Spark Plug Cleaners
 

Looking for opinions on abrasive/pneumatic spark plug cleaners. I've had one for years and use it regularly. Always clean the plugs well with brake cleaner and or compressed air after blasting to remove any grit before installation.

https://www.amazon.com/Pneumatic-Spa...k+plug+cleaner

During mowing season I tend to clean spark plug, swap out air filter (K&N), change crankcase oil if needed, sharpen blades etc.. etc..., on a fairly regular basis. New plug every year or so as needed.:ThumbsUp:

Curious what the rest of you'all think...:bigthink:

I own somewhere in the neighborhood of $80,000 worth of tools and equipment. Only thing I own for cleaning a spark plug is a wire brush.

I'm assuming you mow with your QL tractor. Kohler manual suggests changing oil every 25 hours. I really think that is too often, even on a splash lube motor, given the quality of oil we have now. No need to do it anymore often than that.

If you are pulling the spark plug and changing oil even once mid season mowing, you should stop. It doesn't need done that often. I was telling a guy on here the other day, you should get at least 100-150 hours out of spark plug. I can't even remember the last time I pulled a plug out of any of my tractors. They run great. You are going to wear the threads out of the aluminum head. There's no reason to own a $25 machine to clean a $3 plug. It will actually decrease their life, not extend it. Put it in and run it. Pull it once a year if you must. Check it, gap it, wire brush it and put it back in and leave it. If you are fouling plugs or they get dirty mid season, you have other issues that need addressed.


I also strongly suggest not using a K&N air filter on your tractor if that is what you are saying you run. Too dirty an atmosphere to use a filter like that. It will plug up very fast. I have nothing against K&N (oil charged) filters. I don't think there is a better way to filter air than with oil.... that's actually proven. But in order to do it (on a tractor) and not need to clean and recharge the filter all the time is if you add an air filter housing with a centrifuge cap and maybe an asperator tube to help draw the dirt out of the cap.... maybe. A dry filter is best unless you change the housing.

Jonathan, I appreciate your advice and respect your opinion, thanks for commenting. :ThumbsUp:

Know that machine well.. They use to be in every auto shop in the 70's and 80's. Got one hanging around somewhere with a few inches of dust on it probably next to my old Sun 800 motor tester lol. Relics really. We got a Snap on Zeus not long ago.. $9500 bucks just to keep current with the late model trucks we get in here. It was a little cheaper than some because we didn't need a Asian adapters and such. I wonder how that plug cleaner would work on todays iridium plugs LOL.. kidding

Yeah, the Sun Engine analyzer, remember when those were top of the line?

Thanks for commenting Cooperino. :beerchug:

I don't remember when they were tippy top lol Not that old.. But I used them for many many years before OBDI.. Remember counting the flashes ?? UUgh. what a nightmare. Then in 96 OBDII wreaked some havoc until everyone got up to speed. I really really liked the simpler days tho. Maybe why I am attracted to old trucks, cars and tractors. When new ford 4.9's became impossible to get the TUG manufacturers tried Ford 4.2 liter fuel injected engines for awhile. Horrible engine especially in industrial use, but the real problem was the older GSE techs had very little knowledge of fuel injection let alone ECM's. Luckily the engines were so horrible the manufactures stopped using them within a couple years and went to OEM spec new 4.9's again. Since then they stopped messing around and now produce primarily tugs with Cummins 4 cylinders, Deutz, or Perkins engines. Now i feel sorry for the older guys still wrenchin in mom and pop shops with the self driving, self braking systems coming out. Will be a couple years before the warranty is out and people start bringing these to small auto shops but when it happens it will be difficult for them.

First truck I ever bought was a ’76 F250 with a 360, 4 speed and 4.10 gears. When I was just checking it out I took it down to see my ol’ buddy Jerry at the Shell station. Said "hey Jerry", I said, put this b!tch on the Sun machine an’ tell me what chu think. Jerry says, "Listen Dick, I’ll tell ya what I think, this POS truck is only running on 5 cylinders. You better tell me the name of the guy that’s trying to rip you off so I can tell him a thing or two". Well, knowing Jerry I decided to go to plan B and run the motha up the biggest hill I could find in Worcesta with the pedal through the floor in 3rd gear. Bought that truck.

Nice thing about that truck was I never had to change the oil, just add! Course I cleaned the spark plugs every week and swapped out the K&N just as often…:biggrin2:

Still got that truck.:ThumbsUp:

OK lol. well then ya must remember whammies! Or at least thats what we called them here.. Non foulers. You could buy them as anti foul plugs or as adapters that you put on the end of the plug before you installed it. For engines that ya just didnt want to rebuild but you wanted to keep running it without changing or cleaning plugs once a week.

I never really clean plugs unless its something that has been sitting a while with old fuel and I have managed to flood it, then I just dry them off, maybe rotate them out with another used one--but again this is something I rarely do. I do, however, keep lots of new plugs in stock. Napa is the cheapest around here, I get discount codes emailed to me so I just order online and pick up in the store. We have several old gas powered pcs of farm equipment. Generally just run them till they start acting up, then tune up ignition system as needed.

Thanks john hall, I appreciate your opinion, and thanks for commenting.:beerchug: