spark plug cleaning

1930artdeco

1930artdeco

Well-known member
Hi All,

Slightly off topic here-sort of. I wan in an antique store yesterday and found one of the hand held spark plug cleaners , the one with the bag of sand on top. Well I got to wondering if it would work on our plugs, but the rubber hole where you stick the plug seemed two small. Will it fit, could I make it bigger, or do these not work at all?

Mike
 
Mike,

I can't answer your question but I remember most of the gas stations had those dedicated spark plug cleaners back in the day when all the gas stations did lube, oil changes and tune ups.

A spark plug cleaner would be a nice addition to a personal garage. Hope you bought it.

David Serrano
 
Flathead's right. The sand bag goes on the bottom. I found one of those cleaners a few years ago and I gave it to a model A friend. We just reamed the hole in the rubber opening a little bigger. Works good!
Marty
 
I actually collect the larger Spark Plug Cleaners and Testers from Years ago.
If you Clean your Spark Plugs make SURE there is no Sand wedged in between the Porcelain and the metal Shell.
If you see Sand inside there poke it loose with a wire or round gapping tool until its gone.
Air Blast then file and re gap and your all set.
 
For those of us that are more visually oriented:
 

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I have one of those nailed to the door jamb in my garage.There are a couple of different rubbers on a nail next to it,and a couple pieces of piano wire to poke in the plug after you're done blasting.I think the rubbers are something I carved out of old shock rubbers.I also have an old Autolite wall mounted cleaner and tester.It is about a foot tall,and has a chrome lever on the side to run it.It kind of looks like the old Southwind gas heater in my 39 Ford pickup.
 
I can remember reading several experts saying sand blasting causes a rough surface on the porcelain which causes more carbon to stick. Besides when the electrodes are worn the plugs need to be thrown away.
 
Well I went back and got it. It is a VIXEN brand spark plug cleaner. Hooked it up and it works. Now I just need to clean it out and find the right media.

Mike
 
I have always been told that if you use one of those to bed SURE to clean the plug of all the grit. If it gets stuck up around the porcelain way up high, and falls out in the engine it plays heck with the rings. Or so I have been told.
 
I have one of those, looks like Merc Cruzer's pictures.
Been sitting on the back of the bench for years.
It never worked sitting on the bench, now after reading this thread and doing a bit of web research methinks it should be mounted vertically.
Gonna find a place to wall mount it and give it a try.
Might need to find new grit for it.
 
The only problem with taking plugs apart is getting them to reseal after. The crush rings can be found that might work but are not an off the shelf item anymore.
 
I remember using one of those Vixen plug cleaners, and I believe the media was called Crisolite or something like that, available from the local auto parts store. Dave
 
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