How spark plug works

How spark plug works

A spark plug  is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed aerosol gasoline by means of an electric spark.

Spark plugs have an insulated center electrode which is connected by a heavily insulated wire to an ignition coil or magneto circuit on the outside, forming, with a grounded terminal on the base of the plug, a spark gap inside the cylinder.
Internal combustion engines can be divided into spark-ignition engines, which require spark plugs to begin combustion, and compression-ignition engines (diesel engines), which compress the air and then inject diesel fuel into the heated compressed air mixture where it autoignites. Compression-ignition engines may use glow plugs to improve cold start characteristics

 

Spark Plugs and Spark Plug Wires                                                                                                                                                                     Spark Plugs deliver electric current from the ignition system to the engine to ignite the engine’s fuel and air mixture.

Bad spark plugs can cause a car hesitates, jerks, or shakes during acceleration or driving. If the spark plugs are new but you see incomplete electric spark, check on the spark plug wires 
If both the spark plugs and spark plug wires are working properly. You may have to check on the ignition system.
For car equipped with mechanically timed ignition (usually is older car), check on the distributor, ignition coil, both battery connectors, and all wires.

 Plug Types:-

Some cars require a hot plug. This type of plug is designed with a ceramic insert that has a smaller contact area with the metal part of the plug. This reduces the heat transfer from the ceramic, making it run hotter and thus burn away more deposits. Cold plugs are designed with more contact area, so they run cooler

The carmaker will select the right temperature plug for each car. Some cars with high-performance engines naturally generate more heat, so they need colder plugs.
If the spark plug gets too hot, it could ignite the fuel before the spark fires; so it is important to stick with the right type of plug for your car.