I've so far used Champions and haven't yet had any problems in the Civic. The most trouble I've had with plugs has been in my Rover, some dim-wit had left one of the plugs loose and put two others in so tight I had to clamp a 3ft plank to the end of the box spanner. Even then it was a job to shift it and broke the ceramic. At least the filth round it stopped the shards going into the cylinder. In my opinion, whatever plugs you use make sure you get the torque setting right.

By John S. (64.12.96.201) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 09:57 pm:

Oh yeah, never change plugs on a hot head, that is to say after the engine has warmed up. Let it cool first. Could be why you've had problems with them breaking. That's never happened to me...knock on wood...stripped a plug out once about 23 years ago on a 600 Coupe, but didn't know it 'till I was several miles from home and the compression blew it out of the head. They don't run too good on one cylinder. I've been very careful setting plugs since then.

By John S. (64.12.96.201) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 09:36 pm:

As I and others have said before, with aluminum parts always use antiseize if you want to take it back apart again. Also use in on suspension and high rust prone areas.

By Bryan (66.32.115.96) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 08:24 am:

I haven't seen a problem with standard bosch plugs, just the Platinum. Still though, I have seen them break off in heads. You have to use anti-seize on the threads to prevent this from happening. You will go to remove the plug and get everything except the threads. They are very thin where the threads meet the base.

The multi electrode plugs are NOT a new thing. It is amazing how people fall for these marketing gimicks. Those plugs have been aroung since the Wankle engine, or rotary if you prefer, has been around. Now they just market them to appeal to the people that don't know better.

Just stick with a good NGK plug and be done with it.

By Parker (141.165.137.166) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 12:22 am:

well, i sorta agree. im my 1300, i use either champion or ngk. i have yet to foul a set of champion plugs and the only reason i changed from the ngk's is because i fouled them when i was tuning the carb(whoops) the bosch plugs, absolutely suck. they fouled up and had to be cleaned more times than i care to count

By John S. (152.163.253.2) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 09:52 pm:

You know it's funny many people have said not to use Bosch Platinums in these Civics. I can only tell you from my own experiance...
My old origional '79 1200 130,000mi motor used to foul the number three plug quite often in the winter, I always suspected it was the weakest cylinder and the winter choke use was the main cause of it. I put Platinum plugs in six or seven years ago and the problem immediately went away,(still using the same plugs). A year or two after that I finally got around to putting a 1300 Electronic dizzy on the motor, and I cannot believe the motor is Still as strong as it is. Like I said it is the origional motor, and I know this for sure as I bought the car 13 yrs ago with only 57,000 showing at the time, and a weeping head gasket which I promptly fixed, and I have not been into the motor since. I have also used them in all my various CVCC motor cars and had no problems with them either. Their advantage is superior cold weather warm up, almost instant, for high performance or racing use however, that is another matter.

By Charles R (66.126.169.132) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 08:23 pm:

Oh yeah,

PS.
Plugs are a funny thing. I see that Don mentioned "No Bosch plug..."

Well, I've always said "Jap car, Jap plugs. German car, German plugs".

Here at our Bug shop we feel the same way about the cars WITHOUT Bosch ignition parts. If a car comes in with any ignition related issue, and it has non Bosch parts, that's the first things we change.

But my Honda's, to this day, still only get NGK's. Or if I can find them, Nippondenso.

By Charles R (66.126.169.132) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 08:17 pm:

Typically, the benefit from all these "superplugs" are the number of edges they have. It's just a simple fact that it's easier for the spark energy to jump the gap from a sharp point than it is a rounded one. This is also why simply keeping fresh plugs in a car helps power and fuel milage as well.

So if there are some issues with your ignition system that produces a weak spark, these will definately help it.

The problem however, is that by making it easier to jump, there ends up being LESS total energy in the resulting spark.

This can create problems with an otherwise healthy ignition system. Particularly, with higher power engines, since they can require a stronger spark in the first place. In the end, it's better to use simple "standard" plugs of quality and maintain the rest of the system, than to try to "patch" things with the plugs.

BUT, some of these newer plug designs, like the +4's and other dual/triple electrode, have NOT been designed to produce extra sharp edges. They're designed to extend the service life of the edges that are there. Without exception, the metal wears away as the spark jumps time after time to the two edges. This increases the gap the spark needs to jump, and creates it's own set of issues. By adding more areas to jump to, the service life of the plug is extended.

So, while I don't have issues with the multi point plugs, I would still stay away from the "platinum/iridium, mega gonzo!" type plugs.

Lastly, ALL plugs, no matter what their origin, should be gapped to the VEHICLES' specs. As the necessary "jump" voltage increases, the coil will heat up more than it may be designed for. Which is not great for it's life, or performance.

By 1300dx (63.230.204.12) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 07:25 pm:

I agree with Don, any Honda that came into our shop with a misfire or stumble, we checked the plugs. If they were Bosch or Champion, we immediately replaced them & installed good old NGK's. This usually fixed the problem.

By farenheight101 (24.69.255.203) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 07:01 pm:

Whoa...shot down!

Thanks for the intel guys, but I still haveta see for myself.

By Don (199.2.139.192) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 05:39 pm:

I agree no bosch spark plugs (Bosch=crap). I have cured many misfires (I repair cars for a living) by taking the owner installed Bosch platinums out and putting in Plain old NGKs copper plugs. (But they must be better they cost more)LOL The +4 appeals to the same group as puchased the splitfires both are a waste of money!

By Bryan (66.32.83.77) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 04:40 pm:

Bosch PL plugs are the worst plugs I've ever run. Bosch also has a reputation for breaking off in the head. I haven't used them in years, so they may be designed better.

By Adrian (Evocivic) (165.228.11.61) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 04:21 pm:

The basic idea behind most platinum plugs is longevity not performance. Platinum plugs can last 100000km but in most cases don't perform better that copper plugs. Sometimes they are actually worse.

By Kyle (12.212.39.124) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 03:57 pm:

correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression the 4 prong plugs weren't what they'd been hyped to be? Just curious to see what people think.

By farenheight101 (24.69.255.203) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 10:09 am:

Hey Guys,
Ever try fitting Bosch Platinum +4 plugs into an eb3 head? I needed new ones so I wanted to go with the best. So I went to the local canadian tire to find a set. The earliest year they make em for is 87-89 civic. I brought in a plug and the threads match, the length matches, and the diameter matches. I got em...put em in, but no fire!! Low and behold, its because of a carelessly routed coil wire rubbing on the alternator and eaten into the core, but I did see a couple of bright strobelight-like sparks. You guys should look into getting a set. Nothing like the quality and worksmanship of Bosch!