Improvised Anti-Seize

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If my car has been standing idle for a couple of weeks (which happens a lot) I turn it over with the plugs out for a bit, to reduce startup wear.

However, I've lost my spark plug socket. Looks like I left it under the bonnet after I last used it, and it fell out in the road somewhere. Annoying, since it means I'm also down a good quality King Tony breaker bar and extension.

I should be able to replace these when I next get to Kaoshiung, (city about 50k away) but meantime the best I could find locally was a rather nasty universal jointed socket on a T-handle, for 65NT. This wouldn't budge the plugs until I put a foot-long steel tube on one end of the T, suggesting I've perhaps been over-tightening the plugs with my one-finger-on-the-breaker-bar technique. Perhaps I should use a torque wrench, which I've never bothered with before.

Since I take my plugs out a lot more often than most people, increasing the risk of thread damage, this further suggests I perhaps should be using some sort of anti-seize treatment on the plugs. I've never bothered with this before either, and Taiwan is a bad place to start, since I can't usually buy anything here .

Half-assed improvisations I've considered include PTFE plumbers tape, graphite pencil, rubbing with an old tyre weight, perhaps in combination with cheapo chassis grease (which I think is clay based, and may bake solid).

The PTFE is discussed on the web with the usual mass of unsupported opinion-mongering, but the specific objections are it'll melt instantly (doesn't seem to match PTFE's 300C+ temperature range), will insulate the plugs electrically (doubt coverage will be that complete, plus it can still earth through the washer, and I could measure the resistance to check) and thermally (more plausible, and difficult to measure). I've also read somewhere that burnt flourocarbons (I think fluorinated rubbers) can release fluoric acid, which would be truly scary even if its rather unlikely in this case.

I havn't seen graphite pencil dicussed. It should work but involves the (theoretical at least) possibility of galvanic corrosion of the alloy.

So I'm favoring rubbing with an old tyre weight, which I havm't seen discussed either. This'll transfer some lead (or lead-antimony) into the thread grooves. I suppose some of it might get into the engine but I can't see it doing much harm. Antonony is rather high in the electrochemical series though, so perhaps galvanic corrosion of the alloy is a (theoretical at least) possibility here as well.
 
If it's been standing for a couple of weeks, just start it up. This is a lot of work, with no real payback.

My 4 Runner often sits for a couple of weeks. I start it right up. At 250,000 miles, it still has good compression and runs well...no need to pull the plugs.

I would avoid any unnecessary lead exposure as well.
 
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Ditto ^. My 36 year old off the road Chevy truck will sit unstarted for 6 months or more at a time. I pop the hood just to make sure there are no mice living in the air cleaner, check the (dirty) oil to make sure it is full, install the battery and fire it up. Surprisingly, it starts up within 10 seconds and actually runs very good, although the body could fall off of it. I would think taking spark plugs out constantly would get old and debris may fall down into the cylinder. You can do whatever you want, but I would do like above. Just start it up and enjoy.
 
Sounds a little crazy to me, you could be increasing start up wear sucking dirty air into the cylinders with plugs removed and turning over the motor, on a routine occasion.

Some plugs have ant seize coatings on them, sometime I may put a drop wd40 on the threads, or you could do even a drop of oil on the threads.
 
Stop taking those plugs out! Two weeks is the same as 2 hours. I could see if it was two years - other than that, leave those plugs alone! (reminds me of a Pink Floyd song) Use any motor oil as a temp anti seize - generally, if the plug threads are shiny(like chrome) anti seize is not required - if they're black, use it.
 
One...buy a torque wrench.

Two...you're being a bit anal.

Three...find a local japanese powersports dealer. Request clutch grease for a YFM700. Eill work just fine.

Four...install new plugs, gapped correctly, to torque spec with a light coating of grease on the threads.

Five... LEAVE IT ALONE FOR AT LEAST 50K MILES.
 
If you are doing this to build oil pressure before actual combustion takes place, there are easier, less invasive ways to accomplish it. The starter motor and battery will do it, with or without the plugs in place. Better to pull a fuse, killing ignition, if it has coil packs, or even unplug the coil packs, than actually pull the plugs.

If it is old school, just pull the coil wire. Crank, then replace.
 
You might be doing a good job of washing a little bit of the oil off your cylinders with gasoline before you start your engine. I'd skip this ritual and just start the engine and drive the car. It's better to let the engine take care of itself as it was designed to do.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
You might be doing a good job of washing a little bit of the oil off your cylinders with gasoline before you start your engine.


Doubt this is significant (assuming I understand you correctly). If there's limited induction vacuum (because the plugs are out) its unlikely that much fuel is being pulled from the carb. Havn't actually measured this, of course, but havn't noticed any smell of petrol, and if there was much it'd get blown out of the plug holes, and I'd smell it, and/or the car would explode.

Re folks telling me to buy "the right stuff", I understand how difficult it can be for an American, who hasn't actually experienced it, to relate to the automotive desert that is Taiwan. It is VERY DIFFICULT to get stuff here, and this is not only because of the language barrier, though that's significant (for me) too. A bi-lingual British mechanic running a garage here has to specially import brake grease, for example, and as far as he knows he's the only bizniz on the island using it.

Re folks who reckon I'm being anal, you're probably right, but its my arse. In my defence, I'd just say that if I don't do this, it sounds much worse than if I do. Possibly my bearings are shot.

Though I've never considered using anti-seize on plugs in the UK, and never heard of anyone doing it, I'd got the impression it was pretty much standard practice in the US. That'll teach me not to believe stuff on the internet.
 
FI does not need any outside influence to decide to inject some fuel for start up. I said a little bit. You might just be wasting your time and effort. Just drive the car and be done with it.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
FI does not need any outside influence to decide to inject some fuel for start up. I said a little bit. You might just be wasting your time and effort. Just drive the car and be done with it.


Not having any knowledge or experience of FI, (apart from on diesels) I believe you. However, I said carb. (short for carburretor, because I can never remember how its spelled).

That was a subtle hint that FI isn't relevant here.
 
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