[DeTomaso] Fouled Spark Plugs

[Kirby Schrader]

Yep. Here all day but gone in the evening

An iPhone email from Kirby


On Nov 6, 2009, at 18:20, "Will Kooiman" <wkooiman at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Kirby - I'll take you up on that.  Will you be at home tomorrow?  I  
> can come
> by whenever it's convenient for you.
>
> I have bungs in both headers.  I have an autometer a/f sensor, but I  
> haven't
> gotten around to hooking it back up.  The LM/2 is supposed to be a lot
> better, though.  I'd love to try it out.
>
> Julian - 18deg initial, 21deg advance (stock blue bushing), one heavy
> silver, one light silver spring.  It pings a little with this  
> setup.  I
> think I need to go back to 2 heavy silvers, and maybe 16deg initial.
>
> What do you guys think about Autolite plugs?  Anything better?
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso- 
> bounces at realbig.com] On
> Behalf Of Kirby Schrader
> Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 6:09 PM
> To: Will Kooiman
> Cc: detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Fouled Spark Plugs
>
> Will,
>
> You are more than welcome to borrow my wideband sensor and LM-2 box to
> check your richness.
> Of course, you'll need a bung in one of the exhaust pipes, but hey....
> that'd be good for the future anyway!
>
> That way, you'd know HOW rich you are. If you get below 12 AFR, you
> will foul plugs.
> Ask me how I know!
>
> Give me a call before I leave for Brunei on Thursday. You're welcome
> to use it for as long as you need it.
>
> Kirby
>
>
> On 6 Nov 2009, at 5:49 PM, Will Kooiman wrote:
>
>> I fouled another set of spark plugs, and got stranded - again.  I
>> love AAA
>> and flat beds.  Not really, but it sure beats walking.  From now on,
>> I'm
>> carrying a spare set of plugs with me.
>>
>>
>>
>> So, the question of the night is, "Why are my plugs fouling?"
>>
>>
>>
>> I have:
>>
>> Autolite 3926's, gapped at 0.045
>>
>> MSD 6AL (6-7 years old)
>>
>> MSD ready-to-run dist no-vac advance (new)
>>
>> MSD blaster-2 coil (2-3 years old)
>>
>> MSD plug wires (new)
>>
>> 11:1 comp
>>
>> Aluminum heads
>>
>> CompCams 294S
>>
>> Holley
>>
>>
>>
>> Could the MSD be bad?  I always thought MSD ignitions were
>> overkill.  If I'm
>> fouling plugs with an MSD, surely it would be worse w/out MSD -  
>> right?
>>
>>
>>
>> I have a brand new 6AL that I can swap out to see if it is more
>> reliable
>> than the current MSD.
>>
>>
>>
>> Are 3926's too cold?  The previous set of plugs were 3923's.
>>
>>
>>
>> Is 0.045 too wide?
>>
>>
>>
>> The carb is slightly rich, but not too bad.
>>
>>
>>
>> It runs really strong, but I need it to be more reliable than this.
>> I was
>> driving from Dallas back to Houston when it just stopped running.  I
>> verified that it has gas, power to the MSD, spark (from timing  
>> light),
>> timing is where I left it.  I replaced 3 plugs with some old plugs I
>> had in
>> the garage.  It hit a little bit, but wouldn't start.  I'm sure if I
>> replaced all 8 with new plugs that it'll start right up.
>>
>>
>>
>> On a possibly related note, my tail lights and brake lights went
>> out.  It
>> might be related to my emergency flashers, though.
>>
>>
>>
>> One more thing - this engine runs hotter than the last.  I don't
>> have my
>> fans hooked up.  If I go less than about 40mph, it overheats.  As I
>> was
>> leaving Dallas, the temp got to about 230deg.  Surely the hot temps
>> didn't
>> hurt the plugs.  And yes, I plan on hooking up the fans this
>> weekend.  That
>> is, of course, after I fix the issue with the plugs.
>>
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