Diagnose my spark plugs

rumatt · 02-21-2005, 07:25 PM

Experts, any thoughts on my spark plugs? They're from my E30. Supposidly they were changed 1 year ago.

4 of the plugs look the most like the bottom attachment: pretty good, but with a slight dusty gray coating. But two of them look a bit more like the first two pics, with a bit thicker and uneven layering.

According to the haynes manual, it looks like the most like the picture that has the following description: Carbon Deposits: Dry sooty deposits indicate a rich mixture. Check for a clogged air cleaner, high float level, sticky choke, and word ignition points. Use a spark plug with a longer core nose for greater anti-fouling protection.

Does that sound right? Is this a big deal and I should be concerned, or fairly normal on a 15 year old car? I can just get new plugs and call it a day.
Thanks folks.

02-21-2005, 07:25 PM	#1
rumatt Mugwump Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3 Location: NY Posts: 17,475	Diagnose my spark plugs Experts, any thoughts on my spark plugs? They're from my E30. Supposidly they were changed 1 year ago. 4 of the plugs look the most like the bottom attachment: pretty good, but with a slight dusty gray coating. But two of them look a bit more like the first two pics, with a bit thicker and uneven layering. According to the haynes manual, it looks like the most like the picture that has the following description: Carbon Deposits: Dry sooty deposits indicate a rich mixture. Check for a clogged air cleaner, high float level, sticky choke, and word ignition points. Use a spark plug with a longer core nose for greater anti-fouling protection. Does that sound right? Is this a big deal and I should be concerned, or fairly normal on a 15 year old car? I can just get new plugs and call it a day. Thanks folks.