Don't overlook the basic things


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By 56_Fairlane - 10 Years Ago
For the last several months during what little free time I've had on Saturdays, I've been trying to sort things out on the 57 carb and manifold swap on my 56 Fairlane.
It wasn't running quite right despite countless adjustments on the ignition and carb. When I finally started pulling the plugs to check them, I found that #4 plug ceramic was busted off. The wire with busted of top wasn't hanging so it never was obvious.
It was only running on 7 cylinders and trying to get it to run good wasn't going happen. It was that it didn't seem that bad.
Now with all 8 cylinders firing it runs great!
By lowrider - 10 Years Ago
Follow the KISS principal. Keep It Simple Stupid. I've done things like that before.
By 56_Fairlane - 10 Years Ago
KISS is a good principal but you don't expect a spark plug top breaking off all by itself. I've never wrenched in that area of the engine bay. It's hard to imagine the plug being like that since buying the car three years ago unless 292's run good enough on 7 cylinders.
By Riz - 10 Years Ago
Been there done that

I always gotta remind myself Fuel--air--spark and just rule them out one at a time. Too easy to jump to the hard stuff-
I once tore my entire top end apart just to find a cracked hard PCV line.
By 56_Fairlane - 10 Years Ago
In all my years of wrenching, nearly 40 of them now, I have never once had a busted spark plug. I've had a few that stripped the threads but never one busted.
By Dobie - 10 Years Ago
56_Fairlane (3/12/2015)
In all my years of wrenching, nearly 40 of them now, I have never once had a busted spark plug. I've had a few that stripped the threads but never one busted.


Me neither, but nothing's impossible I guess. I had a plug lose it's center electrode in my flathead once. Luckily it most have spit it out the exhaust somehow; I couldn't find it in the cylinder when I pulled the head and there was no damage. It was a Champion plug. I have never bought Champion since, not even for a lawn mower.
By MoonShadow - 10 Years Ago
A couple of years ago I had one that the porcelain had let go. Left the metal behind. It wasn't hard to get out though but just like the  bond between the porcelain and the metal had failed. 
By Vic Correnti - 10 Years Ago
Last year I had a plug that the wire had broke off. This was in an aluminum head. It was not burnt off but broken and missing.
By pegleg - 10 Years Ago
Vic, what make plug?
By 56_Fairlane - 10 Years Ago
I'm curious too. Mine was an Autolite 46 and I  bought another one for $2.
The old one's ceramic top was cleanly sheared off right at the metal base.
By Vic Correnti - 10 Years Ago
It was an Autolite 3924.