Cleaning plugs with propane torch ??

[oldhead]

Do you know anything about cleaning slopped up sparkplugs using a hand held propane torch,does ground strap overheat?????? Oldhead

[MadBill]

I've done it a few times; never melted anything..

[jake197000]

been doing it for years no problems.

[racinnut15xm]

cost of propane wasted vs cost of new plug?

[Dan Timberlake]

It is worth a try on plugs wet with gasoline or after scrubbing oil fouled plugs with carb cleaner etc and a wire brush.

MAPP or even Oxyacetylene work better but require a deft touch.
More for getting the snow blower started or dirt bike to ride around the yard than prep for a competitive event.

There are times when decent looking used plugs just aren't right, and new plugs "fix" it.

[vwchuck]

Just go buy a 10 dollar plug blaster from harbor freight. Cheap and makes the plug like new.

[iadr]

Absolutely do not do that!!
Sparks leave off sharp edges- remove those even a little off the electrode and whatever there are on the ground strap and the plug is unequivocally garbage.

[MadBill]

Center electrode yes, ground strap irrelevant. On the old plug testers that every gas station had 40 years ago, filing the electrode square after cleaning and before gapping could be seen to significantly increase the maximum pressure the plug would fire at.

[vwchuck]

iadr. I don't know I clean a plug with my harbor freight spark plug cleaner and put it right back in my 5 hp/ci engine and it doesn't seem to have any issues. But I guess I should be banned because my reality doesn't match your fantasy.

[Cogburn]

It works for fuel fouled plugs but the center porcelain needs to be heated until it glows to remove the fouling. It is generally a short term solution.

[bmcdaniel]

Just go buy a 10 dollar plug blaster from harbor freight. Cheap and makes the plug like new.

If you're gonna screw those plugs into an aluminum head be sure to protect the plug threads from the abrasive. It can leave microscopic pock marks that can gall in the aluminum.

[user-23911]

If your plugs need cleaning then the engine's got severe problems.

But anyway, in the past I've used oxy acetylene, only because I've got it and it's handy and it works.

If it's only fuel on the plugs then an air line works.

[Schurkey]

Propane won't melt the electrodes, but it does make them nice 'n' orange. That's the wonderful thing about propane--you can get the porcelain to glow orange, the electrodes to glow orange, yet nothing overheats and melts. The porcelain will come out virgin-white once the flame is removed. A fuel- or oil-fouled plug will throw a yellow flame at first, as the hydrocarbons burn off. When the plug is done throwing yellow flame, and there's nothing but orange flame, you're near done.

Oxy-Acetylene will destroy the plug in short order by melting electrodes. MAPP-gas substitute may also be too hot--haven't tried that.

[SupStk]

Ive done it on my twin cylinder Briggs and Scrap iron lawn mower. The old relic will foul the right plug about once a year. The torch will burn off deposits if the porcelain gets hot enough long enough. Id be concerned about the glazing left for performance application although ive never tried it.

Dont figure abrasive blasting plugs are a good idea. That leaves pitting in the ceramic that makes it more prone to fouling again only faster. I have tried that on performance engines and never worked for me.

[turbobaldur]

I have used the propane torch to clean up carbon or oil fouled plugs on a number of occasions, works a charm.