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Date:         Sun, 20 Jun 2004 22:13:33 -0700
Reply-To:     Mark Seifert <ubervanagon@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Seifert <ubervanagon@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: vanagon single electrode plugs
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

I agree that multi-electrode plugs will last longer, but provide no increase in performance. They have to be used in aircraft engines to provide reliability. You don't want your engine to misfire when its up in the air. Some people seem to think that a plug with 2 electrodes will make 2 sparks, but this is not possible. Those Split-fire plugs are no better than anything else. They have 1 electrode that kind of splits into a Y-shape, and the picture on the box shows the spark splitting to contact both tips. This is false advertising, meant to sell crap products to people who don't know any better.

Mark

>From: LOREN BUSCH <labusch@VERIZON.NET> >Reply-To: LOREN BUSCH <labusch@VERIZON.NET> >To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM >Subject: Re: vanagon single electrode plugs >Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:03:05 -0700 >I've stayed out of this till now but have to jump in. >Two points that seem to have been missed in the discussion. >First, the emergence (I didn't' say origin, I don't know when they were >first used or by who) of the multi electrode spark plug was at the end >of WW2. They were in use in aircraft to try to keep aircraft engines >running when there was oil fouling in high time engines. They were >effective, if one electrode was fouling and resistance went up then the >spark would appear at another electrode. But still to just ONE ground >point! No change in 'load' on the system. >And that is the second point. The spark is provided by the back EMF >from a collapsing field induced into the secondary winding of the coil. >It is a collapsing field because the circuit has been opened. Any >attempt to analyze the circuit using Ohm's or Kirkoffs (sp?) law will be >wrong, there is no closed circuit at the time of the spark. The load on >the system is solely a function of the characteristics of the primary >winding on the coil (and resistance up to that point) and has nothing to >do with whether or not the secondary is shorted to ground (through the >spark plug) or not. >The result is that the coil couldn't care less how many paths to ground >are available as long as it is discharging into the resistance it was >designed for and that is controlled by the SINGLE plug wire much more >than the configuration of the electrodes on the spark plug. >BTW, do I use multi electrode plugs? Yes, because they should last a >little longer before needing replacement. Do I expect better >performance? No and no reason that I should.

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