New plugs after fogging motors?

[CLBeerbower]

Just fogged the motor and sprayed down the cylinders. Question is should I have changed the plugs immediately? In the Spring? After a first tank of gas in the Spring? Don’t want to foul out the plugs. Any thoughts?

 

[Wishfull1]

I have never changed the plugs after fogging the cylinders (I don't fog through the intake). Never any problem with fouling in the spring, just a slightly longer crank and stumble. Replaced the plugs around 3 years later and 100 hours and they performed and looked just fine. That has been my experience, I am sure others will have their opinion.

Attached is my 100 hour(ish) plugs after multiple foggings at replacement time.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Just fogged the motor and sprayed down the cylinders. Question is should I have changed the plugs immediately? In the Spring? After a first tank of gas in the Spring? Don’t want to foul out the plugs. Any thoughts?

Everyone has their own routine.

I check my oil at the end of the season if it looks good I just fog the engine and put additives in the gas for the winter. In the spring I burn through the gas in one trip and then come home and change the oil and put in new plugs. I check the oil at every outing. If I don't like the look of it I will change mid or late season. Some don't change their plugs every year. I do.

Of course this is just for oil and plugs and have other routines for other things as well for winterization. Such as putting a couple of buckets of damp rid in the boat. One for and one aft in the cockpit. Lubing down and waxing all linkage for steering and buckets. Checking tire air pressure and I also put my trailer with boat on it on jackstands and take the weight off the tire and springs for the winter.

 

[212s]

Everyone has their own routine.

What he said...I've yet to change my plugs from the factory...engines today are not like they were 20 years ago, and plugs are better today too.

I've checked them at 100 hours, and at 195 hours as of this date, they're still good. The manual calls to check them every 100 hours - there is no requirement to change them at 100 hours or yearly, just to check and change them when they're worn or there's an issue. If you think you must change them every year, well that's just marketing BS to sell more plugs. The reason they recommend to check every 100 hours is simple - if you run WOT all the time, then they're probably showing wear. If you idle and cruise a lot like most people, then they're good for many more hours, but they need to look at the worst case scenario to recommend check and replace. It doesn't mean your use requires the same schedule.

Having said that, I'll probably change them out mid-summer next year and see if it makes a difference. But since I'm still getting 7600+ RPM at WOT and 53 MPH, I'm guessing they're still good. Three full seasons of use seems heavy to some, but since my average is below half throttle, I don't expect to see much of a difference when I change them.

If you compare to vehicle plugs, then ours should last for 25k "miles" or more in the same conditions and plugs, so in our boats that means about 5+ years of average use. That's the schedule I followed for many years of boating....not much has changed in the last few years.

I check my oil at the end of the season

I check my oil every weekend of use for issues. If everything is good, I can usually get 2 seasons out of my oil - no reason to change oil every year, my oil is clear amber in colour which indicates good conditions. I'm not gentle with my use either...we have lots of no-wake speeds, lots of cruising, and lots of WOT. To say oil must be changed every year is a myth to sell more oil, just like spark plugs.

Yes there are situations where heavy use wears the additives and viscosity down, but unless you're doing WOT 95% of the time, it's just a selling feature for the manufacturers. Remember, they're not in it to help you, they're in it to make money.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@212s

Kind of took it out of context. I indicated that I check mine at end of season, since right now the boat is sitting unused and may be for a few more weeks before I winterize. May get a late Salmon run if I find half a day to get out. Temps dropping fast around here. I run the engines for a couple minutes on the hose and put it in a glass jar to see if there is any separation or particles. If there is I change it out before covering it up for 6-7 months. I also check mine on the water every time I go out, as soon as we are out of no wake.

I have no problem in swapping out 30 bucks in oil as hard as we run the boat doing water sports and tubing. 6-8 hours of very hard throttling and use. I buy it buy the gallon and have plenty. I have switched to a better filter and the oil looks much better than it did before. Perhaps the 1.8's handle it differently

Plugs seem to foul up a bit for me and I lose a few MPH or so or a bit more. When that happens I swap in new plugs and everything is back to normal. Hence I just do it in the spring now once I burn off the fogging oil and the tank with the Stabil in it., and they go fine for the season.

The cost for changing 7 quarts of oil and some plugs is insignificant to me and I don't mind doing it.

 

[drewkaree]

Fix your profile and let us know what you have and where you're located. Someone may have some pointed advice based on owning the same boat, others may have tips related to your location. You may have a different engine, based on location, which could change some advice as well.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

What he said...I've yet to change my plugs from the factory...engines today are not like they were 20 years ago, and plugs are better today too.

I've checked them at 100 hours, and at 195 hours as of this date, they're still good. The manual calls to check them every 100 hours - there is no requirement to change them at 100 hours or yearly, just to check and change them when they're worn or there's an issue. If you think you must change them every year, well that's just marketing BS to sell more plugs. The reason they recommend to check every 100 hours is simple - if you run WOT all the time, then they're probably showing wear. If you idle and cruise a lot like most people, then they're good for many more hours, but they need to look at the worst case scenario to recommend check and replace. It doesn't mean your use requires the same schedule.

Having said that, I'll probably change them out mid-summer next year and see if it makes a difference. But since I'm still getting 7600+ RPM at WOT and 53 MPH, I'm guessing they're still good. Three full seasons of use seems heavy to some, but since my average is below half throttle, I don't expect to see much of a difference when I change them.

If you compare to vehicle plugs, then ours should last for 25k "miles" or more in the same conditions and plugs, so in our boats that means about 5+ years of average use. That's the schedule I followed for many years of boating....not much has changed in the last few years.

I check my oil every weekend of use for issues. If everything is good, I can usually get 2 seasons out of my oil - no reason to change oil every year, my oil is clear amber in colour which indicates good conditions. I'm not gentle with my use either...we have lots of no-wake speeds, lots of cruising, and lots of WOT. To say oil must be changed every year is a myth to sell more oil, just like spark plugs.

Yes there are situations where heavy use wears the additives and viscosity down, but unless you're doing WOT 95% of the time, it's just a selling feature for the manufacturers. Remember, they're not in it to help you, they're in it to make money.

Put about 130 hours on my engines last season.. pulled the plugs and found a few had “worn” four thousands to the limit Of .032” Tossed in a new set of plugs gapped at .028 and carried on.

 

[212s]

Put about 130 hours on my engines last season.. pulled the plugs and found a few had “worn” four thousands to the limit Of .032” Tossed in a new set of plugs gapped at .028 and carried on.

Seems the TR-1 motors foul and wear faster. I guess I'd change every year with those motors too. The 1.8 HO motors seem to go longer with less wear...might have to do with the RPM difference?

 

[CLBeerbower]

I have never changed the plugs after fogging the cylinders (I don't fog through the intake). Never any problem with fouling in the spring, just a slightly longer crank and stumble. Replaced the plugs around 3 years later and 100 hours and they performed and looked just fine. That has been my experience, I am sure others will have their opinion.

Attached is my 100 hour(ish) plugs after multiple foggings at replacement time.

Thanks. I was curious about what the service life was on the plugs. Appreciate the information.

 

[CLBeerbower]

Fix your profile and let us know what you have and where you're located. Someone may have some pointed advice based on owning the same boat, others may have tips related to your location. You may have a different engine, based on location, which could change some advice as well.

Thanks for the nudge. I just updated my profile.

 

[CLBeerbower]

Put about 130 hours on my engines last season.. pulled the plugs and found a few had “worn” four thousands to the limit Of .032” Tossed in a new set of plugs gapped at .028 and carried on.

Did you think about regapping them?