leaking spark plugs

[altair]

I was doing some fine tuning on my flat 6 and checking the spark plugs for leaksge I poured a little water around the plugs (when engine warm) and 3 were bubbling causing a little ripple. To comfirm good contact I used a broom handle about a foot long cut it square and glued a piece of sand paper on it and ground the plug seat until it was clean and smooth on the other end of the handle I glued some fine paper to give it a polish. If you so desire you can plug the hole with a rag and later remove it with tweasers. Also while I was pouring the water on the plugs some spilled on the intake manifold and the engine fluttered and I found the intake manifold nuts were loose. A small thing but a big difference in performance Dave

[FlatheadGeo]

Never thought of doing this. An easy diagnostic procedure. Thanks!!!

[Commander Eddie]

Sometime in the past I remember a mechanic telling me that it is a good idea to periodically check bolt tightness on exhaust/intake manifold as well as the carburetor. Since then I have occasionally found these bolts have loosened and needed tightening. I'm not sure if you would ever want to use locktight on these so checking them once per year is a good practice. And yes, if these bolts are loose they can make a difference in how your engine runs.
Your method of checking for and correcting leaky spark plugs is clever. I may try that some time. Thanks.