White Spark Plugs Concerned
 

Hi to all,

Had the old spark plugs changed this week, and replaced them with the Iridium IX ones.

The old plugs were not in great condition, they were very white instead of brown looking,
I have been told it maybe because of the remap not being setup right, and the car is now
running lean, has anyone else had this issue before please, or know what else could be
causing this?

Car is an 06 plate 2.5 Hawkeye which has been forged.

Thankyou :)

http://blackhawkparamotor.com/paramo...-does-it-mean/

yes it is for some random dumb motor but the idea is the same

Thankyou for the info, my spark plugs look like the article with minor lean, but not good as it says it cuts the
engine life by half, and may make a piston fail within time, or the cylinder head may warp. Really need to make a decision before the car becomes a money pit.

I did think more people would of responded to this thread, as I am new to the Subaru and don't know much about them.

I think the problem could be improper engine timing, would would lead to the map of the car?

I guess folks haven't come across this before with there car? I have just bought a car that needs a lot of TLC and expense ;)

Take it to a subaru specialist and get then to check the map for you and explain the spark plug condition

There are many reasons it could be running lean. Bad map, air leak ect. Take it to a specialist and get the air fuel ratio checked. Then take it from there.

The car is booked is booked in for a remap check at the end of the month, and I guess will tell me more about the car, and what is going on ;)

Ahh, I will speak to my mechanic who knows alot about these cars, but he is saying its down to a poor map, I will take it easy for now driving the car off boost, as I don't want any internal
damage to the engine happening, or leading to melting a piston or going pop :)

The car does appear to warm up from cold very quickly, is this normal for these cars? :)

Who mapped it

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...fa9da9133f.jpg
Thwaites remapped the car back in February 2017 graph above :)

That's very low for an sti

The car is a WRX which has been rebuilt and forged, the car has the V43 STi turbo, and
top mount intercooler.

I have been told the car is low on power from the graph, and maybe someone wanted it remapped
to a safe power level as it has the 5 speed box :)

Have injectors and fuel pump been changed

The fuel pump was changed last week to an uprated one, the original pump was still in the car,
I am not sure about the injectors, but I would of thought they would of been changed as the rebuild
included a rebore and hone.
Thought I would post a pic of a spark plug taken out, not a great photo, but you can clearly see the
condition of the plug. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...a194d3ef16.jpg

Just out of the interest have you had any odd idling or hunting at tick over, pulling up at traffic lights ect?

Yes, the car is just like that, idle fluctuates especially before pulling away, moving the car at slow speed :)

What are coolant levels like? Dropped at all?

It sounds like you have an air leak. I had idle issues last year. Long story short after replacing fuel pump thinking it was failing it turned out to have an air leak on the drivers side injectors. We only discovered this after plugging it in and finding that the ecu was Trying to add 20%more fuel and retarding the timing..
Do you still have the original turbo inlet pipe fitted? These are known to split underneath where the join the turbo.

I am not sure if it still has the original turbo inlet pipe fitted, where is it looking from above at the engine bay, is it left or right side?

Sorry, just a novice learning about the car at the mo, I will check coolant levels tomorrow :)

Maybe air leak on boost pipes or intercooler core or leaking dump valve

I do have an OBD reader, its only a cheap one though, be worth seeing if anything
comes up on the read out :thumb:

The turbo inlet pipe is the big ( black if its the original) pipe that goes from your air box to the turbo. They are known to split where the jubilee clip holds it on to the turbo.i have had mine changed its the fat red perrin pipe that goes from the induction kit under the inlet on the left of the pic
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...49f0ab508b.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...ec929a8a08.jpg
They tend to go on this end where it clamps on to the turbo.

Thankyou for the pics and advice, I will have a look when I get home from work tomorrow, and get back to you :thumb:

The turbo inlet pipe is fine, had the car checked for air leaks, all is fine :)

I think someone has tinkered with the car since the map, car remap is
being checked out at the end of the month. :)

Crikey those plugs look brand new ! Very very lean id say . This is why i left my wideband connected permantly so i can see if its leans at any points, looking at those plugs depending on what rev rang you do most your driving i bet those afr`s are in the 15`s to 16`s to be that white

That's what I have been concerned about as to why the spark plugs look that white, I have only had the car since February this year, and haven't even driven the car hard, only spirited, I
haven't even floored it, I have had the maf sensor changed, and the car has been checked for air leaks, but nothing has been found. I am hoping its just down to a poor remap, getting the
car mapped again in a couple of weeks, and sure this will explain everything what is going on with the car, and why it is running so lean :)

Yeah if all mechanical issues have been addressed or not found it can only be the Map.

Thats the problem with some maps, adjusted for full boost at WOT but not really setup for cruising ( although the 02 should take care of most the adjustments below 3k ) or other mundane driving conditions lol

Good luck

Yeah, I think the new map should sort the car out, or it will certainly show where the problem is with the car, I will post up the outcome 😊