spark plug

can someone tell me what is the perfect or recommended gaping for a 1998 sl1 saturn with genuine saturn spark plug.I know i can check under hood but dont know if there has been any change made by the manufac. thank you

0.040 for all S-series, saturn tryed 0.060 briefly in 96 but quickly went back.

I have a '96 and I gap to the owners manual recommended .060. I never knew that all others were .040. Makes sense really. I don't even have a gap guage that big so I end up using a drill bit every time. I will try the .040 and see if the idle improves.

I have a '96 and I gap to the owners manual recommended .060. I never knew that all others were .040. Makes sense really. I don't even have a gap guage that big so I end up using a drill bit every time. I will try the .040 and see if the idle improves.



hi can you let me know if better i will gap it at .040 if it is.thanks guys

do it to 0.040, there was a TSB on the 96s, go to your saturn dealership and you can even get a new emission sticker for the corrected 0.040 gap.

do it to 0.040, there was a TSB on the 96s, go to your saturn dealership and you can even get a new emission sticker for the corrected 0.040 gap.



THANKS SIERRAP615 youre help was appreciate

although performance plugs are recomended to be gapped at 0.045 can somone explain that to me?

i have not heard of that, some of the turbo guys go to 0.035, but thats something else

New Denso spark plugs gaped to .040 have been installed. I changed the oil and the valve cover gaskets while I was at it. I couldn't tell after driving it that the car ran any differently. The old Autolite plugs (0.060 gap) had just been cleaned a few weeks ago so the car was running pretty well to begin with. I found no evidence of oil leaking past the valve cover gasket either. The old one was very hard and brittle where it met the head but it appeared to be holding oil.

What else would cause oil to fill up in the #1 spark plug socket?

the valve cover gasket is the only possiblty .... unless in some million to one shot the valve cover or head had a crack in it at just the right spot.... but i have never known that too happen and you would have seen it.

Re-gapping the plugs hasn't made any difference so far. The engine still bogs down to 500 rpm, then stumbles back up to idle at 900 when I press the clutch approaching a stop. It's been doing that for years though especially with the air conditioner on.

Re-gapping the plugs hasn't made any difference so far. The engine still bogs down to 500 rpm, then stumbles back up to idle at 900 when I press the clutch approaching a stop. It's been doing that for years though especially with the air conditioner on.



HI there just like to mention after reading all the quote for my problem i still could not believe it would have been my ect causing my problem but sure enought i can confirm it fix my rpm problem jumping at over 2000 slowing on the stop and idling at 1100 not its at 750 run LIKE A NICE 21 BLONDE 5'7 SATURN OF COURSE

LIKE A NICE 21 BLONDE 5'7 SATURN OF COURSE

:evillol: you just made my day

New Denso spark plugs gaped to .040 have been installed. I changed the oil and the valve cover gaskets while I was at it. I couldn't tell after driving it that the car ran any differently. The old Autolite plugs (0.060 gap) had just been cleaned a few weeks ago so the car was running pretty well to begin with. I found no evidence of oil leaking past the valve cover gasket either. The old one was very hard and brittle where it met the head but it appeared to be holding oil.

What else would cause oil to fill up in the #1 spark plug socket?
It probably won't make you feel better but i hear denso plugs are very good in firing in oil.

It's been a few weeks so I pulled the #1 plug and the threads were coated in fresh oil. The tip is beginning to foul. I have a suspicion that the oil control ring is bad and the compression is forcing oil into the threads causing the spark plug socket to eventually (months) fill up with oil from the bottom.

What do ya'll think of this theory? I will get a compression tester and post again when I have a better idea of what's going on.

the valve cover gasket is the only possiblty ....

compression test will not test the oil control rings, only the compression.

did you notice ANY change with the new valve cover gasket?

did you use a new gasket, RTV, or both? have you used RTV before?(its very easy to screw up, i've don't it a few times and still stink.

A drop of RTV at the timing cover joints. That was the only spot the factory deemed neccessary so that's good enough for me. I very thoroughly cleaned the valve cover groove and the cylinder head. I used the O-ring style preformed gaskets.

I think my compression is good (38mpg and never a puff of smoke) but I don't know where else the oil could be coming from. Oil leaking past the valve cover gasket would've stained the metal and there was no evidence of that happening at all.

It's only been a few weeks. If it fills up with oil again over the next few months then I'll worry. Why fix now what can be put off until later? I check my oil frequently.

A little history on this engine: When the car was two years old, my wife(long before we met) had the oil light illuminate. She pulled into an oil change garrage and paid for an oil and filter. She told me the mechanic told her that "not much" oil came out when they drained it.

In her words, she was "pretty good" about following the windshield stickers regarding oil changes. As far as checking the oil in between..... Well, the car had a rough start in life but I've made up for alot of neglect. She had 70,000 miles when I met her and it has 130,000 now. I would sure like to keep the car and am not opposed to overhauling the engine. I have a dead Lumina that I could fix, license, insure and drive while the SL was down for overhaul.

It was the valve cover gasket! It's been almost four months since I replaced it and I've only added a half quart. There is no trace of oil in any spark plug hole. The oil I saw on the plug threads earlier was probably the anti-sieze compound.
There doesn't seem to be any difference between 0.040 and 0.060 spark gap. I still have the bogging problem.