Ignition: Here is a weird one.

[gordr]

Took the '64 Daytona convertible for a nice road trip on Thursday. On the return leg, after having passed through a thunderstorm near Vulcan, the engine began to miss, and pop back in the carburetor. Looked at it yesterday, and saw that #6 plug wire had fallen off. Plugged it back on, car seemed to run OK, then it began missing again when I drove it in the shop for the night. Today I had a closer look, and saw that the spark plug boot had a sandblasted look to it. Removed #6 spark plug, a Champion H14Y, and saw that the cement that held the porcelain in the shell had blown out, and the porcelain had slid out by more than 1/8". And the tip was split around the center electrode. Installed a new plug, and it runs fine.

Is this just a case of a faulty plug, or is it a symptom of some other problem, like maybe preignition?

[SN-60]

Definitely faulty sparkplug.

[RadioRoy]

I have had the ceramic come loose on a plug, and it popped up and down as the compression came and went. Made a weird sound, too.

[Orestudeguy]

I have had Champion spark plugs do that to me in the past. I do not use that brand anymore and haven't had any problems since.

[junior]

hmmm....Vulcan?....thunderstorm? ...are you sure it wasn't a Spockplug? Were you anywhere close to the Enterprise?? Sorry, couldn't help myself. Cheers, Junior

[Doug Bowen]

Junior...I'm still chuckling at your response. Thanks! ( a SPOCKPLUG! ??) Have a good holiday folks! D

[PackardV8]

Check yourself carefully. All the stories about alien abductions mention electrical disturbances.

jack vines

[rkapteyn]

This happened to Ron Hall's R3 Avanti at Bonneville.

[bosshoss61]

I guess the part that I wonder about is your comment on the boot looking like it was sandblasted. I have a V-8 with hugger headers and about every 4-5000 miles the boot crystalizes, discolors, and cracks and looks a little like it was sandblasted. A creation from the header heat to close to the plug. Just a thought

[sweetolbob]

Even more interesting when it happens to a Stihl chain saw in the middle of cutting a large oak log. I have visions of "old trusty" needing replacement as it just stopped with little to no compression. Went to pull the boot off and found the same issue as you did. Put the spare plug in and it runs again like a champ. Yup! It was a Champion plug also. Porcelain completely separated from the base.

Bob

[StudegaryB]

In a forum on vintage Harley Sportsters I learned the proper way to set the gap on a Champion sparkplug. Take Champion sparkplug in hand, step outside, throw sparkplug as far away as you can, There!, Champion sparkplug properly gapped from your engine!!

[studerodder]

champions=junk - get yourself some autolite 437's

[gordr]

It was the hot gases escaping from the cylinder via the bad seal in the plug that blasted the silicone boot. This is the first Champion plug I have had fail that way. You have to remember that Studebaker designed their V8 engine to use the Champion H14Y plug, and I don't think there is a direct equivalent in AC or Autolite. I generally use Champions in Studebakers. In air-cooled VW's, I use Bosch, because that is what they were intended to use, and Champions work lousy in Beetles. Horses for courses.

[Chicken Hawk]

Champions has worked fine in my truck, Tomato, Wrapper, Cruiser and all other Studes I have owned over the last 60 years.

Ted

[bezhawk]

Ever since they were out sourced to China they have been junk. In fact they have been junk for at least 10 years now. Very poor quality.