Can you clean fouled plugs?

[BOAH]

I've got new plugs in my motor but I was having some problems that were fouling the plugs but that problem' has been fixed. Question is since these are brand new plugs and they've been fouled, can they be cleaned and if so, how should they be cleaned? I've seen numerous posts that if the plugs get fouled, they should be replaced and that seems unnecessary if they could be cleaned??

Thanks for your opinion on this one.

 

[Mr. Asa]

Re: Can you clean fouled plugs?

You should be able to.
Depending on how badly they are fouled you might need to soak them overnight or so, but for most I've been able to spray them with carb cleaner (or something similar) and scrub them with a little brush. If they are bad I use a wire brush, if not so bad just a nylon brush will work, don't use any sort of powered brush just a handheld one.

Make sure the gap is still correct and you should be good to go

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Can you clean fouled plugs?

I clean my plugs with a compressed air powered spark plug cleaner. It incorporates sand in conjunction with the compressed air to blast them clean. Then soak in acetone, blow dry and they are good to go.

 

[reload]

Re: Can you clean fouled plugs?

I have a transformer used to fire an oil fired furnace. It produces 10,000 volts. I lay the spark plug across the springs and let her rip. Clean in no time.

 

[matt167]

Re: Can you clean fouled plugs?

Back when I had a dirt bike and was cheap at the same time ( $30 1978 DS100 ), I cleaned the plug with a propane torch when it fouled. It was a 1 kick starter with a fresh plug or a torched plug, but on a plug that had some run time before cleaning or was old, it sometimes would be a no start. No matter the plug, new old or ancient, the torch would bring it back to life.

 

[Dee Jsaan]

Re: Can you clean fouled plugs?

Depending on how badly they are sooted, I always try to keep a small can of Lacquer thinner in my shop supply cabinet. That stuff
will clean a spark plug. If there is crud built up in a plug I'm working on I'll try to dig most of it out first before going into a baby food jar
of Lacquer thinner. When I had a fuel oil heating system, I learned to clean the nozzle of my burner with this stuff and it did a job on those too.

Once these are operating in a healthy engine they burn off anything left rather quickly. But I pick up clean empty baby food jars with lids in yard sales and flea markets and keep a quart can of Lacquer thinner just for these kins of repairs.

 

[BOAH]

Re: Can you clean fouled plugs?

Wow! That's a lot of good information. Thanks!