Mercedes Benz Spark Plugs for Proper Engine Start-up

By: Dwyane Thomas

Mercedes Benz is one of the top-selling brands of cars in the whole world today. It is known for its innovations especially when it comes to the safety features of its vehicles. To be able to keep your Mercedes Benz always on its top shape, it must be properly maintained. Of course, we can start with the maintenance of its parts. Take for instance the Mercedes Benz spark plug.

A spark plug or if you're British, you may call it sparkling plug, is an electrical device located in the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine. By means of a spark, it ignites compressed aerosol gasoline.

The Mercedes Benz spark plug is supposed to provide three basic items for it to be capable to initiate the combustion process. First, it seals the combustion chamber. Second, it conducts a spark that is generated in the ignition coil into the combustion chamber and provides a gap for that spark to jump across. And third, it conducts the heat it picks up in the combustion process to the cylinder head and into the cooling system.

The Mercedes Benz park plug basically has eight parts. These are the terminal, ribs, insulator, metal case, side electrode or ground electrode, seals, insulator tip, and central electrode.

Electrical performance is the term used for the ability of the spark plug to carry electrical energy and turn fuel into working energy. Also, a sufficient amount of voltage must be supplied by the ignition system to spark across the spark plug's gap.

Thermal Performance, on the other hand is the term used for the temperature that the spark plug is firing. It must be must be kept low enough to prevent pre-ignition, but high enough to prevent fouling.

The spark plug's firing end can be affected by the internal environment of the combustion chamber. Proper operation of the combustion chamber can be indicated by a light brownish discoloration of the tip of the spark plug while a malfunction may be indicated by other conditions.

A Mercedes Benz spark plug can either be hot or cold. The hot type has a larger surface exposed to the combustion gasses. It dissipates heat quickly and its firing end heats up quickly. The cold type, on the other hand, has a smaller surface exposed to the combustion gasses, dissipates heat slowly and has a firing end that heats up slowly. Whether a spark plug is hot or cold is known as the heat range of the spark plug.

The spark plug's heat range has many factors that can affect it. Some of these are the types of materials used, the length of the insulator and the surface area of the plug that is exposed within the combustion chamber.

What are the most common problems when it comes to your Mercedes Benz spark plugs? First is detonation, which is practically the spark plug's worst enemy. A light detonation can be indicated by a small black or gray spots on the core nose of the spark plug while a severe detonation can be indicated by insulators that are cracked or chipped. The spark plug is damaged by both the elevated temperatures and the accompanying shock wave, or concussion. Second is pre-ignition which is defined as ignition of the air/fuel mixture before the pre-set ignition timing mark. Common indications are melted center, ground electrodes or a melted insulator. One of its causes can be a spark plug that's too hot. This can severely damage not only the spark plug itself but also intake valves and brake pistons. Pre-ignition also causes detonation. Third is fouling, which commonly occurs when the spark plug tip temperature is insufficient to burn off carbon, fuel, oil or other deposits. Fouling can either be wet or dry. Common indicators are soft, black, sooty, dry-looking deposits for dry fouling and black oily coating for wet fouling. Fourth is misfire. A spark plug is said to have misfired when enough voltage has not been delivered to light off all fuel present in the combustion chamber at the proper moment of the power stroke. A spark plug can deliver a weak spark for a variety of reasons namely defective coil, too much compression with incorrect plug gap, dry fouled or wet fouled spark plugs and insufficient ignition timing.

Your must be checked once in a while to prevent further damage. Once you discover that it's damaged, replacement should be your first and only option to maintain only the best and maximum performance.

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