Buying Vehicles of Every Kind

3 Signs It's Time to Check on Your Spark Plugs

31 May 2017

Avery Hawkins

Auto repairs are necessary when it comes to car maintenance. Some car owners choose to wait for the time suggested by the manufacturers in their owner's manual before taking their cars for auto repairs of various components. This is usually a bad idea because depending on how you drive, you may need to do some of those repairs sooner than you thought. Among the most significant components of your car are the spark plugs. They are essential parts of the ignition system so it's of vital importance to understand when you might need to repair or replace them. Here are some signs to watch out for:

Difficulty Starting Your Car

Spark plugs are a vital component of your car's ignition system. For your car's engine to ignite, it needs the hot spark from the spark plugs, which means the engine will have problems starting if the plugs are faulty. Extremely worn out spark plugs may drain your car battery, which is another common reason you may be having troubles starting the car. However, it is worth noting that the ignition system of your car is made of various individual components. Therefore, besides faulty spark plugs, you could be dealing with some other problems too. Your mechanic should be able to identify any other potential problems that could be causing the difficulty in starting your car.

Poor Acceleration

Poor or slow acceleration is also another common sign that you may need to replace your spark plugs. It is oftentimes easy to tell that your car has lost its responsiveness when it comes to accelerating. When you notice that pushing down on your accelerator doesn't boost the speed of your car instantly or as it used to, you could be dealing with faulty spark plugs. As is the same case with difficulty starting your car, the effectiveness of your spark plugs will be reduced when they are faulty and this can affect how your car performs on acceleration. Similarly, other issues such as clogged fuel injectors or faulty fuel filters can also result in slow acceleration so make sure to have those checked as well.

Engine Misfiring

You may also experience engine misfires if your spark plugs are faulty. It's also fairly simple to tell that your engine is misfiring. The engine will stumble briefly before regaining its pace. A misfiring engine is a result of improperly firing spark plugs. This may be caused by a build-up of carbon deposits on the spark plugs. You need to replace the spark plugs to prevent other problems such as reduced fuel efficiency or engine performance.

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