1998 Civic - Spark Plug Gap Setting

Hello,

I am in the process of replacing my '98 Civic's spark plugs and have
purchased some new Autolite brand ("Platinum" model) spark plugs that
appear to be gapped at .040". However, the specifications for the
Civic are to have the gap be .044". Should I bother trying to widen
the gap the extra .004"? What would happen if I did not have the
correct gap?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

return these plugs and get ngk or denso - don't bother gapping them.
don't bother with bosch either. seriously. those of us that have been
around the block a few times and that have tried many different plugs
will all tell you, ngk or denso in honda. nothing else works as well or
as reliably. and both those factors save you money.

 

I think you people put WAY too much emphasis on specific brands of plugs
being "better" for certain cars. My '87 Accord has been running the
same set of Bosch Platinums for over two years with nary a hiccup. In
fact, I only just recently had to pull them out to track a blown head
gasket (RIP) and they're still in good condition.

 

Thanks, everyone, for your replies.

Brand name aside, is there any danger to me installing spark plugs
that have a .004" less gap than Honda's recommendations?

Are there any tools (that I already have) that I can use to widen the
gap besides a spark plug gapping tool? Will needle-nose pliers work?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

Buy the correct plugs. The ones whose numbers end in "-11" are already
pregapped to .044". NGK is correct. Autolite is not.

If the gap is too small by .004", you'll get ever so slightly lower mileage
and ever so slightly higher emissions. You won't even notice the
difference.

 

Not really. See my other post.

But it's still not correct. You have an emissions system that's pretty
sensitive. Use of the wrong -- or wrongly gapped -- plugs increases the
probability of a Check Engine light illumination.

That would not be smart. You should use a spark plug gapping tool. And,
unfortunately, it is way too easy to scratch the platinum coating while
gapping,in which case the coating will erode off in no time.

Also, burrs caused by pliers will cause hot spots on the plugs, which can
lead to pre-ignition and engine damage.

If I were you, I'd bite the bullet and buy the correct plugs as given on
your hood sticker.

 

if your objective in using these plugs is to have something longer
lasting or something that "preforms" better, consider ngk iridiums.

 

i'm sorry, performs, not preforms.

 

Thanks again, everyone, for your replies. It looks like I should be
focusing my attention on NGK or Bosch spark plugs, which are both the
exact gap that I need.

Now that we have taken care of the spark plugs, I have also already
purchased the Bosch spark plug wire set. Is this a "bad" wire set? I
am reading some negative comments about Bosch in this post. If I did
purchase the NGK plugs, would they "mesh" good with the Bosch wires?
Or, should I stick with Bosch plugs since I already have the Bosch
wires?

Thanks for your continued assistance.

Kevin

 

You can use pliers or a small screwdriver, but a proper gapping tool
should only cost you about $2-$5. Any good set of plug gauges will
include a gapping tool.

 

again, i would avoid bosch. i've had many bad experiences with those
things being fine one day, visually perfect on inspection, but the car
will simply refuse to start. ngk will keep on working until the
electrodes are melted stubs of nothingness. absolutely utterly reliable.

again, i'd take them back and spring the few extra bucks for oem or ngk.
if you want a little extra fizz, the coiled core plug leads are
excellent - magnecor or, of course, ngk.

 

NO! No pliers!

Pliers can make burrs that can cause pre-ignition!

 

If you like to make sure your catalytic converter lasts as long as
possible, only OEM wires are correct.

 

How am I able to determine what brand of OEM wires they are? I don't
have any spark plug-related information on the underside of my hood

Thanks,
Kevin

 

OEM wires are available only at your local Honda dealer.

 

Tegger,

Thanks for your replies (and thanks, also, to everyone else whose
replied)...

My '98 Civic has 153,000 miles on it and I think it has only had one
tune-up in its lifetime (probably around 60,000 miles, but I do not
know for sure). I know that the tune-up was not done at a Honda
dealership, but was done at one of those automotive repair places
(Monro Muffler, I believe). The automotive place wouldn't use OEM
parts, would they?

I just recently replaced the oxygen sensor (before CC) because of
check engine light trouble codes indicating a defective O2 sensor,
plus my car was having hesistation problems and rough idling. I think
now is a good time to do a tune-up. In addition to replacing the
plugs and wires, I'm also going to replace the cap and rotor.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

I didn't say it was a GOOD IDEA...

 

I recently had the car in the auto repair shop after the check engine
light came on. I wanted to get a "complete" engine diagnosis, and
they told me that my car need a "major" tune-up and a new O2 sensor.
They didn't mention anything about timing belt problems. Is this
something that should've/would've been discovered during this engine
diagnosis?

Thanks,
Kevin