How to check the spark plugs yourself with a multimeter, a tester?

Spark plugs are designed to ignite the combustible mixture. Without them, normal engine operation is not possible. Before many motorists the question arises: "How can I check the spark plugs myself?" The first thing you need to do to identify the breakdown associated with the failure of the element - carefully monitor the behavior of the vehicle. The main signs of a candle failure are complicated start-up, instability in the engine operation. In addition to these signs, there are many other things that are of considerable importance.

The first signs of a malfunction of a candle

1. Failure to start the engine when the crankshaft rotates with a high frequency.

2. Presence of flashes of the combustible mixture in the cylinder, resulting in an inadequate operation of the power unit.

3. When the starter motor is switched on, the engine is shut down.

4. Increase in fuel consumption, resulting from the lack of ignition in the cylinder. As a result, the engine has to catch up with the power supply due to more energy consumption.

5. In the absence of ignition, unburned fuel enters the catalyst, resulting in its oxidation, which leads to a breakdown of the catalyst.

6. Presence of mechanical damages of any kind.

7. Unstable start of the cold engine.

8. Presence of black deposits on electrodes and insulator.

9. The presence of the smell of fuel in the car saloon speaks about problems with the spark plug.

10. Problems with wires.

What contributes to the failure and how to test the spark plugs? The reasons can be varied. The candles can be operated by:

• The quality of fuel. If it contains additives with a high iron content, used to increase the octane number, one should expect the appearance of deposits on the electrodes, which prevents sparking.
• Technical condition of the internal parts of the power unit. The slightest breakthrough of crankcase gases, problems with piston rings, leakage of oil into the cylinder favor the formation of carbon deposits and contribute to the rapid breakdown of candles.
• Technical condition of the fuel supply. Low-quality and unstable fuel supply leads to incomplete combustion of mixtures, which contributes to the formation of carbon deposits on candles and their breakage.
• Operation technique. Excessive vehicle loads in the form of power unit operation at low temperatures, frequent trips to short distances greatly reduce the life of a candle.

Diagnosis of spark plugs

When performing diagnostic work on the engine, close attention should be paid to these details. How do I test the spark plug? Since this part is available for the car enthusiast, it is better to take it off and check for any malfunctions.

To remove the spark plug, you must disconnect all the wires and take turns checking each. By the sound of the engine, you can judge the performance of a candle. If after the removal of any changes did not happen and the sound remains the same, the cause is found.

Let's consider all variants.

Checking

Before checking the efficiency of the spark plugs, it is necessary to free them from contamination and to adjust the distance between the electrodes using a feeler gauge. The next step is to put on the wire and connect to the metal surface of the engine, which is necessary to create an electrical contact. Next, turn on the starter and check for a spark from the candle. If the spark is missing or red, this indicates that the candle is in a faulty condition.

Method of cleaning the candle from contamination

To do this, you need any sharp device. But with a choice it is not necessary to go too far, since a scratched candle will lose its operational features and will start to overheat over time. Therefore, clean carefully after carefully wrapping the awl or some other device in a rag.

For especially lazy there is another way of cleaning the ignition element. First, you have to degrease the candles, and then you need to lower it into a solution of ammonium acetate. After this procedure, it is easily cleaned with a soft brush.

Actions to check items for wear

Deterioration contributes to a decrease in efficiency and loss of efficiency. How to test the spark plug itself for wear, we will consider further.

To determine the degree of wear, it is first of all necessary to pay attention to the state of the insulator and the electrodes. If the appearance and color remained unchanged, then the candle is in perfect condition. If you notice such a modification as the violation of the edges of the electrodes in the form of rounded edges on the central and lateral parts, this is the first sign of erosion wear. The result of this shortcoming is an increase in the spark plug gap between the electrodes, which is strictly prohibited.

This defect slows down the engine, start problems with its start. If the problem is found on the insulator, then you will notice excessive overheating of the candles.

How can I check the spark plugs? Glazing

The method involves changing the color of the upper part of the insulator to yellow with a glossy sheen. Outwardly, such candles resemble glass. This problem occurs as a result of careless driving on a vehicle. It can be peregazovka, frequent use of kikdaunov. This entails a violation of sparking at high speeds and the appearance of glass formations on the surface of the spark plugs. Such failure is not subject to recovery, and the elements require replacement.

Before you check the spark plug yourself, you need to get the appropriate tools. For quick and effective testing of the ignition system, a tester or multimeter is used. This device can be purchased at any car dealer or try to do it yourself. One of the variants of a homemade tester can be a piezoelectric lighter.

How can I check the spark plugs? Tester with own hands

1. It is necessary to disassemble the lighter by pulling the piezoelectric unit with two wires.

2. The wire ends should be slightly extended and insulated.

3. Next, connect the wire to the upper contact, and the base of the unit to the housing.

It remains only to understand how to test the spark plug with a tester. If the spark starts to flash between the electrodes while pressing the lighters button, then the candle is functional and ready to work, in case of a negative result it is punched.

Multimeter operation test

Most motorists believe that the multimeter is designed to check the ignition elements and to find out if there is a cliff inside it. How can this be done and how to check the spark plug with a multimeter? No, since this device can detect the presence of a short circuit inside the part.

How to check the serviceability of the spark plug? The device is fairly simple to use. To test the efficiency of the candle, it is necessary to throw the wires from the multimeter to the spark plug. The result of these actions should be the appearance of a spark.

The device helps to quickly find the problem, because it measures the resistance and compares it with the permissible. If the resistance does not match the required, then the wires need to be replaced.

Actions to extend the life of candles

Like all auto parts, they also need periodic maintenance. Careful attitude contributes to the extension of their service life and the improvement of their efficiency.

Candle service implies:

• Periodic inspection for the degree of contamination;
• Constant cleaning of elements;
• Control over the degree of clearance between the electrodes.

What should be the size of the candles?

• It must be indicated on the product label.
• The correctness of the gap between the electrodes is determined by the feeler gauge.
• In the case of a gap in the size of the gap, it is necessary to adjust them, which implies the bending of the side electrode.

Maintenance of ignition elements of diesel engines

Practice shows that these parts do not require maintenance, since the diagnostics of the system itself will show information about the cause of the malfunction. In addition, this design has certain features, which can lead to damage to the candle, and its further operation will be impossible.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that when buying spark plugs it is desirable to check the goods in the shop or in the multimeter directly in the store and visual inspection for deformations, cracks and other shortcomings.

Remember that they are recommended to change every 30 thousand kilometers.

So, we figured out how to test the spark plugs yourself.