Just a general question, how often should you change out plugs?

 

Every 30,000 miles for the 5.7s.

 

every 30k. . .

 

Dodge recommends 30K interval between changes. That is probably because they are a copper plug, and over time the copper center electrode wears, causing an increase in spark plug gap, which eventually will cause misfirings. A full platinum plug is less prone to gap wear (though it will still happen but over a longer period of time). That is why Ford and GM use platinum plugs, and say 100K miles before the first tune up.

 

Is there any reason not to go with platnum on a 5.7? there is no down side right?

 

Oh, I also meant to say that if you have jack stands, or ramps, lift the front end and remove the belly pan, because you're GONNA drop stuff. I dropped the socket & plug TWICE, and the coil pack bolts THREE times!

 

I second that. I did my plugs at 30K and in the middle of replacing them, I dropped my socket. I didn't have the belly pan removed and I couldn't drive the car on the ramps to remove it. I had to pull the splash shield just under the front bumper and stick my arm in the pull out the socket.

 

3.5 uses platinum every 100k.

 

Wow really? Why is there such a difference in the miles between the 3.5 and 5.7?

 

I'm actually looking forward to changing the plugs on my 5.7 after having to do the plugs on my dad's 3.9 in his Ram 1500 Van today.

It was the first time I've worked on a vehicle from the inside, outside, and underneath just to try to get one stinking plug out.

 

Yeah, your R/T will be much easier- there's no need to be a contortionist at all. I did use a breaker bar on #7, but all else was very easy.

 

Great.. now come swap my cam for me, would ya..? :smoke:

 

Well...



I like your car too much to attempt that. You'll need professional help (take that however you want!).

 

So how often on the 6.1? Same plug number? And, where are they?
Underneath that cover thing I would suppose. How do you get to them?
So many questions.........

 

The 6.1 uses platinum plugs and has a change interval of 100K. If you do change your own plugs you should be careful to hand tighten them before snugging them down. It is very easy to cross thread a plug into an aluminum head.

 

Same interval I think. Removed the covers, and you will see 4 coils on each side. Remove the coils, and voila! Plugs

 

The 3.5 plugs are MUCH more difficult to replace, therefore they use platinum which last longer and don't need to be replaced as often. Whcih just goes to show you that even Dodge recognizes the quality and efficiency of using platinum plugs. Makes you wonder why the bigger dollar srt's and Hemi's don't get the same kind of respect with better plugs from the factory.

 

I'm sure you could put platinum plugs in a 5.7, in fact I'm pretty sure that there are quite a few who have done so. But in the end I think the fact that you don't have to remove the intake manifold to swap plugs on a 5.7 is the deciding factor.

I guess DCX at the time figured why shrink our profit margin/pass this cost on to the customer when we can give them plugs that do the same job but last 1/3rd as long. But that's okay since they aren't a PITA to get to.

 

So....just because they came from the factory with copper plugs, why do we have to replace them with copper? Has anyone tried a similar platinum plug when they changed plugs? My harley came with copper too but I'll be damned if I am gonna run coppers in it. I have always had much better luck with a platinum. Although I don't go for all the fancy 2, 3, or 4 conductor ones. Just a simple single platinum is a pretty good plug IMO.

 

I plan on changing mine at 10K.. I refuse to beleive any spark plug will perform at 10k+ as it did brand new. 100k? No thanks!

 

I used platinum on all my vehicles. I agree that at 100K you are losing performance, but, at 50K I had a gap erosion less than .010, compared to copper which would have eroded to .080 with those miles. I am gonna break the conventional wisdom in about 5K miles (when I hit 30K) and install Bosch Platinum +4's in BamBam. I[ve had them in my last 3 cars, with no problems whatsoever. Oh, and I never changed them again once they were installed. Some people hate them (for whatever reasons) but my track record with them forces me to continue installing them. I'll post again in a couple months with how they are doing.

 

BOSCH +4 platinum $10.00 * 16 = 160.00
Kinda expensive just for plugs dont ya think... im still gonna doit at 30,000km but it still is expensive...

 

i know this is gonna start a big contriversy but i think those plugs are junk. Electricity travels to the path of least resistance so
a. your electrode is going to fire to whichever of the four poles it wants to (least resistance) and not shoot in the middle and spread out like the advertisements would have ya beleive. ANy major electrical gurus can jump on here and back me up with this one.
b. second lots of people dont know that coiled applications (like ours) the plug fires in two directions not just one. Its not like the old days where the plug fires from electrode to bridge. The secondary cylinder on each cylce fires from bridge to electrode and grounds back at the coil. Hard to explain without paper but this is called a waste spark system. Thats why some cars have double platinums. Its not always for mileage benefits but that is a selling factor

 

guess it's time to do mine... got 36k on the odometer....

 

Good to know it is pretty easy to change them. Since I don't put that many miles on my car it will probably be another 3 to 4 years before I have to change them.

 

A waste spark ignition system is....

Wasted spark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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An ignition system in a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine may fire spark plugs in pairs, on both the exhaust and compression strokes. The extra spark on the exhaust stroke has no effect and is thus "wasted". This design is simpler than a conventional ignition system, but the extra sparks reduce the lifespan of components (contact breaker, spark plugs).
Examples of engines using this design include the Buick V6 engine Series I and newer, Harley Davidson V-Twin, BMW Airheads, Citroën 2CV, Mazda B engine and Chrysler V10. Some Ford engines also do. Many Honda and Kawasaki motorcycle engines also follow a similar design, to allow for a smaller number of more powerful coils to replace a larger number of smaller coils in the same limited space.
Many single cylinder 4-stroke engines also have a wasted spark. There is only one spark at a time, but at twice the rate that is needed, so half are wasted. The magneto on these engines is on the flywheel, so there is a spark on each revolution of the engine, but the cylinders on 4 stroke engines only fire every second revolution.

Buckethead gets the cubby doll.
Dave

 

but technically they arent wasted they are used for exhaust scavenging and reducing the emissions therefore all of our kids can live long enough to drive 2020 chargers. haha

 

its so hard to take a guy named buckethead seriously :grin:

 

Ha, sorry... been a nickname of mine since middle school... My real name is Matt :lol:


I'll have to get myself a sig or something

 

 

yeah... that's essentially how I got my nickname too... :lol:


EDIT: I guess I got an avatar now!

 

hahahahahahahahahaha

 

i believe it is now done electronically instead of an extra plug wire i think ther was some discussion about this before

 

Now there's a Spark Plug.:lol:

 

what is the beer to plug ratio? one beer per plug

 

not if your 150 lb like me. Two plugs and your on the ground with a one cylinder tune up.

 

You know much about 350 Chevy engines? :nervous s

 

My buddy Mike does...