How often do you guys change yours???

Do you just pull them out once a year? Crack them??

Mine are fine (well car is running beautiful) but i havent looked at them in 2 years and PO ..... well dunno but guesing it was about that as well.

In the T3 ??? isnt it fuel injected ???

Well - both??

More the beetle at the moment.
What diff does fuel injection make??

Yes they still take spark plugs....

One of My manuals says to replace spark plugs at 12,000 miles... and check them at 6000 miles...

I believe they should last longer than that....

but check and clean them and if the electrodes aren't worn they should be ok..

threads of spark plugs should have anti seize on them...

Lee

I look at it this way:the longer they are in the harder they are to get out. On my aircooled stuf i remove the plugs every 6 months for a check and clean..at least then i know how well the engine is running by what the plugs look like.I then clean and anti sieze them. If it is used often the plugs are replaced every 12 months or so.If not used i don't replace them until whenever...

what is anti sieze? and how do i do that? (i just cleaned mine were covered with burnt oil)

you coat the threads of the spark plug LIGHTLY with a product called ANTISIEZE. The NICKEL one is the better one to use.It prevents the threads binding to the heads. I've always used Nickel Antisieze and have never had a problem removing heads with the thread still attached! There is a Copper one available also but the Nickel one is better.

do you change the crush washers each time you check the plugs? are these available on their own?

[ Edited on 9-11-2006 by bus914 ]

i check mine when i change my oil which is usually every 6 months even tho my bug only does about 3000kms a year
spark plugs are cheap last time i got a bosch pack of 4 was about $16 from memory
if ur engine is healthy they last ages
i usually replace mine every 10,000kms but this is probably over kill
most manuals say every 12000miles or 12 months which ever comes first but i;ve had the same plugs for 3 years now and they are fine
alot of ppl will bitch and moan about antiseize on the threads but i;ve always done it and never had a problem
its cheap insurance compared to getting a helicoil at the least

-Joel

[ Edited on 9-11-2006 by DUB74L ]

Avoid using champion spark plugs as (on VW's) they are notorious for grabbing the thread and stripping it out.

Never had a problem with crush washers, there is no reason they shouldn't last the life of the plug, just don't leave them off when you re install plugs as plugs might come loose or protrude too far into the head.

As for anti seize, once you've been caught with a stripped thread you will never change plugs without it again!!! This year I started using Nulon anti seize, it seems to be neither nickel or copper but a white, greasy cream. I have absolute faith in their other products from using them since the seventies and have had no reason to fault their anti seize so far.

My usual routine is: oil change in the evening, leave car on ramps/stands overnight, then valve adjustment and tune up next day. Checking, cleaning if needed & re gapping plugs should ALWAYS be part of a tune up. Regular gapping and keeping the motor in tune is the no.1 way of extending the life of plugs (and engine in general, assuming oil is looked after)

Remember, everything is connected, if plugs wear & gap gets larger, then plugs work harder and in turn so does leads, dizzy cap, rotor, points, condensor & coil. Not to mention harder starting putting stress on starter motor, then battery and generator plus driver & wallet (LoL)

Matt.







[ Edited on 9-11-2006 by Matt Ryan ]