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Spark Plug Cleaners?

Ironflight

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
I know that I am going to get NO sympathy on this....but maybe I can get a little info!

One of the problems with moving to our airpark home is that I am no longer keeping the plane(s) at the hangar of my good friend and IA who has every maintenance tool imaginable. Whenever I needed to clean my spark plugs, I used his big box-like Champion cleaner, and was done quickly. Well, of course, I don't have one, and the good ones for sale from Spruce, etc seem to be Cleaner/testers, and fairly expensive.....OR, they are those little things with the fabric bag on them for about $40. Never having used one of those, I am a bit curious how well they work - hate to spend the money on something where I still end up driving over to my buddy's hangar and using his good one.

But if they work well, hey - an excuse to buy another tool!

So how well do the little things work?

Paul
 
Ironflight said:
...So how well do the little things work?

Paul
Click to expand...
Similar problems here. The good bead blast cabinet my buddy had has been sold. I tried the little bag deal this year and wasn't at all happy with the results.

All around good guy George offered to take the plugs down to the city shop and do the job. That worked out dandy!
 
Gary Bricker

Buy a blasting cabinet for your hanger at home. Get a good one. I have one and it get all kinds of use from lots of neighbors. Not just for plugs. Also Matco sells a hand blaster that is nice.
 
alternatives...

Ironflight said:
I know that I am going to get NO sympathy on this....but maybe I can get a little info!

One of the problems with moving to our airpark home is that I am no longer keeping the plane(s) at the hangar of my good friend and IA who has every maintenance tool imaginable. Whenever I needed to clean my spark plugs, I used his big box-like Champion cleaner, and was done quickly. Well, of course, I don't have one, and the good ones for sale from Spruce, etc seem to be Cleaner/testers, and fairly expensive.....OR, they are those little things with the fabric bag on them for about $40. Never having used one of those, I am a bit curious how well they work - hate to spend the money on something where I still end up driving over to my buddy's hangar and using his good one.

But if they work well, hey - an excuse to buy another tool!

So how well do the little things work?

Paul
Click to expand...

I can't answer your question, but offer an alternative: buy another set of plugs and rotate them so you can go visit your buddy and clean them at your convenience.
 
Paul, I've actually used the little $40 one for about 30 years. Have to replace the bag and grit every once in a while. It takes about 2 minutes per plug to blas them, and they look like new when done. I haven't tried the larger cabinet-style one, but from the commnets here I must be missing something. Anyway, this one has worked for me.

Vic
 
Paul,
I also use the "bag" type cleaner. It works well but somewhat messy.Each time you use it you loose a little of the media onto the floor. I also blow out the plugs with air after using it. I don't trust it to get all the grit out.
Been using it for about 25 years and like Vic says, you have to replace the bag and replenish the media occasionally.
BTW, I also keep a spare set of plugs and swap them each time.
 
vic syracuse said:
...It takes about 2 minutes per plug to blas them, and they look like new when done...
Click to expand...
Sounds like my problem was just pilot error. I'm used to spending maybe 5 or 10 seconds per plug with the cabinet blasters. I'll have to try again.
 
Great inputs guys! Yeah, I'd like an excuse to buy a good cabinet blaster, but not sure that's in the cards for now....if the little things work for guys like Mel and Vic, that's a pretty good endorsement. Larry, I guess I'll be interested to hear if you get better results from a longer blast - I am used to short times with the expensive units as well.

Paul
 
Good ole' Harbor Freight...

vic syracuse said:
Paul, I've actually used the little $40 one for about 30 years. Have to replace the bag and grit every once in a while. It takes about 2 minutes per plug to blas them, and they look like new when done. I haven't tried the larger cabinet-style one, but from the commnets here I must be missing something. Anyway, this one has worked for me.

Vic
Click to expand...

...often has the bag one on sale in the less than $10 range.

It appears to be the same as the aircraft ones, but with a smaller hole in the rubber plug holder bit. 30 seconds with an Xacto knive will convert it to handle the larger diameter aircraft plugs....:)

CORRECTION

Standard price is $7.99... I must have got mine for $4.99 on sale....

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=32860

32860.gif


The grit they provide seems a bit coarse, but is easily replaced...

The savings over the $40 aircraft catalog ones will pay for two new plugs for your rotation set....:D
 
I have both the Champion spark plug cabinet and a vibrating cleaner to get the lead deposits out. First I hit the plugs with the vibrating cleanner, then I always use my big blasting cabinet instead to clean plugs. I can clean a plug in about 10 seconds with my blasting cabinet, its easier to maneuver the nozzle inside the plug to get them nice and clean. You can't clean the threads up with the Champion cabinet like you can with the blasting cabinet. After that I hit the threads with a wire wheel to polish them up. I then gap and test with the Champion tester, and make sure the gaps are adjusted so the plug fires evenly on either side of the electrode, at different pressure settings. I also use the mil-spec LPS nickel anti-seize, stay away from the Champion anti-seize since it dries up and can cause cross-threading.

A cheap bench top Harbor Freight blasting cabinet is a more useful tool than is a dedicated spark plug cleaner.
 
For my .02....the best way I've found to clean plugs is to use an old toothbrush and Hopps #9 solvent. It does a great job removing any deposits and will not leave any grit in your plugs and ITS CHEAP.

Glenn Wilkinson
 
If you do blast your plugs, tape the threads with electrical tape. And after you are done blasting and cleaning with air pressure, take a paper cup with about an inch of solvent or gas in it and quickly dip the blasted end in and out of the solvent to wash out the remainig grit........ Wait till you see what comes out. The best way to clean an aircraft plug is with a vibrator-probe. Then use Hopps #9 solvent with an an old toothbrush as above.

And when setting the gap........ NEVER PRY THE GAP OPEN

Now if you have LSI, then just install new plugs.
 
I have also used the vibrator/bag blaster combo.
I couldn't locate a sparkplug specific vibrator so I bought an engraver and put an aluminum rod in it with the end squished flat to fit in the cavity. Works great on the chunks. The bag works so-so.

I bought a second set of plugs to rotate but the ones I pulled out I put back into the plastic tubes and covered with parafilm. When I went back to use them they were all rusty! I guess you need some desicant in the package with them.

Steve
 
I happened to be up at Harbor freight the other day to get a couple of jack cylinders (thanks to Larry "Geico" for another project!), and they had the bag cleaner for $15, so I brought one home, and cleaned an old set of plugs. It actually worked very well! Two things I learned. First, it is supposed to be mounted vertically on th wall - I've always just seen them sitting horizontally on a bench. Second, I bet that the media wears out, gets rounded, and doesn't clean very well. Hey, for $5 or less, I can make it like new with a new bag of grit! It's quicker than running over to my buddy's, at least until a real blaster cabinet bubbles up on the budget list....

Paul
 
Or

Just autoplugs and throw 'em away at every other oil change..:)

Hmm maybe I can clean these up with the blaster and save another $4 per oil change..

I am SOO cheap..:)

Frank
 
New Info

I was reading this thread for suggestions on plug cleaner/testers and was dismayed at some of the information. The Tempest guide is relevant for all plug maintenance.

http://www.tempestplus.com/Portals/0/PDFs/Sparkplug Cleaning The Right Way 061212.pdf

I reluctantly used my glass bead-filled blast cabinet while I wait for the ATS unit I ordered from SkyGeek. I'll let you know how I like the kit after I use it.

http://www.skygeek.com/aircraft-tool-supply-spk-dx-deluxe-spark-plug-kit.html.

I was taught to use walnut hull media at 30 psi and resist the temptation to make the plugs look like new. The article explains why.
 
I've been using the ATS unit for a few years, works very well (I use it very sparingly and only on the really dirty plugs). I would recommend only putting in about half the abrasive they supply, for some reason it quits working if you have to much of the abrasive in it.
 
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