Ive been using Champion N9YC plugs in most of my BMC british cars, which i had always assumed ran on N9YC or the older N9Y plugs, ive been reading the workshop manual, and noticed that my 1800 should be using Champion N5 plugs, which are no longer made, but the replacement one that is currently in production is the N6. I dont know if these are a hotter or colder plug than my N9YC plugs, although i do know that the N9YC is a cooler plug than the N9Y, since thats got a copper core to take the heat away. Will i notice any performance difference between these plugs, or is it ok to use the N9YC, since today the cars are running on different fuels than back then! TIA.
outbidyou2,
Jan 22, 9:08am
No performance difference to note. With British cars having poor performance you'd maybe only notice if you were running on three.
unbeatabull,
Jan 22, 9:08am
As you've pretty much summed up, you need to run a plug that takes into consideration the fuel we use now compared to then.
Safer to run a colder plug then a hot plug. Colder plug you may get fouling or running rich but a hotter plug can put holes in pistons.
franc123,
Jan 22, 9:10am
Use an NGK BP6ES or a Bosch W7DC instead, champions are bottom of the heap. If it performs well, doesn't pink or run on or do anything else it shouldn't with plugs of that heat range and the plugs are the colour they should be, why change! A cooler plug is more desirable with using ULP anyway.
unbeatabull,
Jan 22, 9:13am
^ I generally boycott Champion plugs too. Have had too many problems with them to go back to them.
nzoomed,
Jan 22, 9:21am
Personally, ive never liked the NGK plugs in any of my cars, ive always found the champion plugs better, i scored some brand new LODGE HLNY plugs the other day, they are supposed to be the equivalent plug to a Champion N9Y, they are supposed to be a better plug than champion by a long shot, but are no longer made, the LODGE equivalent to the Champion N5 is readily available, but i dont know if i should waste my time with them or not, all i know is champion still make the N6, and is probably a cooler version of the N5 perhaps! If they were no longer suitable for todays fuels, i suspect that no one would be using them anymore.
unbeatabull,
Jan 22, 9:24am
From memory NGK = lower number = hotter plug. Champion = Higher Number = Hotter plug.
nzoomed,
Jan 22, 9:29am
x2
thanks for that info. as #4 posted, i had been using NGK BP6ES in the past, but i felt i never got as much performance with them, i have however used the BOSCH version, in one of my vehicles, and found them to be great.
babyonboardnz,
Jan 22, 9:40am
n9yc normal n11yc hotter n12yc if burning oiljust mind your fuel to air ratio,champion are allright but nippon denso or ngk are good, as were bosch make most the electric stuff found around engines today (the good old days of lucas)
snoopy221,
Jan 22, 9:41am
End of the day reliance on a manual that recommends such a cold plug Would make one with any #REAL WORLD#sense question the damn manual. There have been improvements in spark plugs over the years. The MOST noticeable improvement has been the *U* groove creating a better spark than a flat electrode. These plugs are suffixed EY and made by NGK.
BP6EY is a N9Y /N9YC equivalent (the 9YC is only half a heat range colder with the copper electrode)
And for aged engines the BP5EY is a N11YC equivalent
An N5 in an old points ignition vehicle- Yeah Right.LOL
nzoomed,
Jan 22, 10:01am
yeah, ive looked on the internet, and apparently the N9Y came out in 1963, and they quickly switched to them on the MG's, but it appears they never updated the print on the workshop manuals for the new plugs, so that rests my mind. I think these lodge plugs will work just fine.
whqqsh,
Jan 22, 4:08pm
many years ago we had a real bad run with plugs (dad used to use champion) in my mothers mini, changed to NGK & never had a problem after that yet his mini ran fine on champions. Ive aways used NGK in all my cars since & always had good results until my goliath needed plugs recently & the NGK ones I put in lasted only a few days before playing up, put the dirty old champions back in & she was back to good again, (maybe ngk dont like 6 volt systems lol)
whqqsh,
Jan 22, 4:12pm
correct. & I think the 'C' suffix on champions is just to differentiate when they went copper cored electrodes
mrfxit,
Jan 22, 7:23pm
x1
Google search "spark plug coding" Plenty of charts available
scuba,
Jan 23, 2:29am
Be a bit wary those spark plug charts are a lot like the ones for oil listings If one was incorrect then most of them were incorrect cos they copied listings off each other. seen thatwith oil listings for old classic cars .and spark plugs Most of the time with plugs we would start with the chart or factorylistings then adjust as we went .
however in this case snoopys pretty much got it covered i think . i would start with the N9ys and go from there.
mrfxit,
Jan 23, 4:02am
Yep N9Y's (+ C variations) were pretty much the std plug for most 4cyl engines back then & even more so for English of that era. N11Y for oil burners & town cars.
nzoomed,
Jan 23, 5:08am
anyone here used lodge plugs! They were supposed to be the rolls royce of spark plugs, i dont know when they stopped making them.
pickles26,
Jan 23, 8:02am
You could put the plugs in you think are right do a hundred k's or so pull the plugs out look at them each plug has a story to tell. Heaps of pics on net to indicate how its running is the plug to hot or to cold from the plug
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