I bought a box of 4 Champion plugs for a Ford Falcon many years ago.  The sealed box contained 2 good plugs and 2 with cracked ceramic insulators.  I have never bought plugs since without inspecting them individually.  One parts store objected to my opening the box, so I just went to another store.  mcneely

---- Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
> heck,
> I've had a parts storeask me to check out a rebuilt carb that they had
> sold,afterthe  buyer installed in on their engine.
> I found at least one spark plug with the electrodes *missing* as in not
> there at all.
> I guess you could call that spark plug failure.
>
> It's common , to me, in small single cylinder engines for 'the spark
> plug' to be why it won't start or run. Seen it many times.
>
>
> On 1/14/2013 5:39 AM, Pat wrote:
> > Had a plug fail in my lawn mower a few years ago.
> > That was the first and only complete failure I ever saw of that nature.
> >
> > OTOH, I had plenty of plugs stop firing due to carbon fouling.
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> > JRodgers
> > Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 2:02 AM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Dead Sparking Plug!
> >
> > I have never in all my years of maintaining engines had a spark plug
> > that just plain quit. But it just happened.
> >
> > Running fine - then suddenly rough. Started that tests. First looked at
> > the distributor - near new. Next tested the lead by running the engine
> > and putting a strobe on it. totally dead. Pulled the plug, check the
> > electrodes - near new. Put the plug back in. Got another known good lead
> > and installed it. Checked with the strobe - stone cold dead!! Only thing
> > left = dead plug. Replaced with new - fired right up running smooth. I
> > have had distributor caps go dead on one plug, I've had many leads go
> > bad or dead - but never a spark plug - not like this - stone cold dead.
> >
> > Like the Lil' Boy sez _"Larn sump'in new every day!"
> >
> > John
> >

--
David McNeely