02 Elantra Spark Plugs

I would normally go to the Hyundai tech site for this, but since I've last
looked, it seems to insist that I register first, and then it doesn't every
respond with the email that it promises me... COOL!

Anyway, I have a couple questions. What is the correct spark plug torque
for the 2002 Elantra GT?

Second, Using a guess at the torque, I installed a new set of plugs at about
13.8 lb-ft, and the car now sputters and backfires. I put the old plugs
back in, slight hesitation at idle, but not running that bad. Replace one
plug, slight hint of a sputter. 2 plugs, backfires again. Old plugs back
in, runs as before. I'm beginning to think that you just can't replace
plugs in one of these...

The replacement plugs I'm using are Autolite Platinum AP 3924.... supposed
to be the right size... what's up with this??? Could the entire set of new
plugs be bad?

BTW, I have just over 60K on the plugs (yes, I'm looking at getting it to
the shop for a new timing belt in the next few weeks.... )

 

Buy NGK plugs, you will see a Big difference....

 

If you don't get an initial response, use the "lost password" function
and it WILL respond. That's what I had to do.

Not likely, but they could just be the wrong heat range, protrusion,
etc. NGK's seem to be the most popular plugs, but you could also simply
replace the originals with the same thing.

 

Thanks Brian, I'll give that a try on the tech site.

As far as the plugs go, Autolites are cheaper than NGKs, and I know they
make a better plug, but I would expect the "spec'd" plug to at least make it
run. Just as a second look though, all the dimensions match up, so I would
have expected, based on the compatibility chart, that they would be for all
practical purposes the same plug, just a different name.... (Champions vs
Autolite, that is). I'll go down to the parts store and cough up the $$ for
real plugs.

Thanks again!

- Steve

 

any hyundai dealer ive been too recommends ngk plugs only, our accent runs
the best with the also.

 

Yeah, I understand that.... I've been riding rice rockets for 30 years
now... wouldn't put anything but NGKs or NDs in them..... my FZ1 has NGKs in
it..... but cars typically aren't quite as finicky. The Fizzer is my baby,
the car is mostly just my work car. However, my problem wasn't that they
didn't last as long or my mileage wasn't as good, or maybe the overall
acceleration wasn't too good.

The car continuously sputtered and backfired.... i.e., for all intensive
purposes, it wouldn't run AT ALL..... It simply wasn't driveable.... That's
what amazed me!

 

Au contraire, NGK makes very good plugs. They're spec'd as OEM parts on
most asian vehicles for a reason. Their standard V-Power copper plugs
are inexpensive (~$1.25 each) and offer outstanding performance within
their lifespan (~15-30K miles) or you can go with platinum or iridium
plugs if you want longer life with good performance.

I agree, but that's apparently not the case.

 

Hence, my question wasn't "what's a good plug." Though my experience with
Champions vs NGKs in my old 2 stroke bikes, I'd say the NGK will last around
5 to 10 times longer. Significant difference there. I am intimately
familiar with NGKs. However, I thought about plugs when I wasn't at my
local NGK retailer, so I bought a "like-in-kind" replacement for the
originally spec'd plugs.

My question was what's up with this? I change out a comparable plug with
the corresponding "equal," and it doesn't run at all. If they just didn't
last as long, or if my dyno tests showed a 0.005 hp loss, ok... backfires
and sputtering is a different deal completely, if you follow me there. My
car didn't come with NGKs, it came with Champion platinums. Apparently NGKs
weren't spec'd for it.

As far as price goes, NGKs ARE more expensive. However, I'm not such a
tightwad that I can't spend an extra .50 to $1per plug... that's not the
issue. You won't find NGKs around here for 1..25, even the copper
cores.... The issue IS that the Autolites were the corresponding plug, and
supposedly of comparable quality to the originals.... and for all intensive
purposes, it won't RUN AT ALL with the new plugs (yes, I gapped them to spec
also). Higher performance is irrelevant. ZERO performance is a problem. I
was just inquiring to see if anybody had experienced the same situation, or
had an idea what was going on.... kind of a learning thing. I think the
answer is "No."

By the way, I tried the "forgot password" on the tech site and finally got
in... Thanks!

 

try bosch platniums, thats whats in our accent right now.
seems good , been over 30 000 kms already on them.
same as you, just werent near a ngk supplier..
when time comes to replace Im going to use the ngks, do u have any idea what
the irridium's are like?
apparentely irridium is from meterorites..

 

For all the bikes I've had (9), all of them ran on NGKs.... and they seemed
to work really well. I've used NDs as well, and never really could tell a
difference between them and NGKs. Back in the early 70s when it was 400hp
V8s, I had just as good of luck with Champions as anything else. I'm not
sure what my new bike runs, but I know they're NGKs. The current plugs in
the Hyundai are Champions, and have 60K miles on em. they're pretty burnt,
but I've only recently seen a drop of a couple mpg .... which is why I'm
replacing them. the electrodes are getting pretty round... they've run
their course.

The iridiums might work a little better for you, but I'd be surprised if you
really noticed a difference. On my old bikes, I could never tell the
difference in how a bike ran, and never really could see a difference in
mileage. For the two strokes, though, the Champions fouled a lot easier,
and wouldn't last anywhere near as long as an NGK.... That was the big
difference. If the plugs you're using right now are working well for you,
I'd stick with them. They're good plugs. You might try the Iridiums and
see if they last longer... but it sounds like you've got a pretty good plug
as it is...

On the other hand, there's the old engineering saying.... It it ain't
broke, it just doesn't have enough features yet!

 

The bottom line is that the Autolites don't work, so why stress over it?
Unless you damaged a plug wire during the plug change or something, the
reason is irrellevent. Get new Champions or NGKs and get the car back on
the road.

 

The advantage of platinum or iridium plugs is longer life (~60K and
100K, respectively). NGKs copper core plugs actually perform better, but
they have a much shorter life. Even if you replace them every 15K,
they're still cheaper in the long run than either of the higher-end plugs.

 

yeah I believe in the if it aint broke don't fix it.
the only reason ive told you about the ngk's is even on the Hyundai
connection (or what used to be) the techs mech said to ditch the stock
champions (and my dealer), unt makes me think then if there no good or good
for only short times. Hyundai's using the champs because there cheaper I
guess, just like the shitty tires they come with.

I've had good luck so far with the bosch.
I figured how bad could the bosch's be considering the entire management
systems by bosch, even the speed sensor on the shock tower say bosch on it.

 

Hey! You hit a hot button there!

With the Michelins, everytime I tried to take off on wet pavement, they
broke loose like they were on ice... I hated them. Replaced them with
Pirelli P3000s.... about 1/2 the price and they stick like glue on the wet
roads... love em! Although the tire cupping problem with the Elantras gets
attributed a lot to the tires, I ran these same Michelins on a Saturn (2
sets) for a total of about 145,000 miles (got 205K out of the Saturn). NO
cupping. I still think its a design flaw in the car, but we'll see how the
Pirellis wear.... The Michelins still sucked on wet roads, though.

On the spark plug side, though, the Champions should be fine. Mine went a
long way. Yes, NGK makes a better product, but then again, will they run
over 50K miles? I don't know... but I guess I'll find out. You can get
Champions and Autolites at Wally World as an afterthought (like I did) when
you're actually shopping for paper towels or something really lame....
around here, if you want NGKs, it's a special trip to the parts store....
but I'll be making the special trip. At least I'll know what I'm getting...
not sure what I got with the Autolites, but it's not good....

 

yeah was aware of that, platnium lasts longer but doesnt conduct
electricity as well ...

 

the tires on our accent cost 19.99 each from walmart, uylsses kh made by
kumho.
thyre actually pretty good tires, grip well in snow and wet but they do tend
to how easily around corners ( so did the tiger paws on if before these)
just the small size 155 80r13
after first snow i switch the the blizzaks but i dont care for the high
speed handling of them, very squirmy ..

 

I looked at some Kuhmos, but all I read was that, although they sounded like
a good tire, they wore out pretty quickly. I'm not into buying tires often,
and the Pirellis are supposed to last like the Michellins. I got 90K out of
the first set of Michelins on the Saturn, and sold it with good tires....
the second set still going strong.

The Pirellis only have about 5K on them now, but they still look like new.
The dry handling on the Pirellis is a little bit less sharp.... has a slight
soft feel compared to the Michellins, but they're pretty good. When it's
wet though, there's no comparison. Michellins were about $120/tire, the
Pirellis were about $60. I expect to get 60K + out of them if the car
doesn't eat them like the others...

 

Thanks for the great advice... sounds like what I said (see previous posts).
If I had damaged a plug wire, the Old Champions wouldn't work either.

The bottom line is.... that wasn't my question.... was looking for some
similar experiences and see if anybody had figured out what was up. If you
have an answer to the question, that would be cool.... but I really wasn't
thinking of salvaging the car for a set of bad plugs. I'm not the kind of
guy that gets great pleasure out of giving money away for parts that don't
work.... just wanted to know if anybody had any later info on the autolites,
if this is a relatively common issue, etc. It's the principle.... Like I
said in the previous post, it sounds like you haven't heard of this
happening before.... That answer will suffice.

20 years in physics & engineering has taught me that, if there is a problem,
it's best to try and see if you can get to the bottom of the problem before
you fix it and recreate the problem again.... If the answers I've gotten
here are a reflection on reality, then it must be a fluke.... I may just be
the rare individual that bought 4 bad plugs. If you'll stop trying to sell
me NGKs, I might go get some... otherwise, just out of spite, I'll by NDs!
(hehhe ... just pickin on ya.... ) The answer was obvious from the beginning
that I would need new plugs.... but as a physicist, I was looking for the
"why" part of the equation.

 

I've had good luck with Bosch plugs and wires in general, but these days
they seem to be more about hype than substance when it comes to their
plugs. Really, how many electrodes does a spark plug need? One does the
job just fine.

I've heard conflicting reports about Bosch plugs in the Elantra, but I
haven't tried them. When my stock plugs are shot, I'll install NGK
V-Power copper plugs.

 

What "cupping problem? This is the first I've heard of any generic
problem with tires on the Elantra. If your tires are cupping, you've got
an alignment problem that needs to be addressed. Have you had a four
wheel alignment done by a qualified shop?