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When a spark plug becomes dirtied, cracked, or burned out, the cylinder will stop firing. With the turbocharged V6 or V8 boxer engines of a Porsche, a single failing cylinder won’t stop the engine from working altogether. But it will reduce your power and driving pleasure. If you notice any of the following five indicators of faltering spark plugs, head to your nearest Porsche dealer right away for replacements.
Engine No Longer Purring in Idle
A healthy spark plug can fire 1,000 times per minute or more. If it begins to falter, the cylinder begins to misfire. Fuel is still being injected into the combustion chamber, but it’s not being ignited each time as it should be.
This leads to rough idling, which is very noticeable when driving a Porsche. Your engine will no longer be purring smoothly when you pause at a traffic light. Instead, you’ll hear it coughing and feel it jolting and juddering.
Loss of Accelerative Power
A misfiring cylinder is no longer pulling its weight. As a result, your engine will lose a degree of power along with its ability to accelerate quickly.
With a V4 engine, the impact of a single failing cylinder is far greater than with a V8 engine. But in either case, you’ll notice the difference in your acceleration. This is dangerous when trying to overtake other vehicles, which requires a reliable burst of speed.
Sudden Surging RPMs
When a plug begins failing to ignite the fuel-air mixture, strange things start to happen inside the combustion chamber. There will be an excess of fuel in the chambers, which further harms the plug. Also, the engine will sometimes draw in more oxygen in an effort to compensate for its inefficiencies. This causes sudden unexpected revving and surges in RPMs.
Fewer Miles Reached Per Gallon
The gas mileage of a less effective engine drops. You’ll see the fuel gauge swinging to empty far more quickly and find yourself stopping at gas stations more frequently.
Engine Struggling to Start
If more than one of your cylinders has a faulty plug, your engine could struggle to start. It might also start stalling when you slow down and then be difficult to promptly start up again.
How a Porsche Dealer Checks Your Plugs
Before removing a plug to inspect it, a technician will always clean around the socket. It’s important to keep any dirt or potential contamination out of the gap. Also, the engine must be turned off and cool before touching a spark plug.
A visual inspection is often all that’s required to see if a plug is dirtied or has burned-out electrodes. And a technician can use a multimeter tool to test it. They’ll also check the socket for debris and install a new plug to see if that solves the problem.
Have your plugs inspected today at Porsche West Broward by professionals who are extremely experienced with Porsche vehicles. Our dealership has been providing for the region’s Porsche drivers for 65 years.
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