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Reading iridium plugs

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Maxwell Hunter, Aug 6, 2018.

  1. Maxwell Hunter

    Maxwell Hunter New Member

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    This is my g/fs car and had it about a year. The average mpg was 44. Now is 37... So I changed the plugs and every other one was running hot. All have black soot. This is my first time dealing with iridium plugs and I am having a hard time getting info on how to read them as far as the electrode wear. The side electrode wear is also pretty bizarre. Car also uses 2 quarts between oil changes. Can I get some opinions on these plugs?

    Thanks in advance for any help!

    2005 Prius
    180 K
     

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    #1 Maxwell Hunter, Aug 6, 2018
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Looks pretty good considering how much oil you're burning... I've read on here that pouring Marvel Mystery oil in there and letting it soak in can reduce the amount of oil the engine burns, but I've not tried it personally.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Aug 6, 2018
  3. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Yes. If they all are sooty, oily black.....then you are worrying about the wrong thing.
    Nothing you do with the plugs will help stop the oil burning.

    Note: MMO is very good for a few VERY SPECIFIC conditions......like stuck rings in one or two cylinders. When they are all pumping oil, no amount of "snake oil" is going to help for very long.
     
    #3 sam spade 2, Aug 6, 2018
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    How many miles on those plugs? They don't look as good as I am expecting. I would want to make sure I am using the OEM Denso or close match
     
    #4 wjtracy, Aug 6, 2018
  5. Maxwell Hunter

    Maxwell Hunter New Member

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    Dont know the miles on them. They are NGKs. Just looks like a lot of build up on the side electrode and the wear on the center is pretty funky. And the whole issue with two plugs burning hot is weird.
     
    #5 Maxwell Hunter, Aug 6, 2018
  6. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I say they are orig plugs probably...which is fine I did not change mine to 135,000
     
    #6 wjtracy, Aug 6, 2018
  7. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Yep... I changed my original plugs around 135K miles as well. I was astonished at how clean and new they looked. They sure do design engines differently then they used to. I'm sure regular oil changes with 0W-20 full synthetic helps as well.
     
    #7 PriusCamper, Aug 6, 2018
  8. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    What exactly makes you think they are "burning hot" ??
    Those might be the only two cylinders that are running anywhere near to normal.
     
    #8 sam spade 2, Aug 7, 2018
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