Misfiring like mad - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

519 · 05-31-2006, 04:11 PM

Today I had my brother's friend who is familiar with the internals of cars check out the corolla. He showed me a trick where he pulls out the little spark plug tube and brings it to the side of the rim. He said that if the sparks i heard/saw were in a constant firing, then they're good. Mine were firing in a very messy pattern. So he's recommending changing the plugs and the wires.

I'm not trying to doubt the guy but is just wondering, is this right? Are the spark plugs really in that black little tube lol, because they look a hell of a lot different in stores.

***REN69*** · 05-31-2006, 04:32 PM

I don't even know what you're talking about dude.. never heard of this before.

Best way to tell, take the plugs out and look at them up close.

Pineapple · 05-31-2006, 05:09 PM

With a plug out, the engine will run like crap no matter how new the plugs are. Only 3 cyl is working. One keep pumping fuel and air into exhaust and mess up O2 reading.
Try cut off one of your leg and see how smooth you can walk.

Flashmn · 05-31-2006, 05:11 PM

WTF?!

519 · 05-31-2006, 11:05 PM

lol sorry if i was unclear before. What I meant was, by bringing the tip that sparks close to a metal contact and observing the firing pattern, you could tell if the plugs are ok or not. Does that actually work? That was my question.

Pineapple · 06-01-2006, 12:32 AM

You can only tell if they works, not how well they works. Basically it just a simple test to see if ignition is working or not. The car will be hard to start or won't start way before the plugs totally fail.
If you can't tell if the plugs need to be change by looking at them, stick to maintance schedule.

519 · 06-01-2006, 12:45 PM

^^alright, guess its time for a change then. thanks

Guido · 06-01-2006, 05:03 PM

DON'T change the plugs because of that "test". Like mentioned above, that will only tell you if the ignition is working, not how accurate. At 1000 RPM you will have almost 10 sparks per second - can your brother's friend count that fast to make sure each spark is happening at the exact time? I doubt it.

If the engine runs fine you probably don't need plugs. Follow the maintenance schedule and let that guy play around with his own engine - not yours.