Damn, what stereo was in the 2001 Vogue/DSP setup? I'd love a line in!
I've always gapped them down to give the coil/coils an easier time with LPG. I guess it depends on how much zip the system has spare.
Well, the standard Nickel ones are £2.20 and the Platinum PFR ones are £7.14. I'm certainly not going to take the two new BPR6ES ones out now, but I can't see any point in risking the head for another £42 so I'll buy 6 Platinum and run an odd set. Now I know what caused the problem - 21mm (actually 13/16ths despite being French) hex plugs instead of 16. The access to the heads looks pretty good, I'd forgotten all about the thread when we first "discovered" the issues with Thor heads and standard sized plugs and tools :/
All I really need to know is the expected service life of the PFRs when running LPG. Or I'll pop one out every 10k and have a look. My only real concern is whether the 1.1mm gap will put a strain on the ignition system, I've been gapping the standard plugs down to 0.7mm which works really well for LPG.
Richard, your recommended BKR6EIX-11 are £9 which seems like a good deal as long as they don't end up rusted like the old Champions that need to come out! I've no idea if they're double or single Iridium but if they last significantly longer than the Platinum.. got to be worth it?
Good to know. Thanks for posting the result.
Whats up with the centre console trim? From the photos it seems to be a really poor match between the upper and lower pieces for colour and fit. I can't believe H and H would put their name to that, or am I wrong?
You may or may not have the captive nuts fitted which allow you to screw the brackets in place. Mine doesn't but it does have the slots in the headlining after the headlining Summer Camp.
The PFR ones are platinum, and should last 100,000km apparently. That's 4 years for me. The only thing is they are 1.1mm gap and you cant gap them.
But.... as long as they don't knacker the heads I guess they're a good choice.
The old plugs were definitely the wrong sort of champions, I hope the rest come out OK when its time :/
Well, I've got 8 spark plugs in the engine. 2 of them are even new! Let's see how long they stay there. So that's 2 plugs and 0 wires complete. I rock!!
Thanks for the help and support, I really didn't want to contemplate a head off job.
Richard, that sounds exactly right and the Duchess is a Y/01 car. No 7 went in fine. No 5... not so much. Thanks for the NGK part no - I'll be getting a set of them instead! (although I'm half tempted to get the stupid price "LPG" plugs and hope they really do last a lifetime).
I went to the local car parts shop and the owner/manager bloke is an ex P38 victim. While we examined my plug socket for alternatives (turns out mine is already a thin wall one) he did say that he had bought plugs with a smaller hex for his car before he flogged it. They're all D2 owners in that shop, so quite handy. In the end he sold me a set of tube spanners for £9 which did the job on No.5 and kept my improvised thread chaser straight enough.
Good news, I think there's enough thread to save it. Bad news, I can't work with the standard plug socket I've got. FFS, isn't anything standard?
OK thanks folks. I found that hack on a YT video for lawnmower etc but didn't feel confident to do it on a proper engine.
And yes, I always read the instructions (have to, really, if you work in IT) so I don't gorilla plugs. This is the first set I've fitted on this engine so I forgot how spoilt I've been by replacing my own work on my Jeep!
There are some idiots out there. Now I remember how hard it was to get the oil filter off the first time, I shoudn't have been surprised :/
Ok, here comes the teeny dremel and cutoff wheel.
EDIT: Wish me luck!
Well, turns out I can't even change the damn plugs :(
The second plug I tried (no 5) was cross threaded or something - I had to use a bar to get it out. As you might expect the thread is a mess. I cranked the engine to try and blow out the pile of crud/alloy shavings that covered half the hole. Now I've got a very second hand looking thread and a spark plug doesn't feel like it'll go in properly.
Has anyone tried chasing the threads with the head in-situ?
It looks like the inlet manifold may be coming off. Is there a gasket I need to get?
Realistically, I need this on the road on Sunday so it's getting plugs now and wires are going on the One Day list. I might just leave them on the back seat the next time it goes to the garage - they know I only leave them the fun jobs :)
I do like that leather, but the wood on the centre console doesn't look like it's up to scratch. Otherwise, it'd be fun trying to explain to an 8 year old in the back that something the size of a paperback only holds one film in lo-res :)
Have you got the one I posted? It's on ebay, the reg is X986HVC
If you've got a spare £15k burning a hole in your pocket :)
https://tinyurl.com/sryttpb
Even with one I can't see it as the link seems to take you straight to the group page. Facebook is a pita sometimes.
Damnit, I went out this afternoon with my new plugs and wires... FFS how am I ever going to get my shovels in to the coil packs? I think it might be just plugs this time :/
Sorry Sloth, forgot you know all this stuff too :)
In the absence of Marty.... I did ask him the same question once and the reply wasn't quite what I was expecting and amounted to "best leave it as it is". Sorry, I didn't file away the details - just the instruction :)