Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)
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About this issue
180 available scans from Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition), in right-to-left reading order. Japanese OCR and English translation drafts are available throughout. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.
Page 56 — English draft translation
A healthy plug should be toasted a golden brown. If it is overheated, use a plug one heat range colder. Normally, naturally aspirated engines use heat range 5 and turbo engines use 7 (the number is printed on the plug insulator, though numbering can vary by manufacturer). Move one step colder. If the ground electrode is worn, the spark may not jump properly, so replace the plug.
The car's electrical accessories, air conditioner, alternator, power-steering pump, and even the cooling fan behind the radiator are all driven by the crank pulley through belts. If a belt becomes slack, the pulley cannot drive these parts properly, so they may not work as they should. To check a belt, press down on it and measure the deflection; it should be about 1 cm or less...
Captions and page details
The essentials! 5
Spark plugs
HI0 SNIDNG
—
You do know where the spark plugs are, right? On a twin-cam engine, for example, they are in the cylinder head between the intake and exhaust cam covers. Follow the plug wires from the distributor...
...at the tip.
...and you'll find them. These days plugs are often called maintenance-free, and the plug wrench has even disappeared from some factory tool kits. But if you drive hard, you should still inspect them. Check for signs of overheating and wear on the ground electrode. If they are overheated, the ground electrode will be white...
Removing spark plugs is actually simple, but there are several pitfalls. Take your time and be careful. Let's get started.
...and
— Tools needed:
Depending on the vehicle, remove the cover and use a hex wrench...
...or similar tools.
First, pull off a plug wire. If you remove them all at once, you may forget which wire goes where, so inspect them one at a time until you know the order.
Keep your engine running well with the right spark plugs!
When you remove a plug, first look at the ground electrode. If it is toasted a golden brown, that's good. If it is black or white, that's bad. The ground electrode may also have melted; if so, replace the plug.
Install the plugs by reversing the removal steps. When tightening one, turn it gently by hand first. When it lightly seats, pause, then tighten it another half-turn. That should be fine. If it will not turn in smoothly, the threads may be damaged or the plug may not be aligned straight with the hole.
The plug has threads that secure it in the cylinder head. Insert a plug wrench into the opening, loosen the plug, and remove it. It may be tight at first, but once loosened the wrench should turn easily. If it stops turning partway... there may be a problem, so reinstall it and have a dealer or repair shop inspect it.
...damage the threads...
The essentials! 6
Belt
—
—
No tools needed
—
Press down by hand like this to check the belt's deflection.
...as a guide. If the belt is too loose, you would normally adjust the tensioner pulley. But newer cars often leave very little room to work, so have a dealer or repair shop fix it.
...for you.
When a belt loosens, your pants don't fall down—instead, the electrical systems get weak!
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