Over the weekend I was on a tour with some friends and my car 1926 TuDor started to act up, no power. We stopped and first suspected the coils, but after changing the one I had thought was the problem, was not the problem at all. The plug had fouled. Installed a different plug and off we went. My question is what is a good way to clean a fouled plug on a tour? Would some spray carb cleaner do the job? I think that most of the fouling is on the inner insulator which is hard to get at. The spray should wash it off? I have also seen a sand blaster for spark plugs. I was thinking that I could make an adapter so I could use a gas stations tire filling hose to power the blaster and maybe this would work. I have always (although this time I didn't, always is too absolute) carried some spare spark plugs.

It was #1, right? You shouldn't ever expect to foul plugs.

Running too rich or too cold fouls plugs. If the others are coked up, it's too rich.

rdr

If carbutetted install a hot air pipe (if you don't have one). If vaporized that point is moot. If it never happened before it could just be a bum plug or the coil you replaced might not be up to snuff causing the problem. Beyond that you're looking at (as mentioned) rich mixture or possible oil consumption in that cyl. Don't overlook the plug wires or the condition of the other plugs either.

I'd just keep a spare couple of plugs in the car. Autolites are cheap and work fine. My car fouls the plugs sometimes, and I just use a sand blast type cleaner. I bought the cleaner from aircraft spruce. I usually have a spare plug in the tool bag.

That's my two cents.

Yeah it was #1 plug. I run a Kingston L-4 with a hot pipe. I don't ever remember it happening before. It is possible I was running a little rich. Just got the engine back together a week ago. I'll check the coil to be sure it is up to snuff. I am running Champion 25's. The other plugs are tan around the electrodes and a little sooty at the outer edges. My float level in the carb is correct, but maybe the spray rod is a little off, I like to set it so I just have to look at the pointer to see if it has moved. Thanks for the help.

Mike

A water pump will direct the cool water right past #1 cylinder and back into the radiator. That will make #1 run cooler than the other 4. Combination of no water pump and hot air pipe should cure your problem. A good clean timer and leaner carburetor setting helps too.
Norm

Mike,
The carb mixture adjustment is unique to the given temp, elevation, and humidity of the day. Except for a rote position for starting of one and a half turns open from closed, the mixture is something that you need to fiddle with as the engine warms up and as the variables in air temp, elevation, and humidity change during the trip. Leaner will make it run hotter and get better fuel economey, richer will run cooler but leave more carbon/soot deposits on the plugs, pistons, valves, and combustion chamber. If you are using the one fixed setting for mixture every time you drive the car you will not get the expected performance out of your engine or worse what you are describing a loss of power and fouled plugs.

Ralph is correct. Proper plugs and carb setting should eliminate fouled plugs.

Norman,

How does a water pump know to run cool water past #1 any more than thermosyphon does? I would think that the coolest water hits cylinders 2 & 3, no matter whether thermo or pump driven. Why aren't 2 & 3 problem cylinders if we follow your theory?

Thermosyphon does make #1 run slightly cooler as well because cooler air comes in from the front as well as the water traveling less distance i would guess

The reason is that the most direct way for the water to flow from the water pump to the radiator is toward #1. There is a large opening at the front of the water jacket below the radiator inlet, and that's where the water heads. There are only some small (steam) holes around cylinder #2. With a water pump it will keep right on moving whether cold or hot. Thermosyphon will allow the water to rise at it heats up, and move more slowly toward the radiator. As it gets hotter, it will move more rapidly, but it circulates more evenly with thermosyphon.
Norm

If you want good engine temps, a thermostat, a 1930s, device is needed. Density change with temperature difference is almost linear, so thermobarf does nothing for temperature contol. It works just on temperature differential.

I don't run a water pump. Well, I usually set the spray rod at one spot and the car seems to run well. The spray rod does move as I drive and I have to re adjust it once in a while. The pointer always seems to end up pointing down. So I have set the rod into the carb so that the best running spot is wih the pointer down. So what is the best spray setting exactly? Richen it up and sccrew it down until it sputters and up it up a little?
Mike

Michael,

The best carb setting is where it runs best.

There is no good way to clean the Champion 25 plugs on your.

If you had Champion X plugs you could disassemble them and clean them using a piece of Scotchbrite and some gas, were one ever to foul. They don't foul very often. If you watch the tables at swap meets or pay attention to eBay you can pick up good used Champion X plugs - and brand new ones - for $1 apiece - $5 apiece.

25's (cough, cough). I know they're cheaper but there's nothing like the real thing - X.

Last fall when I finally got my racer on the highway after a painstakingly fussy compplete wiring job, it was only running on 3 cylinders (and a rotten 47.5 mph I might add). Shorting out the plugs pointed to cylinder no.4 not working. A further check revealed the Champion 25 plug was open-circuited and wouldn't even spark in my Champion tester. I put in 4 new X's (with the good threads) and Ol'55 runs over 60 mph now. If I threw out the seats and 9 gallons of gasoline I'm sure I could hit 70.

You just know yer having fun when the bug splats are an inch wide - on yer goggles!

Regards,
Garnet

I'm not running a speedster, I can only go 40 mph down hill and with wind behind me. I have 25's and some autolites and a couple of no name plugs. I have two X's that I have found at the swap meet, but have been reluctant to use them. I'll put them in my tool bag as spares.

Thanks

Mike

Don't mix brands or types. Might twist the crank right in half with just two of those hot sparkin' Xs.

I'll keep them right next to my blinker oil.

Mike

"The reason is that the most direct way for the water to flow from the water pump to the radiator is toward #1."

That's true of any circulation method. The coolest water is what comes right out of the radiator. It's directed right at cylinders 2 & 3. By the time it gets to #1, it's already picked up the heat from 2 & 3, let alone what comes forward from #4. In other words, the hottest water comes past #1 as it exits the engine.

"Don't get alarmed if the radiator boils occasionally..."

Well...... Tuesday, my son and I left for the 2011 Michigan Jamboree, driving the Model T. We didn't go more than 10 miles with a new plug in the engine. I fouled the plug and had to replace it. We got to Muskegon Michigan by taking the ferry across the lake. Then about 10 miles later the plug fouled again. We fouled a number of plugs and had a lot of trouble. After some magic words and thoughts I found that the engine ran pretty good at full throttle. That meant to me that this was a carb problem and not a plug problem. In the parking lot of the hotel I removed the carb and found that the float level on my Kingston L4 was 5/16" and not 7/16". I reset the float level and after some more high speed travel to clean the plugs, the engine is back to normal. The last 90 miles worked fine. We have another 50 miles to go tomorrow and we expect no trouble.

Hmmmmmm........somehow I MISSED the part about Ford actually suggesting adding a bit more pitch to the fan blade.......something I've thought of doing on da '20 Coop......and now I WILL.......I really like the look of the honeycomb core and it never overheats while driving.

Better yet, unless you do parades, hang the fan on the garage wall. That's where mine has been for several years, after learning from Tom Carnegie.

Remember, Ford did not have all that much experience with operating Ts, even in 1915.

Do you gain any HP by removing the fan?

I did a little test on da Coop tonight.
I twisted the fan blades to give them more pitch as the fan was, pretty much, like a spinning pie tin.......
I took the car out for a jaunt to warm it up and let it idle for about 20 minutes when I got back.
By Jove.......I think I got it!

By the way.......I got a NOS set of Champion X plugs via ebay yesterday.......they sure are pretty.......