Spark Plug Appearance

[jmcgill89]

I inspected the spark plugs in my 1977 85hp Evinrude yesterday. According to my Seloc manual, the plugs should be dry and a greyish/tan color. What I discovered was that the plugs were damp (with gas/oil mix) electrodes and all. I also noted that the gaps on the plugs that came with the motor were way less than the .040" that my Evinrude manual recommends. I replaced the plugs with the correct Champion plugs and gapped them to .040".<br /><br />My Question is: Should I be worried that the plugs were damp/oily? The engine runs very well and I did a significant amount of trolling this last weekend.<br /><br />Due to the age of my motor, I am very worried about stuck/broken rings. I bought a can of Evinrude engine tuner (I'm assuming this is the same as the old OMC stuff) and plan to run it through as per the directions to de-carb the motor.<br /><br />Any other advice I should be aware of?<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Joe

 

[G DANE]

Re: Spark Plug Appearance

After iddling and warm-up, plugs are usually a little wet/damp. Decarb is a good idea.

 

[JB]

Re: Spark Plug Appearance

Hi, Joe.<br /><br />As GDane says, damp plugs are nothing to worry about.<br /><br />When you shut off the engine ignition the engine still makes a couple of revs. That pumps fuel/air into the cylinder that doesn't get burned. That will give you damp plugs AND leave the cylinder walls well lubed.