Cleaning Spark Plugs, can they be re-used?

[@johnmilner7603]

Video starts at 4:55. They say this unit works best mounted vertically so the media stays on the bottom. But when refilling the media, you’ll need to remove it from the wall. Remember to tap out any media once the plug is cleaned and blow with compressed air and use a pick too. The side lever on the unit in the up position is air only.

[@DeMeNtE666]

Thanks you saved my time huge

[@oninzhusmillo5318]

Thankyou.. you saved me a minute..😁

[@centralpoint8184]

Thank U

[@emanuelarriaza3710]

Happy good energy 😌 it always helps... to anyone that needs a going

[@danDota2God23]

Thanks ur life saver lads

[@maciejsn2126]

I remember as a kid I had a moped and due to lack of new plugs Me and friends was cleaning old ones to reuse them, results was good enough :)

[@CBCycles]

I had success blasting some old motorcycle carburetors with baking soda, made them look new. That’s the media I would use on spark plugs, for fear of anything in a larger grit dropping into the cylinder. Great video thanks

[@joealcamo8901]

I have been cleaning my spark plugs for over 30 years using my wire wheel on my grinder. I even cleaned my outboard motor spark plugs for years with no problem so far.

[@angrybill]

I would be careful. It has been demonstrated that most folks often fail to get all of the medium out of the plug. If you are using sand then extra caution must be used to get all of the sand out of the plug. You really should talk caution to your viewing audience so they don't get a bunch of that sand in their cylinders. I used those devices 50 years or so ago but they sort of disappeared as garage owners recognized their potential for destruction. Love your videos John. Thank you for the entertainment!

[@alejandrotobienne4288]

Brake parts cleaner spray when using sand abrasion I recommend a wire brush or orbital wheel. But inner core condition doesn’t change so they’ll still fail at xx time.

[@stclairstclair]

Ha Ha Ha, I wiped out a snow king motor because I got some iron oxide grit in the cylinder, Think of piranhas and your engine is prime-rib

[@lunarkparkes]

the problem is the inner cleaner, the aprt you dont see and where you cant get, one it has some carbone spark will not work good anymore, also saprks plugs may have other problems inside their structure if they have a carbon resistance. etc.. Greeting from ruzzia.,

[@jsf74]

We blast our plugs on airplanes once a year during annual. My plane takes 12 plugs and they are $65 a piece! Thousands upon thousands of plugs are blasted every year in the aviation industry.

[@Multi-Skill-Bill]

Exactly what I used to do back in the day when I street raced. It works great. Beautiful art btw!

[@doug3805]

Just bought one today at Harbor Freight and used it to clean a couple of gas fouled plugs in my Sportster that I fouled from rebuilding my carb. Worked great.

[@scottwheaton9689]

Been using a spark plug sand blasters for over 50yrs with no problems. BUT,as already suggested there can be an issue with them if you don’t ensure all the blasting media is removed from each plug before using post cleaning them. After I blast & clean all the plugs the next thing I do to ensure they are clear of all blast media by doing the following: 1) I use Compressed air at approx 100psi to blow off the threads on plug body including blowing compressed between washer & plug body (if has one) finishing up blowing the air directly down into area of plug where center electrode comes up thru it too. 2) Next I use a small piece of folded over 320 or 400 wet/dry sandpaper to lightly sand between center & ground electrodes to remove any small carbon deposits that build up there that are shielded from blast media by the ground electrode to ensure that area is clean. In cases of really worn plugs where center electrode is rounding I try to crisp up the edges of center & ground electrodes to reduce load on ign system/coil trying to fire on/thru rounded off metal. 3) then I spray/dowse the threads,washer & down into open area of each plug where center electrode comes up thru the plug using either fast dry brakleen or carb cleaner too. 4) lastly I do a final 100psi blow off of the entire area (inside & out) of each plug following up with resetting gap,wiping off upper porcelain & sparingly applying some anti sieze on plug threads just prior to re-install. Yeh it seems like a lot to bother with but with the price of plugs these days if the plugs aren’t too hard to get to access wise it’s worth the effort IMHO. If you have mult every day use cars & bikes along with classic cars & bikes too cleaning plugs has saved me hundred of dollars over the past 50+ yrs with a blaster that cost me $20 new that I changed blast media on 7-8x over the yrs costing approx $7-8 to change each time. It’s also very convenient to have the ability to clean plugs at any time like when sorting out tuning issues post installing aftermarket perf parts on bikes & cars that can dirty up a set of new plugs pretty quick till you get carb,ECU,ign & timing all sorted out. Scott

[@TurboJohnRacing]

Good tips!

[@zenpro8164]

another good method, without abrasives, is taking a torch to the plug tip area till glowing red...cleans it like new...have you tried it? if not try it, it works awesome

[@1fastpickup]

Lol yep! I remember us pulling all 8 plugs after every pass! ...and that was back in the distributor days when we had to make sure the wires were on right too! ...good times!

[@SOMNIOHM]

*_You think thats expensive.. I have to use NGK Laser Iridium's that are non re-usable/cleanable, & they cost from 19-28.00 each!!!_* _Plugs last me about a month!_

[@TurboJohnRacing]

Oh wow, yeah......that is high

[@rickhurt7007]

Add more media and it will work like new again. I left my plug cleaner just like that mounted to my old shop bench in my old house. Lol. They are handy on farms and for 2 strokes. You race with the attitude of an old farmer.. I love it. Keep it up.

[@samrothstein9716]

The media blaster leaves a duller, rougher surface that the carbon sticks to and builds up twice as fast. On top of the fact that there is a possibility that pieces of media can remain and dislodge in the cylinder.

[@ivanmitchell3876]

did not expect 2 see true art from spark plugs.. excellent..

[@antwana6288]

Keep up the creativity brother

[@me1assassin]

Bought a 12VDC little plastic spark plug cleaner in 1977 for $3,99 from JC Whitney. Been using it every since, used it this morning. Every season on small engines, get many years on plugs. Use on my V-Twins, and a couple of older vehicles. My New vehicles, take 16 plus, but last for a LONG time (Jeep Commander 4.7 has 160K and still good)(Mercedes ML430 changed at 100K).

[@justme7055]

I still have my cleaner that I bought decades ago. Does a great job. I wonder if the price of all brands are going up like NGK.

[@junkyarddawgfixit8970]

Been using a snap on version of that tool since 1984, the lever on the side is selected base on which way you mount or hold the tool, vertical or horizontal Its important to keep the blasting media free of oil and fluids. Long ago when we diagnosed engine running complaints with an oscilloscope we would commonly remove spark plugs to inspect, clean and regap. There was actually a labor operation time for this in the LTG. The only thing unliked about using that tool is when blasting media gets lodged down deep between the insulator and the shell, always try to get it all out. The only plugs you cant fix with this are the ones that are cracked or just plain worn out, this usually means that all the sharp edges of the electrode and or ground strap are eroded or the internal resistor is burned out. I think one of the reasons why racers use NGK is because the internal resistor tend to last longer when used with high cylinder pressure and the high ignition voltage required to fire them.

[@alejandrotobienne8220]

I use a wire wheel and brake clean. So long as the internal rod isn’t broken this fixes a plug to almost new. Coppers are new. Iridium etc with smaller tips tend to only clean due to material burning off tip. This is fine for tuning and some suggest even cleaning plugs that have a few 1000 miles before tuning to get best spark. Nothing wrong with cleaning plugs. Like I said doing this on copper plugs literally turns them new so long as it hasn’t been dropped and damaged internally.

[@timmyb1874]

I keep my small engines extremely well maintained that the spark plugs last years with just a simple yearly cleaning. Dollar store brass brush and some carb cleaner spray. Seafoam mixed in every gas container to keep everything running clean. Plugs are made to last thousands of miles, thats a lot of lawn mowing.

[@tonkatoytruck]

Too much trouble. Throw the whole lot in a sonic cleaner with fuel injector cleaner overnight................... Done. P.S. Been using NGK since 1991. Platinum plugs were OEM spec and were $25 each back then. I cleaned them.

[@curlracing276]

I like this John. Gonna have to get a spark plug cleaner. You have one of the best KZbin channels.

[@jamesdewiel4736]

Many year ago we had a spark plug sand blaster made them good as new!

[@jimmiemiller4327]

That art was so cool!!

[@russellzacharias3535]

Seem to recall we had a cabinet in the school shop by Champion or Autolite for cleaning plugs, right next to the Sun machine for adjusting dwell.

[@mindinew]

Bro -- I love the things that you do for fun 😂!! That’s awesome habit 😂

[@Honks34]

My dad had one of these. I just tried to use it, but my plug came out looking worse. My dad has passed away so I can’t ask him about this, but I’m guessing the grit inside needs replaced? Any idea what to replace it with?

[@eb972]

Ordered as much as I could before they went nuts on price. Thanks for the heads up.

[@malloymotorsports780]

do not do this with iridium plugs. the electrode is way to brittle and sensitive over a traditional copper plug.. other than that, great content.

[@mre7283]

if you have a blast cabinet it works too. Really cool art!

[@CentralVAracer]

I would buy one of those plug pieces. I’m sure tons of people would as well.

[@FREEDOMNOW33]

Yep I have a cleaner . works great

[@BryanChance]

For my BMW it is about $20 a piece!

[@SOMNIOHM]

*_I just now commented this!!! F82 here on a S2+ tune. I am now using Brisk Pure Silvers.. Still only lasting me about a month!_*

[@lloydholt6511]

Good old school trick.

[@adammosher1115]

I use E3 had a bad experience with ngk plugs

[@danmyers9372]

Wow, that’s a really cold plug you run. Have never had a boosted engine so those plugs look a bit foreign to me.

[@belltocher]

If you get the blaster you need to get a proper SP inspection tool so you can see all the way to the bottom. You want every speck of the blasting crap out of there.

[@frankdavidson9675]

i am using harbor freight plug blaster or yrs love it do a very good job it very cheap use an=bt 90-100 psi dont use sand corn starch also they have bags of media you can use i have no problems with it it the only way to make it like new

[@bryantchapman7503]

Thanks for the tip and God bless

[@oldmanintheshopbuiltnotbou8726]

great deal john i havnt seen a plug cleaner in a long time think i will get one

[@Sroor2023]

Wow i love this motorbike,would you please make a video diy 😅

[@thomassanders6679]

So you can't read the plug after you run it again???? Thank you John

[@frankdavidson9675]

if you use harbor freight plug blaster you can mount vertical plug on top or leave it portable alwas hold with plug stright up its design to work better this way dont hold level about all you will get is air

[@lololine]

Thank you this is a great video!

[@MrRandy3504]

I run the same plugs in my nitrous motor either -10 or -11 and i clean mine all the time i have always used a brass soft wire wheel that doest scratch it gotta be super soft but i saw that cleaner at hf its cheap but i didnt know if it was worth a crap but ill get one now that i know it works

[@girohead]

My NGK Iridium Laser are only 10k miles old, look good, but white with corrosion from fouling. I'm fixing the lean condition but rather clean the plugs then get new if I can. I think they should go for 100k miles?

[@jasondillon2567]

Great video, awesome crafts!

[@young11984]

Man i have one that my grandpa had when he worked at Ford, now im going to have to find it since you dragged yours out of hiding

[@bigmuller1]

Chucking them about in a box.the electrode is going get damaged.causing it to drop in the cylinder.

[@stclairstclair]

And cracked ceramic!!!

[@cameronpuccini7373]

hahahahaha bro I’m like 5 minutes deep into your video looking at your spark plug crafts just wondering when ur gonna show me how to clean them😂

[@TurboJohnRacing]

😂

[@withoutprejudice8301]

No Brainer. YES. Clean / Check it with a voltmeter (ohms- hot and cold) for voltage leakage (short). If electrode isn't burnt and can be re-gapped run with it.

[@archygrey9093]

Those used plugs look almost mint, if i found those in my car i would've put them straight back in.

[@howididitgarage.]

After you clean them did they work well?

[@electric8668]

Nice video but it could have been even better had you shown how and what you load into the spark plug cleaner.

[@321-Gone]

Great video. Junk yard turbo ls build?

[@flappingflight8537]

Good only for art purposes after such a procedures and especially after throwing them carelessly in the box as you do it , over a bunch of other spark plugs ! That is why the manufacturers doesn’t sell them in a buckets , but in individual boxes with plastic or paper protective sleeves !

[@BIGDMEDIA]

Thanks for the good advice!!!

[@freddiejonesy6168]

Sweet spark plug art!

[@shanebarney4240]

I have one use a lot I am a nitrous car it works good

[@sixx6sixx107]

That was fine art to me...you may have just been fooling around but they were definitely nice and creative...especially the dragster and plane

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Spark plugs? Non turbo oval dirt and road race engines I never look at them. I have some that are 10 years old! N2C Champion Still got some short reach Chev plugs from when Champion used to give me plugs. You can clean them very carefully in a sandblast cabinet though turn the air down to about 40 lbs My last Chev with 23 deg Victor heads used race only plugs and they were about $7 ea 20 years ago in NGK. Though would do 6 or 8 meetings.

[@Carambolero]

i was told to turn the SP on stove fire for about 5-10 minutes, not reasanoble solution to me but muy be workable. only a couple of refferences found on internet about that (even in wikihowto). but any how, for people who does not have this kind of tools vs oven vs abrasive sand paper. will sand paper overdue in that situation or should i do stove or look for sandblasting in my area for that task?

[@KyleBc95]

I just wanna know if I can clean my plugs with WD40

[@archygrey9093]

No, and definitely don't put them back in with wd40 on them, they will soot up immediately. Brake or carby cleaner is a good option to quickly clean oil and soot off of them but they will still need something more if badly fouled

[@rod779]

What do you mean there is no more “read”for timing or air fuel ratio once you do this? Can you please explain a bit more?

[@butchstewart3713]

Thanks for the video! Just for an FYI and I'm sure you know, next time your at harbor freight grab a box of cheap rubber gloves and protect your hands! All chemicals go through your liver and kidneys. Over time it will pound down you life span bro. Just looking out for you my brother.

[@Luis-bm3se]

In my country they're $20-$30 each 😢

[@fonzy6537]

Hey everyone one how’s it going

[@CharlesWilson-oz8ys]

Just spray clean it with carb cleaner let it dry and u good to go

[@tracyscott70]

Rockauto John

[@cbnx82703]

I have one of these cleaners and no way does it work that good , matter of fact I could not be more disappointed in mine .., waste of money ...!

[@ne8214]

What’s up with my $ Blue Acorn??

[@blackman8795]

Where can I get some of that spark plug art?

[@TurboJohnRacing]

I've thought about starting to make some

[@alexgomez-rc5nt]

Aww that's bad as ....my son liked the plain .. .sell it to us I'll buy it for my boy

[@jamieschinkai1267]

The intro to this video hurt my feelings.

[@FlyingLizard4]

They’re up to 12$ a plug now 😅

[@Thoma96]

absolute no, ceramic and metal part seal leakage lead to lower compression ,that make each explosion of gaseous mix in cylinder lower output.Just see the ceramic part with rusty leaks after serveral mileage.Buy a new plug if you want restore of power output.

[@hitthestreets8186]

What do you gap your plugs to?

[@MrRandy3504]

They looked like a 20 gap didnt they. I run mine at 30 thou and mine look way more open than those

[@gottagoracing55]

Just saying, when I drove King Krunch monster truck NGK sponsored us, they gave us some information that if you touch the porcelain with your finger throw it away(spark plug)because it’s no good

[@curlracing276]

What does that do?

[@jsf74]

My only suggestion is to STOP picking them up and dropping them. Cracking the porcelain is so easy to do and then they are junk!

[@stclairstclair]

As a GM mechanic I would never do that, A/C Delco's would be Arking visibly first rainy night

[@celsoquits8014]

Is this a car video or arts and crafts.

[@TurboJohnRacing]

Both

[@scottkraft5284]

You spent a whole lot of time on how to use brake cleaner and your one cylinder that was bad but you didn't explain on the whole can't read

[@marke.8334]

1- If you all haven't seen a documentary called... It's worse than you think... Bye revelations of Jesus Christ ministries... I suggest you do... All praise and glory to the most high Jesus Christ.

[@matthewbaker6902]

Spark plugs are almost $10 in autozone

[@ashleyfizer9720]

My truck needs 8.. At 8 a piece... Ugh

[@bencrez5340]

Is he gonna clean a spark plug??

[@trickyrickcamaro20]

That’s true they are high

[@brianguse4514]

I dont were this dude getting his spark plugs from there is no ngk for no dollar iridium run 80.00 for a set of 8

[@jrsgarage3244]

Wait till you see what's coming Gon , Oboy big crash hyperinflation 🤑🏁🚩

[@CharlesWilson-oz8ys]

I pay $14 per plug

[@coalstang]

are you on instagram? just wanted to send a question your way. question on weight bias

[@sublime929]

He is but I have never seen him respond to or even like a comment on his picture/videos 😂

[@coalstang]

@@sublime929 what’s his name on insta?

[@sublime929]

@@coalstang turbotbirds

[@HemiMack]

Fuckin hemi has 16 😭😭 crazy

[@Hoddie313]

I am halfway in the video n there is not a word about how to refurbish used spark plug. 👎

[@TurboJohnRacing]

Be patient grasshopper!

[@jcnpresser]

Why did they go up in price so much? Biden??? 😂

[@johneubanks5951]

Gotta figure when Demokrauts hang out in office then they go up 600% cause they'll give 5 sets away for free out of 6 to folks who don't even own cars, but hey they're free! But if you work , your ass is gonna pay!!

[@OaklandsFinest1]

Naw, it was something that Trump did before leaving office from what I was told

[@DETmichigan-yy6lf]

​@@OaklandsFinest1ok Woketard Lefty

[@leiond]

I don’t like him either but he has nothing to do with you being a broke ass

[@jcnpresser]

@@DETmichigan-yy6lf sad to say but he did sign some crap trying to keep China from importing stuff about cars, don’t know the whole story, but I heard something about it too, sadly.

[@Engineerboy100]

nice manicure, my wife always gets on my case if my hands are not clean and lotioned on camera.

[@adventurously_random]

Uk there £10 each 😑

[@Michael-lg4wz]

I dont mind paying, but I hate waste

[@schemeteam2954]

Why some people sounds like this

[@TurboJohnRacing]

You not like my accent? lol

[@farooqahmad5748]

My name farooq ahmad im big fan you

[@clintdonovan6257]

At oriellys they've been 8 dollars the whole time over been getting screwed