What happens when spark plug gap is too small?

What happens when spark plug gap is too small?

If the gap is too small, the spark will likely be too weak and cause the engine to run poorly or with poor efficiency. … A spark-plug gap gauge both measures and adjusts the gap and is inexpensive and simple to use.

Is a wider spark plug gap better?

A wide gap creates a longer spark arc but without sufficient "juice" from your ignition system, (including amps), it can be weak and yellow in color. So a small intense spark is much better than a big, weak spark, especially when dealing with richer fuel mixtures and more volumes of fuel being burned.

How important is proper spark plug gap?

A gap that is too close will not deliver the proper amount of spark to satisfactorily cause the air fuel mixture to burn cleanly. While a gap that is too wide may not allow the ignition system to fire the plug at all. … Properly gapped spark plugs also remove heat from the cylinder ignition chamber.

What happens if your spark plug gap is too big?

One of the key factors that makes a spark plug work well, or not, is the size of the gap between the electrodes. … However, if the spark plug gap is too large, the spark is unlikely to consistently "jump" across the long distance between electrodes, thus leading to a rough-running engine or one that doesn't run at all.

Does spark plug gap affect timing?

Changing the spark plug gap won't affect the ignition timing, but it will have some affects on the ability of the spark plug to ignite the fuel. … Modern engines use a very lean fuel mixture and require a wide plug gap to ensure there are sufficient fuel molecules between the electrodes to start combustion.

Does spark plug gap affect gas mileage?

If you drive your car normally and tune the engine regularly, you can increase the spark plug gap by about 0.010" for better performance and better fuel economy. However, if you drive at full throttle most of the time, you should reduce the gap by about 0.010" for better performance.

Do NGK Iridium plugs need to be gapped?

In most cases your Iridium Power plugs do not need to be gapped. … Should you decide to re-gap your Iridium Power plug, use extreme caution as improper gapping may damage or destroy the Iridium center electrode or porcelain center.