A fouled spark plug is always a significant issue that every vehicle owner needs to address as soon as possible. However, you may want to take that carefulness up a notch if your spark plug got fouled by carbon. In general, a carbon-fouled spark plug means it needs an immediate solution. So, you may wonder:
If you have a carbon-fouled spark plug, is it bad? And what should you do with it? A carbon-fouled spark plug indicates a potent mixture of air and fuel inside the engine. Unfortunately, it also means a weak ignition and failing heat range. In short, it’s a bad thing, and it needs immediate repairs. Thus, you need to take it to the shop or fix it yourself.
Carbon fouling indicates a potent air-fuel combination, poor ignition, or a low heat range (too cold). In addition, carbon deposits are conductive, which can allow spark plugs to misfire. With such a risk with this issue, you need to fix it as soon as possible.
In this article, you’ll read through our in-depth take on the carbon fouling of spark plugs. This way, you can understand how it can happen and how you can repair yours if it ever happens to you. It can also help you maintain your engine so you can prevent carbon fouling from occuring in your spark plugs.
Without any further ado, let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
Is Carbon on Spark Plugs Bad?
Yes, carbon on spark plugs is bad. Carbon on a spark plug causes many problems in that particular part and in the performance of your vehicle.
Carbon fouling indicates a firm air-fuel mixture, poor ignition, or a thermal range that is inadequate (too cold).
Carbon deposits can conduct electricity. Thus, having it around means it can cause spark plugs to misfire. With such a high danger associated with this problem, you must address it as soon as possible.
In general, carbon comes from the emissions of the combustion chambers. Such a product can cause damage to the engine while affecting the performance overall due to a fouled spark plug.
Will a Carbon Fouled Spark Plug Still Spark?
Yes, a carbon-fouled spark plug will still spark. However, it’s more likely to misfire most of the time. One thing to note is that carbon deposits and build-ups stuck in the spark plug can still conduct electricity.
For this reason, it can cause the plugs to misfire. In worse cases, it can even cause a fire. Always remember that one of the potential fouling concerns with spark plugs is carbon fouling. Carbon fouling may pose a lot of difficulties.
However, it may only occur if you fail to maintain its cleanliness and avoid getting fouled by carbon and other dirt and particles in the engine.
Carbon Fouled Spark Plugs Symptoms
If you want to know if your spark plugs got carbon-fouled, you can check it by looking for signs or symptoms the carbon brings to this particular part.
In general, taking your spark plugs out and inspecting them with your eyes is the most efficient approach to diagnose them. It is because carbon fouling appears as a gray or matte black finish on the conductor and ceramic of the spark plug, as previously stated.
However, there are several additional tell-tale performance signs to look out for before making that decision. They are as follows:
- A rough or rugged engine start
- Engine misfires
- Accelerating issues
While such symptoms might indicate a slew of potential issues behind the hood, it can also mean that you need to check your spark plugs first to rule out carbon fouling.
What Causes Black Carbon on Spark Plugs?
The most common cause of black carbon in your spark plug comes from your choice of fuel. Experts often refer to it as a “too rich” fuel mixture, which indicates the fuel-to-air ratio is far too high.
This issue can lead to combustion issues, resulting in an overabundance of carbon that clings to the hot portions of the spark plugs exceptionally rapidly.
As a general rule of thumb, note that carbon fouling (or any other form of fouling, for that matter) is only a symptom, not the source of the problem.
Once you understand that you’re having carbon fouling problems, you need to figure out what’s causing it and fix it.
If you do otherwise, any new spark plugs you install in your engine will become fouled all over again.
The first response you’ll receive if you learn or speak about the reasons for carbon fouling is that the fuel mixture is too rich. That remains true. However, there are a few other potential causes of carbon fouling:
Frequent short-distance driving
When you drive short distances too frequently, your engine never has enough time to warm up, causing it to perform poorly throughout the combustion process.
An issue with fuel injectors
It’s possible that the injectors are clogged, jammed open, or that the injection time is off. Such factors can also cause carbon-fouling in the spark plugs.
Wrong choice of spark plugs
Plugs might potentially cause this issue with a thermal range that is too high for your vehicle. Also, if you have put an incompatible spark plug, it can cause poor performance and carbon fouling.
How Do You Stop Carbon Fouling Spark Plugs?
One thing you may do to prevent carbon fouling is to avoid idling or short rides. However, if you can’t prevent many idling or short trips, look for a spark plug that is one heat level warmer than the typical spark plugs.
By allowing the plugs to run warmer, increasing the heat level somewhat improves fouling tolerance.
You can also give some time to warm your engine up. Allow your vehicle to heat up before going on the road if you only travel short trips.
It helps to reduce carbon accumulation at your spark plugs while the engine runs at ideal temperatures.
Can Carbon Fouled Spark Plugs Be Cleaned?
Yes, you can clean carbon-fouling spark plugs. In the past, every gas station featured a “spark plug cleaning machine,” which was essentially a miniature sandblaster.
Carbon may be removed in the field with a blade or something tiny and pointed like a paper clip and emery boards or a tiny bit of sandpaper for space.
You can get a wire brush or spray-on plug cleaner mainly intended for this ignition component to clean a spark plug safely.
Now, since you can clean your spark plugs, you may wonder how you can do it yourself.
How Do You Clean Carbon off a Spark Plug?
If you plan on cleaning the carbon off of your spark plug, you can do it in several ways. However, if you’re not sure what’s best, you can consider these four simple methods to do so:
Applying spark plug cleaner
Some items might assist you in keeping your spark plugs clean. These are typically inexpensive and may be found at your local car parts store. You can also get them in online shops such as amazon.
Using wire brush or sandpaper
Using a wire brush or sandpaper helps remove the carbon from a spark plug. You can take these emissions off and clean your plug without difficulties.
Burning with a butane torch
Some Do-It-Yourself repairers have also mentioned that the extra carbon may be burned off using a butane torch. You can find them on Youtube or random posts on Facebook.
Sandblasting
A sandblaster is a machine that releases sand out with a block of air. It allows some pressure to scrape the carbon off of your spark plugs.
Carbon Fouled Spark Plug on One Cylinder: What to Do?
A carbon-fouled spark plug on one cylinder is still a problem that’s caused by a failing part of your engine. Thus, you’ll need to solve it as soon as possible.
In general, a carbon-fouled spark plug on one cylinder means that the cylinder is getting contaminated with carbon. It also means that a part of your engine needs repairs or fixing.
One cause of this problem is the improper measurement of oxygen sensors in your cylinders.
Because your fuel injection system only has one Oxygen sensor in the emissions, it can only evaluate the ideal remaining oxygen in an average of the two pistons. Therefore, to compensate for the leanness of one side, you need to keep the other one in good condition.
The engine does it because it delivers the same quantity of fuel to each cylinder regardless of whether or not each cylinder receives the same air.
One thing you can do is to look for the cause of that unbalanced amount of air or fuel in between the right and left cylinders.
It’s also possible that the valve adjustment isn’t constant from left to right. One clogged injector (on the “not fouled” side), an incorrect balance, and, most likely, a severe air leak on the wrong side are all possibilities in this scenario.
As long as you check and correct these issues, it’s likely that the carbon-fouling will stop.
Summary
In a nutshell, carbon-fouling is an issue that you need to address as soon as possible. A carbon-fouled spark plug shows that the engine has a powerful combination of air and fuel. It also indicates a poor ignition and a limited heat range. In summary, it’s a horrible situation that requires immediate attention. As a result, you must either take it to a shop or repair it yourself.
Carbon fouling indicates a firm air-fuel mixture, poor igniting, or a thermal range that is inadequate (too cold). In addition, carbon deposits carry electricity, causing spark plugs to misfire. With such a high danger associated with this problem, you must address it as soon as possible.
Thus, if it ever happens on your engine, it would be best to solve it soon so you can prevent further problems from happening.
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