[Cfox]

I've had a little electrical problems on my 1988 shadow but nothing serious that some of you on here helped me straighten out. Last week I replaced the old NGK spark plugs with new NGK's that are exactly the same. The old ones seemed fine and normal coloration when pulled, the new ones are exactly the same but its had trouble starting. This morning was the first time i ever seen it puff a little white smoke. So i pulled the plugs and in only 1 week seem to be carbon fouled!?:shock: What am I missing why did the same plugs last so much longer before??

 

[Cfox]

Sry for the large pics? I tried to resize them

 

[Old Dad]

Maybe it didn't get seated well,,things are dang hard to do sometimes.

 

[DaveCarlson]

You might try checking your plug wires. Any chance they got yanked when you took 'em off to replace the plugs? If they're the original wires, they could be shot. Just tryin' to have you fix the easy stuff first.

 

[Cfox]

Yes thanks for the help! The plug wires seem ok? But ALL FOUR plugs on mine look like this so I don't think they all didn't seat (but not closing out any possibilities at this point). I have also rode WOT (wide open throttle) this week so I would assume that would have burnt off the extra carbon but it did not.

 

[bikenut]

Exactly the same? Same gap? Same heat range, same plug number? Proper torque on the plug? Did you use copper anti-seize on the threads? did you use dielectric compound inside the wire boots? Finally, did you keep the old plugs so you can put them back in to test? Never heard of a defective NGK but the wrong heat range could carbon foul like that.

 

[Cfox]

Exactly the same? Same gap? Same heat range, same plug number? Proper torque on the plug? Did you use copper anti-seize on the threads? did you use dielectric compound inside the wire boots? Finally, did you keep the old plugs so you can put them back in to test? Never heard of a defective NGK but the wrong heat range could carbon foul like that.

Well I know they where close to exactly the same the plugs I changed from. They where the same plugs whith the same plug number with the same gap (unsure of the heat range) smae torque and same anti-seize no dielectric compound in the boots as I have note used it before, I did indeed keep the old plugs and will test on Saturday. How would one identify the heat range and it would need to be hotter correct?

 

[Cfox]

Could there be any other reasons as well? I don't want to get new plugs just to foul them at too anything and everything is appreciated!

 

[Cfox]

Could there be any other reasons as well? I don't want to get new plugs just to foul them at too anything and everything is appreciated!
My computer docent show I posted it ?

 

[verdeva]

Hey cfox, changing the plugs to the same number should not have caused the black color. The plug number takes care of the heat range so that is not the issue. I guess there is something else going on that happened at the same time. Most problems will make the bike run lean and this will make the plugs turn white. The only thing I can think of that would explain the black color is the choke (or enricher); if this was left on and idled for a while then that would explain the plug color. Please let us know what you figure out.

 

[tclemens]

did ya leave the choke on ?

 

[Shadow Smackz]

dont know just how much this pertains, but white smoke from the exhaust in a car usually means a coolant leak like a head gasket, but if it was just one puff of white smoke, dont really think that would be the issue