i just got my bluebird today. pulled the plugs out to check 'em. the arc (dont know the tech. term) at the bottom of the plug was melted on 3 of the 4. dont know the firing order off the top of my head but from the pulley side of the motor to flywheel side.. first 2 were melted, 3rd was good, and the 4th was melted. am i in for trouble or is this normal?

When you say melted, do you mean that the gap area is closed all of the way? <- [that would be bad], or are they just corroded/pitted/badly damaged? Either way the rest of your engine should not have any problems. I do not know what would cause such bad spark plug damage except incorrect gap setting. The only thing you can do is replace all the plugs and continue. You should also check out the plug wires and make sure they are not damaged. If I remember correctly, the firing order is 1-3-2-4 but this does not have to do with their location (from front cover side to flywheel side, order is 1-2-3-4). I would replace the spark plugs regardless of their condition on a new imported engine, as spark plugs are very cheap.

That sounds like it may be detonation. Are there little bits of metal chips on the sparkplugs? If so, that's part of the piston.

Post pics of the plugs if you have the means to do so.

im workin on gettin a digi. cam. prolly have pics up tomorrow. no metal chips. i was goin to replace them anyway along with wires.

ok ill put it this way.... instead it being "hooked"(like an L) at the end (where it sparks), it is straight(l)because the rest of it melted off.

does that help? sorry if its confusing

Originally posted by Roapkee
im workin on gettin a digi. cam. prolly have pics up tomorrow. no metal chips. i was goin to replace them anyway along with wires.

ok ill put it this way.... instead it being "hooked"(like an L) at the end (where it sparks), it is straight(l)because the rest of it melted off.

does that help? sorry if its confusing

Sounds like two things, exessive detonation, or excessive carbon build up bridged the gap between electrode and ground, creating a direct short which burnt off the ground electrode. So either detonation or running extremely rich for prolong time.

Shine a flashlight into the spark plug hole and check the piston top for damage, too.

I'm thinking detonation as well.

ok ill check that. so am i screwed if it was detonation? i bought from jgy but i was stupid and didnt ask for warranty information. anybody know what im gonna need to do (worst case scenario)?

Yeah, sounds like it's either running lean, detonation, or both. (Condition 1, usually leads to condition 2!)

This is unlikely from you description, but it's worth a try. Put a new set in and pull them out after starting the engine for a few seconds. Check the plugs. If they look already damaged, it could also be piston to plug damage, if you shaved the head or used a thinner head gasket.

If it's detonation, the first thing to try would be a plug say, 2 stages colder than your current one. If that doesn't work, then you'll have to track down the source of your detonation.

Here's some tips:
Too lean?
Too advanced timing?
Cylinder carboning too much?
Oil/Coolant not circulating correctly?
Catalytic converter collapsed?

Hope that helps.