[DeTomaso] WARNING: .050 may be the wrong kind of Bomb

[Dan Courtney]

Another possibility is these plugs got damaged when they were being gapped by my "assistant". It was her first time gapping plugs and the electrode may have taken too much pressure getting squeezed by the wire gapping tool.
I've had detonation issues before (prior engines) and it really saps the power. The WW was running great, with tons of power. Or maybe I'm just in denial, as usual.
I'll be doing a compression test and then taking a look, as soon as I track down a boroscope.

Dan
Dan F. Courtney

La Jolla, CA

(858) 551-5455 Phone
(858) 551-5456 Fax
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dave Londry 
  To: JDeRyke at aol.com 
  Cc: Dan Courtney ; detomaso at realbig.com 
  Sent: Sunday, May 24, 2009 12:53 PM
  Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] WARNING: .050 may be the wrong kind of Bomb


  Just like Jack says: detonation from
  - too much advance or
  - too little fuel or
  - too little octane
  or maybe too hot a plug,
  but not gap.

  dave

  JDeRyke at aol.com wrote: 
In a message dated 5/24/09 12:10:59 AM, dfcex at pacbell.net writes:

  What worries me more is, where are the tips of the plugs? Are they 
sitting in the cylinders, about to punch through my brand new pistons? Or has 
that already happened?
I'm also wondering if detonation could have played a role.

    Thats a sign of detonation. Check your total ignition advance and your fuel 
pressures. Normally, a plug gap will either fire, or not, so thats not the 
cause of your detonation. The piston crowns likely look shot-blasted but 
unless they made really deep pits, the pistons will be OK. Any extra pieces of 
ceramic are long gone out the tailpipe. A fiber optic borescope can look 
thru the plug hole and inspect the piston tops without pulling the heads. My 
best guess- J Deryke