[s-cars] Spark Plug Tightness - an alternate reality

[Steve Voit]

Hi S-heads:

(The 'AAN things to remember' post prompts me to challenge conventional
wisdom)

 

I have an alternate view on fussy sparkplugs in the AAN: any issues are
simply installation error.  

Reading all the stuff on the plugs made me sensitive to the potential issue,
and so I carefully use a torque wrench to install.  Over the years my
discovery is that MOST sockets rub in the bore in the cylinder head, thereby
inflating the torque reading on an otherwise under-torqued plug.  They
interfere at the bottom outer edge of the socket where it strikes an inside
radius in the head bore.  I've tried Craftsman and probably 4 off-brand
tools; only when I bought a Snap-On plug socket is there no interference.
The high quality socket is measurably smaller in outside diameter.  I
carefully torque to 22 ft lbs and return 30k miles later and reinstall with
new plugs.  Been doing this for 130k miles with no issue.  In fact I think
checking the plug torque puts needless cycles and/or potential pinching on
the ignition wiring that I'd prefer to avoid.

My $.02

Steve V

Seattle 95.5 S6