Can someone please tell me the gap on the sparkplugs for a 77 maverick. I just ordered my owners and service mannuals on line friday and they should be in within 2 weeks but, I need to change my plugs before I do my smog test.:confused:
Well, I'll be darned, I remembered right! Been a while since I changed the plugs in the ol' Mav. I was afraid to post what I thought for fear it would be way off.
Well, since Tom mentioned it, I had to get out the ol' Chilton's and look. I'll be darned. I forgot about that little footnote about 77's. I don't think I've ever set it to .050 though. Seems like the guy at the parts counter told me .044 too. Hmmmmm.
wow thats low I probably shouldn't go by the guys at the auto parts store, but when I told them what I had, they gave me 45s. I checked my chiltons and its 32-36. Why the hell would they have the wrong plugs for my car? And since I had 45s in it, would dropping down to spec change anything? It seems to run pretty good, but it does seem to occasionally miss a lick...Bear with me, the MSD is not too far away.
uh! are We talking "type" of plug,or gap of plug?The number on the plug has noithing to do with the gap,neither will a MSD ignition,maybe I'm not clear as to just what Your saying,can You provide more info? Thanks,Tom
ok, so i kind of wandered Yeah, I know the type of ignition has nothing to do with the subject, but I am planning to get one, which would change my gap, right? I assume the more powerful spark could arc farther allowing me mroe complete combustion. That is why later cars have higher gap, right? B/C of the electric ignition? Anyway as for the sparkplug number...That was a brainfart. I did know that they were different and the # was how hot it sparked, but thats about all I know. So now that I have your attention How hot of a plug do you guys use? My 302 is mild, w/ a small cam, intake and carb. Basically a performer kit. As I mentioned the parts counter suggested 45s.
Hell! I knew I should have never got into this,unless You have a diesel,jet engine,nucluar reactor,or even a old steam engine,You need "something" to ignite the fuel,if You think that the "arc" of a spark plug does this ,and that a more "powerful" spark will give You more "complete combustion",well sorry to say this is not the case! I suggest that You get in touch with MSD,ask a tech rep,tell them what cam,etc Your running,then they will tell You what You want.and tell You just how much money to spend,after all that the gap on the plugs will not be a issue! Anyway,I wish You luck! Tom
Spark Plugs-Gap's & MSD Just a thought on these subjects, spark plug gap does have an effect on combustion, most plug mfg. will tell you to set your gap tighter and record gas mileage compared to original settings. This is proven to be very beneficial to a better combustion. The MSD ignition fires the plug in multiples and at a higher voltage when used with a good coil etc. When the spark occurs it sends out a flame pattern in the cyl to ignite as much of the incoming mixture as possable. In racing we index the position of the plugs to better enhance this pattern for more power. Years back when my son raced go-karts with 5hp Briggs engines, we learned that if you took a Volkswagen plug and removed half to the electrode, the engine came to life and powered itself to many wins. This was altering the flame pattern and gap. Experimenting is what makes life itself to continue on as well as hot rods run better. One other thing, a diesel does not need a spark to start, high compression and the heat generated burns the fuel in the cylinders. Some use pre-heater plugs to save on cranking these engines in colder conditions. Jets and steam engines do need an ignition source for lack of high compression of the fuel. As the old saying goes"Size does make a difference and so does spark plug gap etc. Just my opinion though.
common gap? I find this interesting, but the gap on my Mav, my son's Bronco, and my '88 Corolla are all .044. All different plugs but the same gap. Go figure!!
