"Over-maintaining" a vehicle....

[3930dave]

Was on the NGK site, checking a plug listing. Came across this review, thought I share, in case anybody needs a laugh.... :thumbsup: Rgds, D.

NGK 2262 ZFR5F-11 Nickel Spark Plug

Fronzie

December 25, 2012

Endured 230,000 miles!!!

In 2001, I purchased a 1997 Honda CR-V, which I am still driving daily, with approximately 240,000 miles on the odometer. Last month, as I was leaving my work, for the first time, my CR-V would not crank. Being that it has been so faithfully dependable, I was certain that it had to be a major issue; especially since I had arrived to work that morning with no obvious issues.

After having my CR-V fail to crank (for the first time ever), finding alternative transportation home, and having my CR-V towed home, a good friend of mind was benevolent enough to come over to assist me with determining the cause of the issue. After about five minutes, he began to laugh and asked, "When was the last time you had a tune-up?" My response was, "I have never needed a tune-up."

At this point, my friend had determined that only one spark plug was firing. --"Duh!" I have always been concious of ensuring the timing belt was changed within the parameters of the Honda-mandated schedule, as well as timely oil changes per the owner's manual, brakes, tire rotations, etc. The one maintenance task I had never performed, in the eleven years (and 230,000 miles) I have had my Honda CR-V, was a tune-up.

I've always felt Americans needlessly "over-maintain" their vehicles, and that when my CR-V needed a tune-up, it would let me know. Well, it did, in a big way!

So I go online to research the best spark plugs for my Honda, and in reading comments from others who have the first-generation Honda CR-V (1997), your NGK spark plugs are the brand most-often recommended for my CR-V. Feeling confident with my research, I go to the local auto parts store and purchase four of your NGK V-Power ZFR5F-11 spark plugs.

When my friend removed the existing spark plugs, in order to install the new ones, you can't imagine my surprise to see that the eleven year-old spark plugs were ALSO NGK ZFR5F-11 plugs!! How amazing is that?!! I am keeping them for posterity!!

 

[dodge man]

I hate to think how much over maintaing goes on, all promoted by dealships.

 

[k0ua]

You have to wonder what those plugs looked like!

 

[3930dave]

0.2" gap ?

For sure, there would have been nothing left of the centre electrode. Amazing he didn't kill the coil.

I find it funny that he had done other maintenance, but had a "Keep driving till it stops moving" attitude about the plugs.

Wanna bet that it's still on the original Fuel Filter ?

Rgds, D.

 

[RalphVa]

Spark plugs go a long way now; I guess. Electronic ignition really reduced the need to change them out much. I'll probably never do it on this Tacoma that I have. Did it twice (probably needlessly) on the old Tacoma.

NGK were the ONLY plugs in our Fiat 124S sedan back in the 70s that wouldn't start misfiring after only about 5,000 miles. On its 1400 cc engine, one revved it a lot.

Ralph

 

[3930dave]

I hate to think how much over maintain goes on, all promoted by dealships.

My choice of title was mostly a symptom of my usual sarcasm.....

While that is a decent plug, it is NGK's entry level plug - he ran that plug more than 4 times the mileage it should have been in the head.

What I find really ironic is this is a Honda - which most people buy to conserve fuel with. For the sake of $12 in plugs, he wasted a substantial amount of fuel.



Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Spark plugs go a long way now; I guess. Electronic ignition really reduced the need to change them out much. I'll probably never do it on this Tacoma that I have. Did it twice (probably needlessly) on the old Tacoma.

NGK were the ONLY plugs in our Fiat 124S sedan back in the 70s that wouldn't start misfiring after only about 5,000 miles. On its 1400 cc engine, one revved it a lot.

Ralph

I like NGK plugs, esp. in Japanese engines. For a similar era Civic, the factory calls for 30,000 mile plug changes (exact same NGK pn). Many people push past 30k, but 240k is nuts, and a big fuel waster.

Rgds, D.

 

[murphy1244]

I just hit the 100,000 mile mark and am doing the plugs. On my Mercury Mariner you have to take the intake off. also changing coolant for the first time and trans service #3. I never did the rear brakes yet so I'll give them a peek.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I had NKG plugs in my Evinrude 4 stroke motor and after 2 years of none issue, one spring after setting in the garage for the winter it was surging. It would crank and idle but when it was given full throttle it would only run about 2000 RPM for a while and then suddenly run normal for a while then back to no power. Sounded like a fuel problem and I changed hoses, fuel tanks to no end of problem. Finally I stopped at a marine dealer and talked to the mechanic. He knew instantly that it was the plugs. He said NKG were notorious for shorting out. I changed them out to the tune of about $8 each and it has ran fine since. I got rid of the NKG brand though.

 

[crazyal]

Common sense should be renamed. I know several people who are like that guy. If the manual says to do something they will religiously do it. However if it's not listed then either they assume it doesn't need doing or don't even know about it. I've watched air filters get thrown out simply because the manual said to replace it even though it looks brand new.

 

[DT86]

I hate to think how much over maintain goes on, all promoted by dealships.

I agree. When my girlfriend and I started dating I soon found out she had been taking her Civic to the dealer for oil changes, by her self, and that they were constantly finding something to replace unnecessarily. They were replacing the air filter, cabin air filter and fuel filter at every oil change. I put a end to that.

 

[swines]

I had a neighbor with a Ford Econoline with the 300 CI straight 6. He changed the oil once a year if he determined the oil really needed changing. I saw him banging this solid, black, round thing on the sidewalk and found out he was "cleaning" the air filter - it had never been replaced in 150K miles. I suggested he could buy a new one for about $8. He told me it was a waste of money and he "cleaned the filter like this whenever it needed it."

Truck finally threw a rod at 257K miles when he was 450 miles from home - he couldn't figure out why it had happened. If you do regular preventive maintenance on a vehicle, you can drive them hundreds of thousands of reliable, trouble-free miles - no matter the manufacturer.

I value the reliable, trouble-free part over being cheap about maintenance.

 

[3930dave]

Common sense should be renamed. I know several people who are like that guy. If the manual says to do something they will religiously do it. However if it's not listed then either they assume it doesn't need doing or don't even know about it. I've watched air filters get thrown out simply because the manual said to replace it even though it looks brand new.

I've taken to calling it UNcommon sense, because that is what it has become. :mur:

Rgds, D.

 

[Soundguy]

You have to wonder what those plugs looked like!

i wonder how a non firing plug (plugs) prevented his tarter from turning over ( craking).

that thing ha a plug tester that tests plugs before engaging starter?

 

[3930dave]

I agree. When my girlfriend and I started dating I soon found out she had been taking her Civic to the dealer for oil changes, by her self, and that they were constantly finding something to replace unnecessarily. They were replacing the air filter, cabin air filter and fuel filter at every oil change. I put a end to that.

That is ridiculous. And, knowing some shops, while I'm sure they billed her every time for changing the fuel filter....

I tend to see the opposite rolling into my friend's shop..... 300k km +, and still the original fuel filter.

Nobody wants to to get ripped off, but what I don't get is when people shell out money in increments of $10,000 at a time to buy a vehicle.... why don't they read the OE Owner's Manual ? Every one I've ever seen tells you exactly what interval to change spark plugs at, and every other service interval too.

I get that some people won't listen to anything (Drive it till it stops moving.... tm)......... and, you don't have to do much reading to come across people who think factory service intervals are part of some grand conspiracy to separate them from huge amounts of money. Conveniently overlooking the monumental amount of money they spent to acquire the vehicle in the first place..... :duh:

UNcommon sense..... where art thou ?

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I had a neighbor with a Ford Econoline with the 300 CI straight 6. He changed the oil once a year if he determined the oil really needed changing. I saw him banging this solid, black, round thing on the sidewalk and found out he was "cleaning" the air filter - it had never been replaced in 150K miles. I suggested he could buy a new one for about $8. He told me it was a waste of money and he "cleaned the filter like this whenever it needed it."

Truck finally threw a rod at 257K miles when he was 450 miles from home - he couldn't figure out why it had happened. If you do regular preventive maintenance on a vehicle, you can drive them hundreds of thousands of reliable, trouble-free miles - no matter the manufacturer.

I value the reliable, trouble-free part over being cheap about maintenance.

An engineer buddy of mine back when used to argue with his Dad about oil change intervals. His Dad swore up and down that his son was "over-changing" the oil, on the son's car.

Then.... the Dad ends up having top-end issues with a GM straight 6 in his own truck, of the same era as that Ford. They both end up down at another buddy's shop, pulling off the valve cover of the I6..... Dad is saying "Jeez, I don't know why this happened"...... as they are scooping out spoonfuls of black tar from where oil should be sitting on top of the head.....

Maintenance, today, is pretty minimal compared to back then - so the burden on the customer is fairly light. Nonetheless, either out of laziness, or ignorance, many people seem to drift from Low Maintenance, to No Maintenance......

Rgds, D.

 

[k0ua]

i wonder how a non firing plug (plugs) prevented his tarter from turning over ( craking).

that thing ha a plug tester that tests plugs before engaging starter?

People say "won't crank" when they mean won't start and run. Why they say that I don't know.

 

[3930dave]

I had NKG plugs in my Evinrude 4 stroke motor and after 2 years of none issue, one spring after setting in the garage for the winter it was surging. It would crank and idle but when it was given full throttle it would only run about 2000 RPM for a while and then suddenly run normal for a while then back to no power. Sounded like a fuel problem and I changed hoses, fuel tanks to no end of problem. Finally I stopped at a marine dealer and talked to the mechanic. He knew instantly that it was the plugs. He said NKG were notorious for shorting out. I changed them out to the tune of about $8 each and it has ran fine since. I got rid of the NKG brand though.

Certain engines and plugs marry up well, some, not so much.

Ex., If I was driving GM, I'd only be running Delco plugs. In the case of Honda cars, NGK is the OE plug, along with Denso.

I normally default to the incumbent plug manufacturer for a given engine, and only deviate if performance issues arise. Any decent engine OEM will have spent a ridiculous amount of test-stand and field-use time validating that spark plug..... I know enough about what that process takes that I consider the $1 or $2 extra per plug I spend to get OE plugs to be money well spent.

Innarresting trivia I came across.... in the Year drop down on the NGK site, I saw listings back to the 1890's ! Later (long Winter nights abound....) I'll play around with that, as I'm curious what they list back then

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

People say "won't crank" when they mean won't start and run. Why they say that I don't know.

Many people will say "electrocuted" when somebody encounters live voltage, whether or not it's fatal.

Lack of knowledge, or just sloppy speech patterns....

Rgds, D.

 

[94BULLITT]

230,000 miles and not a single tune up is a bit far fetched.