My daily driver has platinum plugs...and an occasional engine miss. I pulled one plug yesterday and it was black...the center electrode seems to be recessed from the center insulator...is this the way they should be? BTW...Bosch plugs. Thanks...
It has been my experience as a automotive trainer and repair shop owner that the bosch platinum may or not work well in some applications. Its not that the plugs are defective , its the fact that during marketing they just get in the wrong or incorrect heat range for the aplications. On a good day where the engine is modified and the rear end gear is changed the oem plug may no longer be the correct heat range. In this case a person could ( by accident) install another brand of plug marketed incorrectly and by pure luck fix the issue and you are then convinced that the brand ( could be bosch platinum) was the greatest item ever made. On a bad day with a fiarly stock oem engine the bosch is installed and has a very short life and at that example they are consider junk!! In our world if the engine has a miss fire , AND has Bosch platinums they are removed and replaced with the oem plug! Fixes 99.9 percent of the problems, hard to explain to a customer his new ****x plugs just wont work for HIS application...
I've always heard that lead in gas or even some additives destroy platinum plugs. I think all these "gimmick" plugs are just a good way to waste your money. Just buy any good brand of conventional plug and you'll never have a problem. For a little added performance for racing you can "clip" them and they'll be on a par with racing plugs that cost ** times more.
I too had a bad day with Bosh Platinum plugs. I bought what was specified for an LT-1 engine and did nothing but chase miss-fires. thought it was the new wires that were installed until i chased it down to a few of the plugs just not doing their job well. Jerked them all out and went back with the OEM AC Delco plug and it cleared the problem up instantly. A lesson learned, never again will i spend money on those plugs. maybe they have working applications, but I have not heard very much good news about them. If any one wants them they can search my garbage can.
Yep. I convinced myself that Bosch plugs were the be all/end all. Ended up switching back to conventional plugs and solved a few headaches in my daily driver.
I always believed the main reason one plug was better than another was that the heat range being correct for the application. I was going to try some of the high dollar plugs in my roller cam, 2 4 MSD equipped 327 but now I think I'll just spend it on gas.
I've worked with GM techs,Mitsubishi techs, and others who will not use Bosch Platinums. Have seen lots of customers miss fires cured by removing them too. But, for OE applications factory platinum plugs work well.
Please dont take this sarcastically..Why didnt the ones that were specfied for my LT-1 work? I bought the only Bosh Platinum plugs that were listed for that engine. Are they having "Batch issues"?
Years ago, I had a "daily" that stranded me at the drags with same problem that you mentioned above. I am a true believer in OEM plugs, ignition products, and emissions equipment for non-modified, late model daily drivers.
I cant' tell you specificaly, but all the GM techs I've worked with said GMs dont like Bosch Platinums. An ex Chrysler tech told me he has seen the platinum fall out of the end of the ceramic on freshly installed plugs. I'm only on the 2nd set of AC Delco plugs in my 178,000 mile LT1, changed the orriginal ones when I bought it at 130,000.
Funny you say that GMB, friend of mine said the same thing when i tried to put them in my LT-1 , guess i shoulda listened to him. I too went back to AC Delco..ready for another 100K miles.
Look very closely at the black tips of those Bosch plugs. I've had a few of my own where the center electrode fell out, leaving a black hole. I use Autolites in everything now.
Had alot of pissed off yuppies when I worked for O'Reilly come in to complain after they put Bosch platinum, +2, +4 in their Porsche MG, Triumph, whatever with points and carbs. A set of 99 cent champions fixed the problem most times. I like AC delco or whatever is in stock and cheap.
at the shop i work for, we won't use bosch plugs in ANYTHING. let alone the platinums. the +2 and +4 are gimmicks that have been around since the 50's. only good for those who never change their plugs...electricity always takes the path of least resistance and that would be the prong that's microscopically closer to the electrode. that is until that prong wears and it moves to the next. worthless for guys like us who maintain our vehicles. platinum plugs also run hotter for better around town driving, terrible for open road. very bad for performance applications too. stick to some good ole copper resistor type plugs and you'll be happy. there's a reason they've stuck around
I have found that engines that are not designed for platinum will either partially or completely foul out the plug. They do seem to work well on late model clean burning engines which none of my rods qualify. I use either AC Delco or the Accell shorty's.
we just had this issue two days ago....(and have experienced it time after time.) in my experience, most of the late model ford engines do not like aftermarket plugs. particularly engines that call for an oem platinum application. 99% of the time, genuine motorcraft plugs straighten things right out. them bosch jobs stink.
Stay away from aftermarket Bosch Platinum plugs. I have seen many, many problems-missing out randomly from the use of these spark plugs. I have a repair shop and have had to "untune" many vehicles, tuned with Bosch Platinums.
What about AC Delco Platinum? Same story as Bosch above? I know my 96 likes AC's, but a hot rod may be a whole 'nuther story.
Whew... these replies are real eye-openers. My "daily" (actually my brides) is a '95 Continental with the DOHC V-8...came stock with platinum plugs, I believe. I used the Bosch plugs in the E-350 I used for my stint in the expedited freight biz back about 8 years ago...I seemed to get good service out of 'em but mebbe I was lucky. I, too, have noticed many FOMOCO product really prefer Motorcraft plugs... maybe it's time to go get a set of them and be done with it. I really appreciate all of the input...
Don't try to put bosch O2 sensors in that LT1 either or any other sensor for that matter. Computers work on milivolts and varing resistance....doesn't take much to upset it.
I have had the same problems with Bosch platinums.They are ****.Didn't last 30 thousand miles.Mechanics coming into our store say they are no good,wish I had known that before I used them.I went back to Champion copper and my Dodge runs good with them.I wouldn't put Bosch in a lawnmower.
autolites are a different story than the bosch. plut your engine was designed specifically to run on platinum plugs. it's all about the application man
I work in the dealer service industry, and came from the aftermarket speed parts and over the counter discount parts chains. I am a firm believer in using OE parts. You get what you pay for, especially in todays world of decreasing profit margins. Everyone here *****es about the inexperienced counter help at parts stores which are due to low pay to increase profits. WELL...think about the "quality" of parts they are buying/selling/demanding from their suppliers to increase profits. I see aftermarket parts every day that don't last more than a few thousand miles, not worth the few dollars saved.
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