know. I do have the work order. The mechanic stripped one of the three hold down screws on the distributor cap. A second screw was rusted and seized in place. A 3rd one was seized and broken off. The stripped one and broken allowed moisture to enter the cap and the car would not start in wet weather. How do you go back to Honda on a sloppy installation done 12 years before? The Honda solution for this problem was to sell her a new distributor for hundreds of dollars.

I had her bring the car home un-repaired. I removed the distributor and repaired the Honda screw up myself in less than a hour. Had the Honda mechanic done the installation correctly and used a little anti-seize years ago this repair would have been unnecessary.

Most dealer invoices these days include an item labeled "shop supplies". Simply, in this case, consider a spot of anti-seize on the threads as a shop supply and install it. It will take less than 1 minute to put it on 4 plugs and prevent future problems.

As I stated in a previous posting. The FAA and US Air Force REQUIRES anti-seize on all steel plug threads installed in aluminum heads.

 

There are many things dealers and OEs screw up or just don't address at all. If the engineers were allowed unbridled input this would not be the case. Its the "quants" that are to blame.

Spark plugs, oxygen/turbine drive pressure/egt sensors, exhaust manifold, turbine housing and downpipe bolts all get regular or nickel anti-seize as needed on vehicles of mine or those who have me work on theirs.

I don't care for galling or breaking threads.