spark plug interchange?

Nathan Nagel wrote in article ...

I taught Vocational Automotive Technology for ten years.

One of the exercises I used to have the students do was to give them a Champion spark plug number, have them cross it to AC, then to Autolite then to Bosch then back to Champion.

Never - NOT ONCE - did it ever come back to the original part number.

You are much better off looking up actual applications.

Most plug manufacturers still list spark plug applications back to the '20s, but many of today's "retail" parts store have computer catalogs that only go back 20 or so years, and the near-minimum wage employees have no clue as to using a paper catalog.

Applications change over the years to allow for original specification blunders, slightly worn engines using a bit of oil, etc.

The spark plug that is originally listed in the owner's manual is likely not the appropriate spark plug for a car with 200K miles.

Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Chassia Analysis Services

Nate:

What Bob said.

-DS

That's not quite the same as cross referencing it ONCE. I'll agree that different "equivalents" can vary, but at least it gives a place to start regarding thread diameter & length. The user can always adjust heat range after they have established a baseline.

Here's an Australian link for NGK.

Now don't laugh, Nate, but ...

The oldest free library in the country, which country?, does not matter, probably the oldest free library in the world - and maybe also the Library of Congress which is in your parts?, might be able to get you the information.

I know there is a huge hidden largely unknown source of manuals bulletins and what-not, just about for any American car ever made, including antiques going way back, that is available to the public but not on public display. You know how it is in the cities. This stuff would be stolen in a heart beat. If they don't also have the paper catalogs, they might know how to get a hold of them or possibly have the relevant pages copied, slight charge to you, if the holding library refuses to let the materials be ...

Talk to your librarian, and if the librarian does not know or is on the lazy side or playing dumb or is dumb and not playing, maybe post back here and I can get you the vehicle documents' curator's name and number, if he has not retired :)

Treeline(d)

EeGADS! Talk about going from Denver to Colorado Springs via Philadelphia!

I've never had a problem obtaining whatever catalogues I want -- yes, on paper -- by asking the manufacturer for them. Sometimes it's quicker, though, to ask my local NAPA jobber to get them for me.

DS

Bill Kapaun wrote in article ...

It certainly is if that ONE cross-reference happens to be the bogus one........

Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Chassis Analysis Services

Actually speak of the divil, I just got a Gates interchange manual in the mail based on filling out a form on their web site. (didnt' think it would work, but it did.) Apparently I do have to go "through channels" for the other stuff because most spark plug mfgrs. don't list a contact email on their web site, and having a Real Job, I probably shouldn't be spending hours on the phone to various mfgrs. catch-all

nate

ObCool: Got a flat tire on Saturday. Why is this cool? It finally gave me an excuse to replace the utterly execrable Continental all-seasons on my car, which only had another 2-3 months of tread left on them anyway. So I call my favorite tire store and get their price on some new Kumhos. It's pretty good. Then I look it up on Tire Rack. It's $150 less, including shipping, so even figgering $50 for a mount and balance job, that ain't chump change. So I drive down to tire store and the manager (cool guy) is working the counter. Explain to him situation and am about to tell him that I know that they don't generally price match mail order places and that I would rather buy locally because of good service blah blah but $100 is a lot of money for a $300 (or $400, depending on your perspective) set of tires, could we please negotiate a little when he grabs my notes out of my hand, cuts me off, scans the printed out Tire Rack stuff, and goes "yeah, I'll match that." THEN it turns out that the guy that had literally just walked out the door had bought the last set of the tires I wanted, in my size! D'oh! So what does he do? He has one of his tire guys mount one of that guy's discards on my rim, takes my phone number, and tells me he'll call me when they come in. No charge.

I will *DEFINITELY* be going back to that store.

Well, who says you hafta? Find their corporate number (20-second search) and call it. It's worked for me for years.

Or, as I say, you can ask your jobber to get you the catalogues you want. That works, too.

It's nice when customer service means what it sounds like.

DS