Missing Spark plug electrode
Missing Spark plug electrode
I’m changing my plugs, and to my surprise, found the rear rotor leading plug looking like this. As you can see, the little ground electrode is missing. Plugs have about 27k miles. How concerned should I be? What is the damage potential from this little thing going for a ride inside the housing?
What am I doing here?
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,606
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From: 2017 Miata RF Launch Edition
Having a piece of metal whizzing around in your engine could cause anything from zero to catastrophic amounts of damage.
It's probably safe to say that the damage wasn't catastrophic since you aren't reporting major issues.
The fact that the little piece of metal is very small, it likely got immediately spit out the exhaust port.
It's also possible that the electrode tip parted company with the plug before it was even installed (best case scenario).
I'd compression test the engine. If it looks good, don't worry about it for another second.
It's probably safe to say that the damage wasn't catastrophic since you aren't reporting major issues.
The fact that the little piece of metal is very small, it likely got immediately spit out the exhaust port.
It's also possible that the electrode tip parted company with the plug before it was even installed (best case scenario).
I'd compression test the engine. If it looks good, don't worry about it for another second.
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