Too much gas consumption? Too little engine power? One cause can be old spark plugs!
Fabian replaces the spark plugs on the Opel Corsa B himself.
In addition to fuel and air, the gasoline engine still needs a spark that ignites the mixture and initiates combustion. They are therefore indispensable for a good engine and you should pay attention to them.
In times of carburetor engines and the first injectors, they were even more important, because these not always perfectly functioning systems often posed problems for the candles. Too much fuel when starting and the engine did not even start, because the candles literally drowned and could not ignite. If the mixture was too rich, ie too much fuel in relation to the intake air, the candles would become sooty due to fuel deposits - again, no reasonable spark was possible. The same was true for a too lean mixture, here burned the candle due to the high combustion chamber temperatures exponentially faster than the correct engine setting. In times of modern, computer-aided injection systems, but also advanced materials of the spark plugs, these problems have largely solved and you have to worry about the ignition system usually no more thought. However, that does not mean that you should forget their importance. Therefore, it was clear that our Corsa got donated a set of new candles after the first few kilometers in the home. Finally, one can still draw conclusions from the candle image on the condition of the engine and its setting. Of course, an incorrectly adjusted mixture would be detected and corrected by the lambda sensor and engine control today, if necessary even giving an error message to the driver, before a significant problem occurs. But it does not hurt if you take your time and exchange the candles.
Note rule intervals?
As a rule, there are no fixed intervals for the life of a spark plug. Too much depends on the operating conditions of the engine. But you certainly go well with it, if you just in the context of an oil change with exchanges. For the Corsa we have four NGK BKR5EK There are, of course, many suitable alternatives with the correct calorific value and electrode spacing At that time, V-line candles were simply on offer and one set does not cost 20 Euro.
Candle wrench and Torx for the Corsa B
A small Torx bit set and, if possible, a 16 mm candle wrench are required for replacement. The ignition module is located on the cylinder head under the plastic cover with the Ecotec logo. You push this to the side and then remove it. Now you can see the two screws that fix the ignition module to the candles. After unscrewing it, you can unlock the plug of the module and carefully pull the unit upwards. Now the candles are exposed, but with them the dirt that has spread over time in the candle holes. If you have a compressor and a blow gun, you can now briefly blow out all four holes to avoid that dirt falls into the combustion chambers after you unscrew the candles. If you don't have a compressor at hand, you have to work carefully to avoid falling leaves and the like. With the candle wrench, the candles can be screwed out quickly. A check of the candle image can now provide information about the combustion. With our 1200 16V everything was fine. The candles were fawn, like in a textbook. In addition, no excessive wear could be determined, so they could easily have lasted a few thousand kilometers, maybe even a complete oil change cycle
Spark plug replacement does not cost the world
But as I said, buy 20 Euro for a new set of candles and immediately feel good that the engine is fine and he has enough for the next 15.000km enough spark. When inserting the candles, make sure that you do not tilt them, because the thread in the light metal cylinder head of the modern Corsa engine forgives only a few mistakes here. With a little feeling it is not a problem. The candles are dressed with 25Nm. Who does not have a torque wrench at hand, goes with the classic "hand-tight" also good. Now put the ignition module back on, screw it tight, connect it and mount the cover - done. A work that is made easy in a quarter of an hour, requires little tools and know-how and should therefore be made regularly, even if there is actually no rule for their change.
