Coppers vs Platinum Plugs in an 850 Turbo engine

UncleBoost · Post by **UncleBoost** » 25 Jan 2005, 12:40

Ok heres the scoop, and me being the skeptic I am, I would like expert opinions from more experienced .

My 855T jerks and sputters on heavy acceleration (Pedal to the floor).
Instead of Ohming out the High Tension wires, I replaced them with NEW.
No fixxy.
I have done too many things to repeat here again. Those who know me and my posts are probably familiar. I have done everything Matthew and a few others have recoomended as far as Troubleshooting. Many new parts in the Fuel system (except FP reg. and injectors)

My question is I have put AC platinum Plugs in engine .028 Gap. Is this a Bad choice???
I was told that these engines love the cheap Copper plugs.
Can someone shed some light on this if it is true as to why the difference?
I thought platinums where the Horse Dong of spark Plugs.
The term "Blowout" comes to mind. Does the turbo Blow out the spark on a Plat? or should I rephrase and say is the combustion pressure to high thus prohibiting a hot enough spark?
One of my problems was after i installed 2 new 02 sensors i I got a new code of 2-3-1 (AutoZone scanner said~ Burning rich) could it be that the Plats spark isn't hot or large enough to burn up all the fuel during combustion which is why it thinks its burning rich?
Or am I on LSD and way off base?
Hit me!

Post by **dosbricks** » 25 Jan 2005, 13:08

UncleBoost wrote: The term "Blowout" comes to mind. Does the turbo Blow out the spark on a Plat? or should I rephrase and say is the combustion pressure to high thus prohibiting a hot enough spark? ..... could it be that the Plats spark isn't hot or large enough to burn up all the fuel during combustion which is why it thinks its burning rich?
Hit me!

Which ever (pretty good theories, by the way), I think you are on to something here, because I have heard many times on VS that coppers every 20K are the way to go on a turbo. They don't like platinum.

By the way, $5 Bosch Platinum+4s only lasted 42K on my NA before misfiring. Volvo 3 electrode plugs are only about $2.50 each at the dealer and they go 30K easily. I'm sticking with OEM.

vanman250 · Post by **vanman250** » 25 Jan 2005, 13:24

I was also told that you are better off with copper. But I was determined that the platinum plugs were better. I finally gave in and put copper plugs in and it runs better then it ever has. I have used the Volvo 3 plugs and there OK but not as good as the copper.

Vanman250

UncleBoost · Post by **UncleBoost** » 26 Jan 2005, 07:21

Hey, Thanks for all your ideas. It has helped me tremendously.
Turns out my problem was with Fuel Delivery. I changed over to coppers anyway and still had the same Jerky sputtering No acceleration problem.
If you are familiar with the Fuel Pump setup, the little 6" hose that connects the pump to the outlet pipe that pertrudes up through the tank had a loose clamp which caused VERY LOW fuel pressure. Basically the fuel was bearly making it to the fuel rail. Now it Blazes!

knocking on Wood.....Hope the codes are gone for good now. I've Driven 132 miles so far with no check engine light. 1st time in 12 months. Now when I close my eyes to sleep at night, "Check Engine" isn't burned into my retina!

Post by **matthew1** » 26 Jan 2005, 08:49

And to add good shake of weirdness to the Great Sparkplug Wars, 850 owners manuals mention Champion brand plugs. Oy vey.

Tsquared · Post by **Tsquared** » 26 Jan 2005, 20:16

From an absolute performance standpoint copper is the best conductor for a plug. The major drawback is that it wears fast and will deform under high heat conditions changing the gap and therefore changing the shape of the spark. Copper also burns and pits fairly easily. Silver tipped is almost as good but had a higher tendency for fouling. The platinum tipped that is getting allot of press are designed for long life and have a low performance rating. The duel tipped, tri-tipped, and +4 designs are an effort to get high performance and longevity out of a plug. In a hi-po engine platinum will arc and pre-detonate if everything is not properly tuned

For those of you who have tweaked your turbo's or had other vehicles with forced induction it is a delicate balance to find a plug that performs well, does not burn up the anodes, and that will last 20K miles. For stock and almost stock engines the