Knowing what can prevent engine failure in your car is essential. This is why choosing to do a spark plug replacement as soon as you notice anything wrong is important. If you see the engine light warning, then it’s time to head over to your nearest vehicle repair shop to assess your car.
As a whole, when you drive a Chevy Colorado, the rules are a bit different from the standard car that you drive. For instance, it’s recommended that you change your spark plugs every 100 000 miles. This is approximately after every five years, give or take.
To learn more about a spark plug replacement for your vehicle, keep on reading.
Spark Plug Replacement
The thing about changing spark plugs in your vehicle is that you should always know when to do it. When the spark plugs in your vehicle are changed when the need arises, it provides you with a lot of benefits. The most important of these is that it helps to enhance the efficiency and performance of your car’s engine.
When the replacement of your spark plugs happens should be determined by various factors. For example, the type of car that you drive, as well as how long you’ve been driving your car. The general rule of thumb is that you should do a maintenance schedule once your car reaches between 30 000 and 100 000 miles.
Other things that should be considered are the design as well as the metal type of your spark plugs. It’s always advisable for you to keep a close look at what your manufacturer’s manual recommends. This way, it’s essential for you to understand what you should do once your worn spark plugs need to be replaced.
It’s crucial not to deviate from what the manual recommends. Doing so can result in a lot of issues, such as engine damage that you don’t need. The reason for this is that replacing spark plug wires can be a challenge on certain vehicle engines.
Depending on the make of the car, there are main issues that you can face—for instance, accessing and adding certain components. Unscrewing spark plug wires in certain cases can be difficult.
As a result, this can require you to replace the entire plenum gasket.
Reasons for Spark Plug Replacement
The main benefit of changing worn spark plugs is knowing that your car won’t give you any problems the next time that you start it. However, there are other benefits that you can get from doing a much-needed spark plug replacement. These performance benefits can be summarized as follows.
- They enhance the entire combustion system of a vehicle. This means that your car should operate to its optimal levels once you change your spark plugs.
- Did you know that your worn spark plugs can reduce your fuel efficiency by up to 30%? To avoid this and to maximize fuel efficiency and your money, it’s essential to change your spark plugs as soon as the check engine light warning comes on.
- It helps avoid any jerky starts that can damage engine performance.
- According to the Environmental Protection Agency, getting your spark plug replacement scheduled should help to reduce air pollution.
Signs of Worn Spark Plugs
It’s crucial for you to know what the signs of your worn spark plugs are. This is important if you wish to fix the problem as soon as you pick it up. The good news is that you can hear, feel, and sense when there’s something that needs attention on your vehicle.
If you don’t know what to look for, you’re not alone. These tips should help you.
Rattling Noises
Generally, there are telling signs when the spark plugs start giving out. They’ll begin to misfire. When this happens, a couple of unusual noises are what you’ll hear.
There are various engine components or pistons that are moving at high speed. When the spark plugs misfire, these pistons won’t work properly—resulting in rattling noises when you’re driving.
Jerky Vehicle Starting
The other main thing that you’ll notice is that your car will have a lot of trouble starting. The most common reason for this is that your spark plugs are not working well. This won’t only lead to erratic performance, but it can cause engine damage when left unattended.
Reduced Performance
You’ll notice this mainly when you’re driving and trying to accelerate or when changing gears. You’ll realize that your car performance has reduced significantly. When this is accompanied by the aforementioned rattling noises, then a maintenance schedule should happen promptly.
Poor Fuel Efficiency
Are you spending more money on gas, yet you’re still driving the same distance? You should consider changing your spark plugs. The thing is, when they misfire, it wastes your fuel because your vehicle isn’t receiving the right spark to generate heat.
How to Change Spark Plugs
If you can’t get to your scheduled maintenance on time, you should know how to change your spark plugs. This should help avoid any additional damage to your engine. These are some of the easiest tips to help you change your spark plugs should you need to.
Safety First
First things first, you should ensure that your engine is cool before you attempt anything. If you’ve been driving, park on the side of the road for a bit before you start. Clean your engine if it has any debris.
Disconnect the negative post of your battery in case any damage occurs while the battery is connected. Ensuring that the battery is protected from any foreign particles is very important.
Remove the Spark Plug Wires
If there are any interference items in your vehicle, you should remove them. This is mainly your gasket. This should help to see the wires better to avoid damaging them in any way.
The thing is, if there’s any damage that occurs, you should replace the wires. This can increase your costs and delay the spark plug replacement.
Remove the Coil On Plug
This is the coil that attaches directly to your spark plugs. This ignition coil has an electric processor that should be disconnected. This coil should help you to assess if there’s any antifreeze contamination or not.
If you see any coolant on it, then there must be a problem with your heating system. This means that there are leaks that you should repair first before you replace your spark plugs.
Unscrew and Put In New Spark Plugs
Once you’re certain that everything is in good condition, you should ensure that you have the right spark plug socket to unscrew them with. If for some reason, there’s more resistance than necessary when unscrewing your spark plugs, you should consider calling a professional to help you.
However, if all goes well, then you should go ahead and replace your spark plugs. But, make sure that you have a part number that matches your vehicle. You may need to re-gap your spark plugs.
You can use a gapping gauge tool to check if the gapping on your spark plugs match the gap on your engine. When installing your spark plugs, ensure that you avoid any cross-threading. This can damage not only the spark plugs but the cylinder head threads as well.
