Internal combustion engines have always depended on an electrical charge, despite the automotive industry’s current trend toward fully electric vehicles. Spark plugs are in charge of producing the vital spark that ignites an automobile’s gas and fuel mixture. If the spark plug is damaged or improperly adjusted, the result might be a malfunctioning or completely dead vehicle.

spark plugs

While there isn’t a specific timeline for how frequently they need to be serviced, spark plugs require maintenance and replacement, if necessary. This leaves the duty of their quality on you, the owner. You will need to frequently check your spark plugs and recognize the sins of a faulty plug.

What Is a Spark Plug?

A spark plug is a tiny device that plugs into the engine’s cylinder and provides the spark required for combustion through a conduit that connects the battery to the spark plug. An inline-four has four plugs, a V8 has eight plugs, and similarly, other residential consumer engines normally have as many spark plugs as cylinders. For more precise ignition, certain cars do, however, use two plugs per cylinder.

These plugs are comprised of small components that are made from nickel, copper, iridium, and platinum. They also use ceramic components to provide insulation and protection.

Symptoms of Faulty Spark Plugs

Faulty plugs often show one or more of the following symptoms:

  • Poor performance
  • Car won’t start or has problems starting
  • The car idles poorly
  • Wasteful fuel economy
  • Engine knocking
A mechanic removes spark plugs with a socket wrench.
How Often Should Spark Plugs Be Replaced?

To make things easier for you, just follow the rule that spark plugs should be serviced every 30,000 miles, rather than relying on their perceived condition. However, you should be aware that the plugs may fail before or after the 30,000-mile mark.

But What Happens If You Don’t Change Your Spark Plugs?

Avoiding changing your plugs may lead to misfires, poor fuel economy, poor performance, or car failure. They could even wear out your engine.