The spark plug gap may be too large or too small. That's exactly where the mid-layer comes in. To keep safe and warm on the trails in the cold weather, layer up wisely. Low temperatures may be harmful for off-road riders as well. If you think this may be the problem, you could change your spark plugs and change your driving habits to see if the problem reoccurs. Riding in too cold conditions can cause this same problem. Too much low-speed driving, only driving short distances, and excessive idling can all keep the spark plug from getting hot enough to burn off contaminants. This shouldn't be a problem if you are using factory recommended plugs and have an unmodified engine, but if you've tweaked something, it could be causing a problem. It needs to operate at a certain temperature to burn off contaminants without overheating. The spark plug's heat range may not be sufficient for your engine. You may need to adjust the carburetor to compensate. It may simply be too hot and humid where you live, causing the air density to decrease and the fuel mixture to get richer. dirty air filter or one without enough flow for your engine.If you still seem to have carburetor issues, it may simply be defective. Make sure your carburetor is adjusted to the factory specifications in your owner's manual and that it is jetted correctly. If the problem is only on one plug, it may be coming from the fuel injector that corresponds to that plug. If yours aren't, it means you aren't getting proper combustion, often because you've been running your ATV too rich (the fuel-to-air ratio is allowing too much fuel). You have probably been experiencing one or more of the following: hard starts, rough idling, slow acceleration, misfires, power loss, sputtering, greater fuel usage, or an increase in emissions.Īll spark plugs are exposed to a little carbon, but they can usually burn it off without issue. The discoloration will be evenly distributed and not spotty. You'll need to look into engine overheating or other spark plug problems for that.Ī dark gray or black spark plug that is dry or charred is carbon-fouled. This is not fouling, because it isn't caused by coating, but it does mean you have a bad spark plug. If you're having a problem with your ATV, look somewhere else.Ī blistered or melted spark plug with a fairly even white color has been getting too hot. Remove a spark plug, or more, and examine the firing end in plenty of light.Ī light, tan, or gray spark plug is fine. The appearance of your spark plug can give you a lot of valuable information. You could replace your spark plugs and get a quick, temporary fix, but if you don't address the underlying cause of the fouling, you'll just have to replace them over and over and may be allowing another serious problem with your ATV to go unchecked. Spark plugs contain that word spark because they handle electrical energy, when they are coated in a substance that isn't supposed to be there, their ceramic insulator that controls the electricity no longer functions like it should.Ī fouled spark plug can cause a wide range of problems, including engine misfires, rough idling, a reduction in engine power, poor fuel economy, more emissions, and a failure to start at all. What happens if something that is wrong with your ATV is repeatedly fouling your spark plugs? This post will tell you why your ATV is fouling spark plugs and how to fix it.Ī fouled spark plug is one coated in a foreign substance like gasoline, coolant, or motor oil and unable to function. Your ATV needs properly functioning spark plugs to run well, or at all. Also, according to my Haynes manual these symptoms indicate a damaged CDI unit. It seems to me if the pulsers were bad then there'd be nothing yet it idles just fine. I really can't afford to replace both just to find out. does this sound like a pulse generator issue or a bad CDI box. He tells me when he puts a test light between the spark plug caps and plugs it fires fine at and just above idle, but when it gets to about quarter throttle the spark will skip several strokes and then come back causing backfire due to fuel buildup in the cylinders. I already eliminated the carbs/fuel system as the source of the problem and now so has my mechanic. Evine1 wrote:I have a 1988 vs1400 in the shop because it was backfiring really bad and getting really hot on the front pipe.
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