Plugs for 12a ......HELP !!!!!!!

[MikeLMR]

Originally posted by gbutcher
Hi Mike - do you mean fan shrouds? from the radiator?

I mean the shoulder bit round the plug ... on the rotor housing

[Glenn Butcher]

Ah right!

Not sure really, do you know if you have the original engine in the car? I think the US models may have been different?

Be interesting to see what type of plugs the Factory Workshop Manual recommend?  if they are the long type then you know that car in that country had "X" (long or short) plugs.

From memory the RX-7 Series 4 and 5 turbo/non turbo engines have the shoulder around the plug hole (they are the engines where we use to grind the shoulder off so we could run the NGK B8EGV\'s - Leading, B10EGV\'s - Trailing).

[MikeLMR]

My mate on the parts counter at Mazda  looked up the plugs for my car in the parts book and they came out as NGK BR8ET\'s (like in the photo) which are the short ones. So I presume UK rx7\'s didn\'t have the shoulders on the 84-85 engines ?

Maybe its because we retained the old style emmissions systems ?

[mmilner]

Originally posted by Phranque
Silly me! I bought (for over £40) a set of NGK BR8ET plugs for the 12a in my Series 1.

Frank

Frank, Halfords have ripped you off. I recently bought 4 BR8ET\'s for my car from a mazda main dealer and they were £24.88 for the set!

With regards to your shroud/shoulder problem, my 1979 RX7\'s \'new\' engine had those and that is why I had to use \'special\' plugs, whereas the original didn\'t have that \'feature\'. The replacement engine came with the shrouds/shoulders and BR7EQ plugs which is why I (as I have posted before) still have a box of 6 brand new ones which would probably have fitted your car going for £10 + p+p... (Too late to help you, it seems.) I will try and attach a pic of one below.

Martin.

[Glenn Butcher]

Hi Mike,

I knew I had this laying around, may explain a few things on the plugs?  but I think Mazda would really have the answer.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/techinfo/spark_plugs/partnumberkey.pdf

Example:
BUR-9EQ - In the "BUR" model name of the spark plug. the "U"
stands for Semi-Surface Discharge. No need to gap Semi-Surfaced spark plugs.

[mmilner]

Originally posted by gbutcher
Hi Mike,

I knew I had this laying around, may explain a few things on the plugs?  but I think Mazda would really have the answer.

Thanks for that Glenn! Confirms what I thought, that my BR7EQ\'s are virtually (if not) the same as BUR7EQ\'s and BUR7EQP\'s. (The P stands for a platinum electrode.)

Martin.

[Phranque]

Hi Glenn,
Thanks for the spark plug Q&A. I\'ve just skimmed through it as yet and can see now why there\'s a difference between the leading and trailing plugs. I didn\'t realise there was so much to the business of plugs.

Yes Martin, I think you are right about Halfords, that\'s why I didn\'t even enquire when it came to trying for the SD plugs. Heaven knows what they would have charged.

Your BR7EQs will quite clearly fit my engine - do you want to do a straight swap for the set of four BR8ETs which I have? I\'m sure they are better than my hanging on to plugs which don\'t fit.  The BR8ETs are brand new apart from one having been run for about 60 seconds just to see if the engine would function with a finger-tight plug.
Frank

[mmilner]

Originally posted by Phranque

Your BR7EQs will quite clearly fit my engine - do you want to do a straight swap for the set of four BR8ETs which I have? I\'m sure they are better than my hanging on to plugs which don\'t fit.  The BR8ETs are brand new apart from one having been run for about 60 seconds just to see if the engine would function with a finger-tight plug.
Frank

A swap sounds good Frank.  It\'ll save me buying the next set in a few months time.
You know where to send \'em to...

Cheers,
Martin.

[Phranque]

Martin,
That\'s fine! I\'ve gone and deleted the email with your address - can you send it to me again please, or if you are going down to Brooklands we could meet there. I\'m about 90% OK to go down there, it finally depends upon how my wife is at weekend.
Frank
frank_gw3cnm@hotmail.com



GLENN - if you\'re around, thanks for the new membership card. Very smart!

[Phranque]

Plugs arrived from Mazda (below) and backup of similar from Martin soon. All is now OK
Frank

[mmilner]

Out of interest, how many earth electrodes have they got Frank? (The plug name doesn\'t seem to follow any of the standards on the sheet Glenn posted....)

Martin.

[Phranque]

Hi Martin,
I\'ve scrubbed the end of this plug up with emery cloth (shock - horror ! ) just for the photo. It couldn\'t be simpler really, heaven knows where they get the price from.
Frank

[MikeLMR]

I think the price comes from the number sold , they probably sell millions of times more Boinger plugs than the ones specially devised for the rotary.

Plus I think modern spark plugs are expensive anyway , regardless of what engine type

[Phranque]

I\'m sure you\'re right, Mike.

Actually, although I was a little alarmed at the price I was also rather pleased to note that within a couple of days I was able to get an unusual spare part from Mazda. That\'s quite reassuring.

I\'m now wondering whether to save up for a complete exhaust sytem as a spare. In the end it\'s bound to go and I\'m sure the price has risen since I last enquired in about 1989 (£2200). Unless someone was pulling my leg in \'89  I might wander over to my friendly local dealer (60 miles) to see what he has to say. I don\'t want to have to fit a non-standard part when the chickens come home to roost.

It\'s looking dull here, Mike. I bet those piston engine types have been praying for rain.

[MikeLMR]

its rather nice in Lincoln today ... walked home from work without a coat on