Car Parts Plus

3 Reasons To Change Your Spark Plugs

Your vehicle’s spark plugs play a key role in starting your car. They produce the spark necessary to crank the engine. The problem is that they wear down over time. After hundreds of thousands of sparks, the electrodes deteriorate, widening the chasm that the spark needs to jump. Eventually, you’ll begin to have problems starting your car. Oddly, millions of drivers never think to replace them until they start having problems. Today, you’ll learn 3 reasons why you should change them before they fail.

Reason #1: Better Performance

Every time your car misfires, it wastes fuel, releases more emissions, and suffers a mild reduction in power. Spark plugs in good working condition prevent misfires from happening. But, as I mentioned above, they deteriorate slowly over time, allowing more and more misfires. After awhile, the declining efficiency can have a significant impact on your car’s performance. When you replace the plugs, your vehicle stops misfiring and enjoys increased efficiency and improved performance.

Reason #2: Reduces Cold Start Problems

If you live in an area with cold weather, your car has to work harder to start. A lot of times, the problem with cold starting lies with the spark plugs. Cold weather can make it difficult for them to produce the necessary spark, especially if they’re dirty around the electrodes. You’ll find that replacing them with new ones will all but eliminate cold starting problems. Plus, the new plugs won’t need the ignition system to generate as much voltage for the spark.

Reason #3: Protects Catalytic Converter

If you remember, bad spark plugs lead to misfires. And when your car misfires, a small bit of fuel gets dumped into the exhaust. When that happens, it can cause the catalytic converter to overheat because the temperature at which it has to operate skyrockets. If the converter fails, a blockage can develop in the exhaust, choking off the engine. That will slash your engine’s power and significantly reduce the fuel economy of your car. If you just replace the converter, the same thing can happen. The problem is with the spark plugs, so resolving the issue means replacing them.

Replacing Them

Even if you’re using the type that last for 100,000 miles, get into the habit of changing them every 30,000. Remember, when they wear down, they can cause problems even if they don’t fail (bad fuel efficiency, low engine power, etc.). Changing them every 30,000 miles helps ensure those problems don’t happen. Besides, they’re inexpensive and simple to replace. If you don’t want to do the job yourself, most mechanics can do it cheaply and quickly.

Used Car Parts

Subscribe to this Car Parts Plus feed

Other Interesting Car Articles

• Simple Tips on How to Replace Spark Plugs (0)
• Overview Of Car Parts In An Emissions System (0)
• Are Used Honda Parts Ok or DOA? (0)
• Your Car’s Gas Tank Draining Removing And Installing (0)
• When your Car is Overheated (0)