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Old 10-15-2019, 02:53 PM   #21
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

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What makes the heat range lower on a spark plug? Can something be added in between the wire and plug to boost the heat range on new plugs? I would rather leave these plugs in my collection and use new plugs and have to change them out once a year verses using these nos plugs.



Thank you.
I have used motorcraft F11 that people people discard.
A slightly leaner mixture will keep them cleaner. Too lean will melt/crack them, as it would any plug.
If you burn lots of oil they might still foul but i never found this to be a problem.
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Old 10-16-2019, 09:15 AM   #22
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

I've seen the X plugs referred to as 425 and 525 depending on the year of manufacture but the 525 is likely the single piece type but same heat range. There is a lot of unknown history on the Champion Model T plugs. The only way to know for sure is to compare plugs with other known part numbers from back in the day. One thing is for certain, Champion only makes the one OEM style plug design and there is no mention of its properties as far as heat range. This leaves a lot of unanswered questions that I have about them. On a recently overhauled engine that is broken in well with minimal oil consumption, the plugs will likely work just as intended. It's when there is more oil consumption or blow by and the plugs have a tendency to foul that a person would even consider a hotter plug. This can also apply to folks that modify the engine to get more compression or just for more performance overall. They just have to take what's available since there are not too many choices in this day and age.

I've heard folks making statements about the insulators getting loose in the non disassemblable type plugs like the Motorcraft F11 or Autolite 3095 when they are hot. That is brought about by the size of the plug and unequal expansion rates of materials. Watching them wiggle about would be sort of unnerving. The original style Champion design seems to have a check on that.

We pay over a 100 bucks each for fine wire iridium electrode plugs for the helicopters so that makes 36 bucks each seem cheap. We have two plugs per cylinder so 8 sparkplugs for a 4-cylinder can get expensive. Even worse for the 6-cylinder engines that go well over a 1000 bucks for a set.

Last edited by rotorwrench; 10-17-2019 at 02:01 PM.
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Old 10-17-2019, 01:19 PM   #23
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

My car has an after market distributor and Champion A-25 plugs. Would the distributor require a different set of plugs?


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Old 10-17-2019, 01:59 PM   #24
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

The plugs will likely fire whether they have a single coil with a distributor or the original 4-coils and a timer. The principle is similar but a single coil won't put out a shower of sparks like an old trembler coil will. The Model T used the 1/2 NPT thread plug so there are not a lot of choices about what plug is used. If an aftermarket head was set up for 7/8 thread plugs like a model A XXX or the H-10 plug like a flathead V8 then a person could use those plugs. Otherwise it's use what you got.

Last edited by rotorwrench; 10-20-2019 at 08:34 AM.
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Old 10-19-2019, 05:22 PM   #25
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

You can use the 14MM adapters and your heat range of different plugs really increases. No plug hot or cold is going to stay clean if the engine is running rich or burning a lot of oil. Also running at the best advance for running condition with the distributor (or timer) helps. Cleaning your plugs is just part of the fun in owning these old cars. No matter what plugs you use, No 1 runs cold and No 4 runs hot so you have to find a balance.
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Old 10-20-2019, 08:32 AM   #26
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

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The adapter bushings remind me of the use of some like them that were made to use in oil burner engines to keep them from fouling. It can make them run hotter depending on the design of the threaded bushing. If the design was such that the plug tip was well positioned in the combustion chamber then it wouldn't run any hotter than the plug design allows. Done correctly, it would be an option for those that want to modify the T engine and use a more modern ignition system.

For those that like the T the way it is then don't bother to fix what ain't broken. Trembler coils worked well on low compression engines of the era. At least replacement plugs are still available.
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Old 10-20-2019, 02:19 PM   #27
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

When talking about burning oil, are you talking about blow-by?


Thank you,


Jeff
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Old 10-20-2019, 02:23 PM   #28
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

The engine does not suffer from blow-by because the engine was rebuilt when the car was restored. My neighbor was a machinist, and I spoke to him in-depth last week on what all he did to the engine when he restored it and the amount of work was quite significant. Probably the neatest thing he said was, when he restored it, fellow machine shop employees were much older than him and they had rebuilt many T's and other various "antique" engines when they were not antique, so he incorporated many items per their suggestions into the rebuild that they had figured out over the years to make the cars run better and last longer. One item that stood out, was that he made the holes in the block and head much larger, including the space between the two center cylinders (it is a larger opening like at the ends now) allowing the coolant to flow more freely and adding to the amount of volume. He also added a n.o.s. water pump at the time and many other internal items such as knurlling the new pistons after they bored the cylinders over so they would hold oil better, adding Chevy dippers to the rods, and the list goes on. I can drive the car down here in Florida in 95 degree weather and it doesn't get into the little circle in the motor meter unless I stop and leave the engine running for quite some time.



He had multiple cars, and since this car only seated two, it didn't get as much use as the others so it isn't really worn out like other T engines I have seen over the years. The shops were neat, and as a kid, I loved watching them grind crank shafts because I just loved seeing all of that mass going around and yet the item they were grinding was ending up round. It took me years to understand how they did that when I was really small. It was neat growing up around those shops, and there isn't anything around like that now. Everything is farmed out to somewhere else.


I drive it nearly every weekend unless the weather does not allow. We usually drive it at least 20 miles on Friday nights, and sometimes we drive it as much as we can until momma gets on my son and I about not getting enough of the chores done. lol
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Old 10-21-2019, 09:16 AM   #29
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

As an engines piston rings wear, the oil control ring or rings can lose there effectiveness. More oil will stay on the cylinder wall and end up in the combustion chamber. This can also happen if a car isn't well stored and the cylinders corrode. The build up of corrosion pitting will make it difficult for the oil scrapers to do their job.

Blow by is from wear on the compression rings that allows combustion pressures to go past the rings and pressure up the crank case a bit. This will lead to oil vapor exiting the crankcase vent and is also a form of oil consumption due to all the heat that builds up in the crank case. This just vaporizes more crankcase oil.

I've heard a lot of old wives tales (mechanics tales) about model T engines. Folks tried all sorts of things to gain improvement of performance. Whether they were effective or not has yet to be seen. The water pump installations are also a point of contention. Some swear by them and some swear at them and take them back off.

The main thing is that the car is still functioning and is used regularly with proper scheduled maintenance. The 92+ to well over 100 year old cars are still around as examples of the reason that Ford was so successful back in the day. The simplicity like that just isn't known in this day and age.
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Old 10-24-2019, 07:56 PM   #30
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs


This is our 1923 speedster.
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Old 02-14-2020, 10:43 AM   #31
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

I went and looked at another model T in October and ended up buying it and the house. I have been going through the barn and am finding more unusual plugs to add to my collection. I did find new A-25 plugs and will be installing them in my T to see how they do. We also went to Napa Auto the other night to get 30 weight non-detergent oil to change the oil in the T and they carry new Champion X plugs, but I have to buy ten of them for $200. If these new A-25's don't work very well I am going to try the Napa plugs.
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Old 02-14-2020, 11:31 AM   #32
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

If the engines have been rebuilt (and even if it has not), use something like 10-30 detergent oil. There is no need for 30W non-detergent, you have to change it just as often no matter what oil is used. The T does not have a deep sump where the nasty stuff can settle out, not even around the flywheel area, so stuff is kept motion as soon as it's started. Google "Ford Model T oil"
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Old 02-15-2020, 09:10 AM   #33
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

Mineral oil doesn't keep combustion particles in suspension very well. The engines will get a lot of oil soap buildup inside that's hard to clean out and can foul dipper orifices over time. Redmodelt has the oil down pretty well. The 10W/30 is the closest thing a person can use to the actual oils that were being used back in the early post war years. They were a vast improvement over what was available in the teens & twenties. If the oil is changed at intervals recommended for older engines with poor filtration then the polymers in the oil that give it multi viscosity characteristics will never have a chance to break down. In my opinion, for what it's worth, 10W/30 is the perfect oil for all the old flatheads.

Sounds like a good haul on old Ford parts.
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Old 02-23-2020, 02:24 PM   #34
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

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A rag or paper towel will remove loose carbon. Some people have access to chemicals to loosen carbon. I have never tried oven cleaner but it might help, or not.

I put the flame down the end of the plug.
I have and use a spark plug cleaner that is pneumatic with very fine grit. I then blow the plug out with an air hose and away I go.

Seems to work so far. Anyone have a history with one of these units?
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Old 02-24-2020, 02:29 PM   #35
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

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I have and use a spark plug cleaner that is pneumatic with very fine grit. I then blow the plug out with an air hose and away I go.

Seems to work so far. Anyone have a history with one of these units?
From memory i used one in an old workshop on my motorbike spark plug.
It removed a glazing and the carbon would settle into the ceramic much faster.
Maybe the grit was too course.
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Old 02-26-2020, 12:13 PM   #36
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Default Re: Model T Sparkplugs

We used to have a Champion spark plug cleaner / tester. It used a fine glass bead. Unfortunately after cleaning the porcelains of the plugs were etched which caused them to foul almost immediately.

Fortunately Model T spark plugs - the original kind - are two piece so that you can easily take them apart and clean them with a solvent (I use carburetor cleaner like Berrymans's B12) and a brass brush.

This seldom needs to be done. In general the only way a plug gets fouled is if there is some other problem like bad rings or misadjusted fuel mixture. Or using a "modern" plug with the little adapter thingies. I watched a guy on one of our club tours go through ten plugs in less than 20 miles. He then went to an auto part store and bought another 10 plugs so he could get home. Then I saw him do the same thing on our next club tour.
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