"Torching" spark plugs, severely flooded engine "fix" ??

[Jeff_H]

Back story:

Back at Thanksgiving, I was visiting my Mom 3hrs away. She told me there was a light on the dash of her little beater car that was coming on the past couple mornings. This 1987 Plymouth Colt (Mitsubishi import) was my sister's old college car and my folks kept it when she was done with it over 15yrs ago and now probably gets about 200 miles a year going to the mailbox and to the bank and church in the small rural town next to the farm.

So, I pulled the dipstick and found no oil I had topped off the oil about a month prior when I was last there and it usually doesn't burn or leak THAT much. Took about 3-1/2 qts to fill it up and then I got it started after having to replace the plugs from being wet and flooded (had a set of used dry ones saved). I took it out for a short drive since I didn't immediately see any leaking. I stopped to turn around about a mile away and got out to look for leaking again and found it! Massive oil leak from the front crank seal. I had some help with a chase car with a rope and more oil and chanced the 16mile drive to the mechanic that has worked on this car before. Oddly, the leaking was barely at all when I got there. Mechanic pulled the seal while I was there and it "looked" fine so maybe was just worn and stiff from the cold and leaked then.

When I was looking at the oil leak, I also saw some gas dripping out of a "Vent" tube from the fuel pump and assumed the pump was starting to fail as well. This car has a carb. and cam shaft driven fuel pump mounted on the side of the head near the carb. So, I had the mechanic replace it and also put some hotter plugs in hoping it would reduce propensity for flooding, etc due to all the short trips and never getting warmed up.

Car got fixed and was back doing mail duty by early December and apparently was OK for a few weeks. When I went down for Christmas, I was told the car started to run real rough with black smoke a couple of days prior and now would not start. So, I tried to start it and nada. For interest I checked the oil and found it overfull and basically mostly gasoline This time had the car towed back to the mechanic who was gone for about a week having surgery. I figured the new fuel pump blew out its diaphragm and filled up the engine.

Found out from Mom the other day that she got it back again and that the mechanic just changed the oil and "torched" the sparkplugs? Fuel pump was supposedly OK.

So, the big question here is what was going on to flood it out that bad and how did torching (I assume using a blow torch flame on the plugs to dry them up) fix it. I am skeptical, but hope it keeps running for a while. This thing has cost more than its worth the past year in repairs.

I tried to interest Mom in a golf cart or something else electric that she could leave plugged in as seems like it would be less troubles for going to the mailbox but she is not too thrilled with the idea, haha.

[bob40]

I torch plugs all the time and have had great success.Been doing that since the 70's.
Could have a gummed up needle and seat in the carb that "could" cause gas to flood the engine.
She had it running but it was flooding it every time until it was so gas soaked it couldn't fire.
Would explain the black smoke.
Just my 2 cents.

[Warren Webb]

The early Sevilles with electronic fuel injection would flood from people trying to start them like an old carbureted car. "Torching" the plugs was the only way we could get them to run again short of replacing the plugs themselves.

[Sam Ensley]

Just exactly, how do you torch spark plugs?

[Jeff_H]

Thanks. This was my thought as well. Why was it flooding so bad the plugs fouled? Could only be the carb if the fuel pump was OK. I should give her a call this week as its her birthday and find out if its still running or not...

[bob40]

As stated...needle sticking.

[Dick Steinkamp]

I should give her a call this week as its her birthday and find out if its still running or not...

Jeff, Jeff, Jeff. Just give her a call. Don't talk cars.

[benaslopoke]

Just exactly, how do you torch spark plugs?

Yeah,, How do you " torch" spark plugs?? After 46 years in the business, I've never heard the term.. Guess I'll just have to show my ignorance..

[5brown1]

My idea of torching plug is what I have done over the years when an engine is flooded. When the engine floods the plugs get saturated with gas, especially if they have deposits on them. I remove them and use a propane torch to burn the fuel off the plugs and then clean them up. This also allows time for the gas in the cylinder to evaporate. That can be sped up with some air being blown in the plug holes.

[bob40]

You can also put the torch head near the plug holes and fire the gas in the cylinders. Never had a problem doing that either.

[Jeff_H]

So, more followup on this story. I think this thing stayed running most of the winter.

Back on Memorial day weekend, Mom broke her ankle really bad and spent most of the summer in a rehab facility. She has not been driving since so far and is using a walker some of the time. A problem in that area for sure, different relatives and the neighbor who rents the farm have been helping out as they live a lot closer than I or my sister do. Its 3-1/2hrs away for me and about 2-1/2 for my sister.

This summer a couple of times I had to move this car around on the farm and it has been a problem. It was low on fuel so I drove it on a 20 mile round trip to fill it with gas (nearest station 9 miles). The next day, when I started it, it ran rough again. I pulled the plugs and they were wet. I put a set of used dry ones in it and immediately it ran OK. I drove it around about 10 miles and parked it in the shed. My next trip down there, when started up, it was running rough again. I had bought a new set of plugs and installed those as well as changed the oil that seemed thin with gas in it again. It ran fine and I drove it about 15 miles and it went back in the shed. That was Labor day weekend. Its not been touched since until this weekend when I was down there to get the fall yard work done. So, I started the car to move it and again it was running rough and not drivable. Smelled like raw gas a bit too. I was running out of time so it got moved to a new spot in the shed and I shut it off and pulled the battery. Its not going anywhere until spring. I should have pulled the oil stick to see if it was full of gas.

But, if it is full of gas again, how can that happen this fast as the last time it was run, it was not running badly? I am still not convinced the new fuel pump is not to blame. The plug wires on this thing are originals (28yrs old), would this contribute? I am also wondering about the recurrence of this fouling issue after I filled the fuel tank. I think the car probably has not been filled up for some time before that and maybe was running off the same tank of gas all last winter.

I think this thing should be gone, but its worth more running than dead, what with scrap prices down of late. I suppose I could have got it on my trailer that I had with me (to haul 9 rolls of wood slat snow fencing, ~450ft) but being winter will arrive shortly, I don't want it sitting around here for the next 7mo or so.

[8E45E]

If its carbureted, and not fuel injection, first thing I would look at is the choke, which I believe is electric on those cars. They have a habit of not opening all the way; or not at all when the engine gets to operating temperature when they age.

(Sorry to hear about your mom. I hope her ankle heals and she will be able to walk on her own again.)

Craig

[Mike Van Veghten]

bob40 -

Seems strange to me...
Rather than "torching" plugs..."all the time".
Why not just get the given engine to...run properly ?

I'm almost 65 and had never heard of this. If there's a problem with an engine running too rich, just fix the problem. And if required, (if a stainless wire brush can't remove the soot!) put in a fresh set of spark plugs.

Mike

[sweetolbob]

I'm almost 65 and had never heard of this. If there's a problem with an engine running too rich, just fix the problem. And if required, (if a stainless wire brush can't remove the soot!) put in a fresh set of spark plugs.

Mike

Did it just today. Chainsaw wouldn't start so I removed the plug, burned the smutzs off and warmed the cylinder with the butane torch. Poured out the old gas and added new. Saw started and runs fine now. Just a way to not need to leave the woods to buy a new plug.

I agree that if it continues over a period of time, cure the problem.

You youngen's still have a trick or two to learn. Bob

[Milaca]

The 1983 Honda 110cc threewheeler that I used to ride was so worn out that it had virtually no compression and would frequently foul-out the plug. Rather than replace the plug each time, I would remove it and direct flame from a propane torch into the electrode area to rid it of fuel. With it still warm, reinsert it and the Honda would start right up and run fine for a couple of days. The Honda was not worthy of rebuilding as everything was well worn, so that's why I didn't "fix the problem".
As for Jeff's car, I would guess that the float isn't floating or the needle & seat are not closing tightly enough. I suggest scrapping it, send it to China where they can make new Studebaker parts out of it.