camdavgar

After I did my headers and exhaust, I put new plugs in. Well I had a misfire. It started after a few weeks. I pulled the plugs and they had a green tint on them. I don't know what this means. Anyone???

jaberwaki

can you take some pics?

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

Your talking about the plug insulator tip is green right?
Usually used in carbed engines when they have excessive idling and sharp acceleration.

Is the timing set correctly on this car?

camdavgar

my friend's have my digital camera right now, but I will get some within the next few days. The little part that sticks the most into the combustion chamber is green tinted. The electrode?

I haven't checked the timing. I don't know if it will help, but my car doesn't feel like it pulls very good at all below 3500 RPMs. I know I need to get tuned but the closest dyno is about 2 hours away and I guess I would rather get a mail order tune for now. I just don't know what to do with it yet. When I sit at idle or rev it a little bit, I can't smell gas like I could before the exhaust install. Am I just running really lean?

HAMRHEAD

iTrader: (8)

Pics will definetly help

8-Pack

Normaly running lean causes white electrodes, due to the heat. Umm I would go ahead and change the plugs and worry about what the root of the problem is seprately.

Another_User

Copper turns green when it corrodes...not that I have ever seen a green sparkplug...

8-Pack

Thats what I was thinking,

WAHUSKER

iTrader: (4)

Are you running Racing Gas? Nitrous? Could be Antifreeze too?

camdavgar

No race gas, no nitrous. There isn't any antifreeze in the oil and no smoking so I don't think it's antifreeze. I will get pics soon.

nirvana91

iTrader: (1)

did you run any injector cleaner? ran some through mt g/f's honda and when i pulled the plugs they were green. i flipped out but was told that those cleaners do that sometimes and have changed plugs twice since and ran no cleaner and have never saw it again

Broken041

On regular antifreeze...the green kind....it will tint the plug. But I don't think it would do that with Dex Cool. At least not to a green tint.

technical

I have seen plugs that had an orange tint, but that was caused by the detergents in the gas. (Texaco)

If you run the glycol (green) antifreeze, or used some kinda of EFI cleaner or octane booster that was green I could see it tinting the plugs.

rmata

iTrader: (34)

okay, I've been having some missfires and I pulled my plugs and they had that same green tint. I only pulled the 4 drivers side and cleaned them up. should I reinstall them or just buy some new ones. anybody figure out what the problem was? after work I'll do the drivers side and take a picture if you guys want to see what I'm talking about?

jaberwaki

1st if you took the time to take them out, its worth the 2 bucks a plug to change them....
2nd, we are still waiting on pics..

rmata

iTrader: (34)

I'll get pics today if the other side is the same. The only reason I didn't replace them was because I took them out during my lunch break so I didn't have time to go to the parts store. Besides the're fairly new. It ran better on the drive home after work though just by cleaning the four drivers side plugs.

Mr Incredible

I recall something somewhere that 104+ Octane boost (too much) caused plug issues and turned them a funny color.

FatZ28

iTrader: (1)

A lean condition can also cause a green tint.

Mr Incredible

Found something...

Green Spark Plugs

"One sign of heat used by some professionals is electrode color. Many--but not all--spark-plug electrodes have an alloy composition that will oxidize green when subjected to high temperatures (see Photo 2, again). This nickel oxide on the center wire and sidewire would show up first at the tip of the electrode--the hottest part--and progress from there, depending on temperature. Excessive green oxide may signal it's time to change to a colder plug. Several causes of high spark-plug temperature are described in the boxed information at left. The main thing to keep in mind here is that not all electrodes oxidize (turn green) at the same rate, if at all. Therefore, your best bet is to turn to a technician with experience reading plugs."

There's also a lot more spark plug info on the page.

jaberwaki

GREAT find....
just a thought.. it mentions that it may be time for a colder plug...
well we all know that TR55's are the right heat range for N/A ls1's right?

so what are the 2 reasons you can think of that the plugs appear to be in the wronge heat range?

1. the car is either now, or used to have been (since the plugs were changed) been sprayed, N2O use requires the use of a colder plug(ie the tr-6 )

2. the gap on the plug is inccorect. changing the gap on the plug effectively changes the heat range of the plug..

if the first is true(or suspected) change plugs and be done with it
same for number 2 but insure you know and can check the propper gap on the plug...

(any other thoughts on this?)