Spark Plugs fouled?? Take a look

[LoSx]

Ok I have a few questions.... I have a turboed corolla same engine as the GT

I changed my plugs probably 30K+ ago maybe less to IK20 plugs which are 1 step colder but I left the factory gap of .044

Now after I got it tuned (which I did right after the turbo install) I had misfire issues ever since the beginning and a semi rough idle (550 cc injectors??)... could this be caused by the gap being too large?

Is it possible to gap plugs that have 30K+ miles on them... should I reuse them or get newer iridium or other type plugs and gap those instead....

I have heard I should drop down to .030 gap with a boosted application 7 - 8 psi

So the basic questions to recap are do the plugs still look good and if not why not? Can the large gap be causing the misfires or rough idle? Should i regap these or get new plugs?

Oh and here ar ethe pics of one of the plugs tell me if you need all 4


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/angelsgirl114/carlos%20spark%20plugs/IMG_3896.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/angelsgirl114/carlos%20spark%20plugs/IMG_3893.jpg

[Curt705]

plugs are toast...get new ones...don't regap

[LoSx]

You say not to gap it... why not?? I have rea d ton of posts that say turbos should gap the plugs a lot smaller....

Also ran compression its 200 all around which seems ok for a 1zz

[SleeprGT]

those plugs are Nasty, I have no idea what your talking about gapping? I just took out my old plugs and then screwed in new ones. Can someone elighten me on gapping?

[vin2490]

u shudnt really gap them unless u plan on putting the old ones in...
so just buy the new ones and put them in without regapping

[LoSx]

Well I replaced them with plugs that are gapped at .030 iridiums so that should work well... So far so good.

[Jesse IL]

Those plugs show a prolonged lean run condition.

I certainly hope you have a wideband on your car...right?

[LoSx]

I think the flash whitened it a lot... they were actually red brown on those portions but with the camera flash so close it white washed it...

I definately don't think Im lean.. we tuned the damn thing real rich a while back tho...

And speaking of widebands... Im putting it in in a week or 2 hopefully because Im fairly certain its running too rich actually..

[Jesse IL]

I definately don't think Im lean
Well, unfortunately you're wrong. That's a combination of lean run and deposits from the fuel.

You're running a piggyback ECU, right? It may have thrown very high fuel trims and learned itself lean over time.

[vip09]

You've definitely been running lean.

[LoSx]

f'ing yeah I have the emanage.... I will be pissed if its learned to lean itself out over time....

Anyhow how Ill have a wideband gauge in a week or 2 and then I can see what really happening rather than going to a dyno again!

I know someone will say get the powerfc but I didnt want to lose OBD2 and I have a corolla with 3 plugs and would have to splice them all to get it to connect... Can it really learn to lean out a A/F of like 12:1 cuz that would SUCK... any way around this?

[SleeprGT]

If you have an EGT gauge you should be able to tell if you were leaning out right? Cause the temperatures would be crazy high no?

[LoSx]

what would crazy high be.... Its usually 1200F I believe on the highway in 5th going 85

Also I though EGT temp is highest at stoich and drops from there either if you are lean or rich... or is that incorrect?

[SleeprGT]

No im pretty sure that you get higher temp marks running lean, than rich. 1200 doesn't seem to be too high, its been so long that I can't remember what mine where. I am sure someone on the board can help you out.

[LoSx]

apparently I really need the wideband to retune this sucker... how well do our ECU's relearn the fuel curve??? It does it all off the bank 1 sensor I am assuming since my bank 2 sensor is faked.... (ie a cap resistor mod to make it fluctuate in voltgae since Its before the cat on my exhaust for wideband setup)

[Jesse IL]

Talk to jlitman. He's one of the more experienced people here with tuning the e-manage. You'll need an OBD scanner to monitor fuel trims to do it right.

[LoSx]

Why would I have to monitor the fuel trims?? I fake the Long Term fuel trim already... wouldnt a wideband be more helpful.. I did use a dyno and wideband to tune it a while ago btw

[Jesse IL]

The key to tuning the e-managing is managing fuel trims from my understanding. There are a few guys on Spyderchat who are very knowledgeable about it as well, but their methods are extremely complex and tim consuming.

In general, with the e-manage, if the ECU sees high fuel trims, it just unlearns what you did.

[LoSx]

Hmm I just read jlitmans post I will head over to spyder chat to see what I can learn.. I don't really know if it truly did unlearn until I see the A/f though then I can confirm this!

[Jesse IL]

That's why we tell people to ALWAYS run a wideband on custom forced induction cars.

[LoSx]

its done fairly well the last 3 yrs.... over 40K miles so it hasnt been that bad but yeah ill definately have a wideband from now on

[Vamp]

Pickup the ESC1. That worked wonders for my tuning. And yeah, you definitely need to get a wideband in your Corolla man.

[LoSx]

Ive read all over on the IS Forums that it doesn't work and doe swork... seems to be extremely controversial... apparently there is a guy in MD that the IS guys trust to tune emanage's to hold their tune and I am trying to get in touch with his shop... so far they said tuning appts are 1 month out... OUCH

Either way wideband is getting in this sucker asap... and the ESC1 I want to check out with more people to see if it actually works!

[Haulin]

Have you got your A/F ratio checked?

[trdnerd]

what would crazy high be.... Its usually 1200F I believe on the highway in 5th going 85

Also I though EGT temp is highest at stoich and drops from there either if you are lean or rich... or is that incorrect?

Ive never even hit 700f, but Im only running 5-6psi.

[LoSx]

do you mean 700 celcius which = 1290F

cuz 700F cant be right... when I got it tuned I had 12:1 a/f and my EGT still weren't anywhere near that low....

We are talking liek 3rd gear WOT.... not on a side road going 20...

Also my gauge is right at the collector before the turbo so real close to the engine and the manifold is heat ceramic coated to hold heat... thus those are normal temps... if you have 700F you must have it near the cat or not in a turbo application or far from the collector...

Some references of where I confirmed my info BTW

Here (http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=223460)
Here2 (http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=134517)

[trdnerd]

I guess it reads C not F. It doesn't show C or F so I guess its 700c = 1200F.:thumbup: