Spring run-up - change the plugs?

[WiskyDan]

I bought my boat last August and they changed the oil and replaced the plugs before I took delivery. We were out on the water maybe another 10 days total before it went into storage. I drop the boat off tomorrow for the dealer to run it up for the season and am having the oil changed - should I have the plugs done as well? I'm leaning towards having them replaced but wanted to get some feedback.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Sitting over the winter shouldn't bother the plugs. I commonly change my oil when the boat is in the lake over Labor Day Weekend, then take it out of Tahoe for another five days of wakeboarding in Lake Shasta without any worries. Going into last year I was lazy and didn't change them and there were no ill effects.

The plugs in these engines are pretty easy to change out and take about an hour to do. There's lots of DIYs on the topic on the board. One tip though is to buy a magnetic spark plug socket, as that'll hold on the the plug as you lower it back down into the cylinder hear. And oh yeah...onely 1/4 of a turn past snug.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Check the gap if you install new plugs. I have found that the new plugs may not have the proper gap

 

[AZMark]

As noted above they are easy on these.

The plugs are about $50 on Amazon so see what your dealer charges and decide.

I recently did mine on a very low hour boat and will be doing them annually now after seeing how much rust was on them. You don’t want them getting seized up in your aluminum engine, even if they still perform ok.

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[WiskyDan]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm traveling the entire month of April (Mon-Fri) and the dealer will be doing the run-up. I get precious little time at home on the weekends and I'm not going to spend it on more work.

 

[AZMark]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm traveling the entire month of April (Mon-Fri) and the dealer will be doing the run-up. I get precious little time at home on the weekends and I'm not going to spend it on more work.

Totally understandable.

For reference I did it for the first time before we went out to the lake last time and it was honestly a 15 minute job end to end. Much easier than a car, they are right on top of the engines.

 

[drewkaree]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm traveling the entire month of April (Mon-Fri) and the dealer will be doing the run-up. I get precious little time at home on the weekends and I'm not going to spend it on more work.

Go to O'Reilly to check out the price for your plugs, I had mine delivered simply because the store near me only had 7, and I wanted 12, and I got free shipping on my order.

@AZMark is right, it really is only a 15 minute job. You put them on the boat, and you take a ride over by my place. I have the Gear Wrench magnetic set, and a torque wrench if you want to do it by the book.

If you brought the oil and filter, I could bring my extractor and we could knock out the oil change while the wife and kids are floating around and playing near me.

It'd cost you some beer, but you were gonna have one anyway ?

 

[WiskyDan]

@drewkaree That is a very generous offer, thank you!!!

Team Winnebagoland has a couple of other things to correct for me so I‘m just going to have them take care of it. If it was just the oil/plugs I’d already be at the liquor store asking you what kind and how much.

 

[jtwrace]

The plugs are about $50 on Amazon so see what your dealer charges and decide.

Be very careful buying plugs on Amazon. There are many counterfeit NGK's being sold there. So unless you really know what to look for, it's worth going to O'Reilly and getting them.

Global Networks｜NGKスパークプラグ/NTKテクニカルセラミックス製品サイト

NGKスパークプラグ／NTKテクニカルセラミックス製品サイトの「Global Networks」ページです。

www.ngk-sparkplugs.jp

 

[Stevepro172]

Our boats get a bad rap on eating plugs and it is somewhat true if you never open your boat up. I'm at 85 hours with the plugs looking and running good. However if you routinely idle a lot and never WOT your boat will eat plugs like no tomorrow. At least once an outing I run it WOT for at least 5 minutes and haven't had a problem yet. This will be my 4 year and I will finally change the plugs before I put it in the water and for no other reason then I have them to do so.

 

[Bluewater272]

If you didn't fog the motor while winterizing, I probably wouldn't bother with plugs since they were changed so recently. I fog at the end of each season, so I'll usually run it once and then change the plugs after.

 

[rrmidden]

Personally, I only change the plugs when they need it, and it's very obvious when they need it.

Last July or August, one engine was running a little rough. Dropped anchor, replaced the plugs in one engine, and it was running smooth again. I always have extra plugs with me and the tools to change them, so all it meant was my wife was floating and drinking for 10 minutes before I got the chance to get in the water.

 

[Stevepro172]

If you didn't fog the motor while winterizing, I probably wouldn't bother with plugs since they were changed so recently. I fog at the end of each season, so I'll usually run it once and then change the plugs after.

Fogging doesn't have any impact on the plug as I fog every year as well. It may smoke a little the first time you run it but otherwise you should be ok. However I will say plugs are cheap and you are free to change them as often as it makes you feel better.

 

[biffdotorg]

Lots of good advice in this thread, unlike some of them with two strokes in mind.

@HangOutdoors yes! Check spark plug gap, if you don't plan on changing, or if you are, at least check gaps annually. And consider anti-seize, and to not over torque.

@Stevepro172 Spot on, fogging in a two stroke almost always fouled a plug and you were best off running a tank of fuel in the spring before changing. I just fired up the GPR's yesterday and got a short ride before the snow hit us again! Those plugs go in after at least one tank.

@rrmidden This was me in our 242. I see no reason changing, unless I am not hitting Speed, RPM, or I feel a change in throttle response. And for sure if I hear an engine miss at high RPM. I was pleasantly surprised that my overall performance increased, but I doubt those plugs had been changed in 100hrs. I have a spare set on the shelf ready to go when I feel it is actually necessary again.

Many will say it's cheap insurance. What the heck are you insuring? If you want, carry a spare set and the tools. It literally is something a person can do on the water over your first beer, it's that easy. But again, be sure one of those tools is the $.35 gap tool from the parts counter to check them just before you drop them in the head.

Modern EFI engines burn clean, will rarely flood and should not burn oil. So the old wives tails of swapping plugs annually just does not apply. Will you hurt anything, no, but why. So do what you are comfortable with.

Good luck,

 

[AZMark]

Be very careful buying plugs on Amazon. There are many counterfeit NGK's being sold there. So unless you really know what to look for, it's worth going to O'Reilly and getting them.

Global Networks｜NGKスパークプラグ/NTKテクニカルセラミックス製品サイト

NGKスパークプラグ／NTKテクニカルセラミックス製品サイトの「Global Networks」ページです。

www.ngk-sparkplugs.jp

Thanks. I’ve bought a lot of ngks for dirt bikes and jet skis and these definitely seemed legit. I bought them from that exact link I posted.

 

[tabbibus]

anyone have a link to the gap tool? and what the gap should be set at? Also what is the torque spec?

 

[AZMark]

Torque for a 1.8l is 18.4 ft-lbs/25 nm

You can get a gap tool at any parts store. The cheap ones are just a round piece of metal with a tapered edge marked for various thickness.

Edit: I haven’t had an NGK plug that wasn’t properly gapped from the factory in a long time but I still always check them. Gap spec is 0.031 to 0.035

 

[Bluewater272]

Fogging doesn't have any impact on the plug as I fog every year as well. It may smoke a little the first time you run it but otherwise you should be ok. However I will say plugs are cheap and you are free to change them as often as it makes you feel better.

Mine always runs like garbage during the first spring outing until the oil burns off. Necessary? Probably not, but doesn't hurt.

 

[biffdotorg]

Torque for a 1.8l is 18.4 ft-lbs/25 nm

You can get a gap tool at any parts store. The cheap ones are just a round piece of metal with a tapered edge marked for various thickness.

Edit: I haven’t had an NGK plug that wasn’t properly gapped from the factory in a long time but I still always check them. Gap spec is 0.031 to 0.035

yes, these are literally $1-$2 at any parts counter.