Clear Glass ceramic on spark plug?
Tim Shih
Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
I think i heard about it somewhere.
supposedly, the theory is that the "spark" is visible though
the glass to determine if all cylinders are firing.
how come no one knows what i'm talking about?
thanks
tim
Timothy J. Buck
Tim Shih (ts...@ucsd.edu) wrote:
: Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
This is news to me. Perhaps you are thinking of a clear distributor
cap?
Some comments:
--For this to be a viable scenario, there would have to be a gap
within the insulator for the spark to jump in order to be visible. Most
humans do not have vision capable of detecting the mere flow of electrons
along a conductor (silly problems with wavelength sensitivity,
resolution...), clear insulator or not.
--Then there's the problem of line-of sight access to the
spark plug. It occurs to me that MOST spark plugs are located in areas
that can't be viewed directly anyway.
--The rubber (sometimes rubber and metal) sparkplug boot covers
most or all of the insulator.
--With few exceptions, most automotive systems and their components
are not designed specifically to aid in the diagnosis of a failure. The
tendency is to try to design the system/part so that it generally DOES
work, and let someone else (the service industry) worry about dealing with
the icky stuff like diagnosis when it doesn't.
Tim ("Ben Trench") Buck
ken_payne
Tim Shih <ts...@ucsd.edu> wrote:
>Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
>I think i heard about it somewhere.
>supposedly, the theory is that the "spark" is visible though
>the glass to determine if all cylinders are firing.
>
>how come no one knows what i'm talking about?
>
>thanks
>tim
>
Haven't heard of these. How could you possibly see the insulator
when the cable is attached? I have seen a gizmo in JC Whitney
which attaches to the top of your plugs and has a clear window
so you can see sparks but this item is for show and reduces
the spark at the actual plug so you're losing by putting it on.
It, along with lots of other JC Whitney items, is kinda tacky.
The easiest way to test for spark is to attach a spare plug
to the wire. You should see a fat blue spark. This isn't
something that's done everyday so why would spending 5 minutes
to do it be a big deal?
-Ken, 1967 Ford F100, 390FE V8 - Fordnatic
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ken_payne
din...@codesmth.demon.co.uk (Andy Dingley) wrote:
>The moving finger of Tim Shih <ts...@ucsd.edu> having written:
>
>>Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
>
>Popular tuning gadget in the UK. It's called the Gunson Colourtune,
>has been around for at least 30 years, and is the only way I know of
>setting up the mixture on a multi-carb engine with a single exhaust
>outlet. I have four of them, which I use simultaneously to work on my
>V8.
>
>As well as setting the mixture, they're also handy for diagnosing all
>sorts of carburettor problems.
>
I'm at a loss as too how a clear insulator is going to help with
diagnosing carburator problems..... either there is a good spark
or there isn't. What kind of spark you're getting has nothing
to do with the fuel mixture coming from the carburator. Is there
a way to "see" better combustion?
I've always set the mixture the old fashioned way, turn the
idle screws until it smoothes out and then add 1/4 turn.
Andy Dingley
epotter
In article <32ca82c2...@news.demon.co.uk>,
din...@codesmth.demon.co.uk wrote:
>
> As well as setting the mixture, they're also handy for diagnosing all
> sorts of carburettor problems.
Could you tell us how it works? Fascinating.
Whistling In The Dart
Ah, the Gunson Colourtune System. A very useful diagnostic tool.
It comes with a "spark plug" that has two electrodes but a CLEAR GLASS
insulator and smaller external size, a plug wire extension, wrench
adaptor, and little scope with mirror for peering down at the plug.
You replace one of your plugs with the colourtune plug and start the
engine. Because of the clear glass, you can see the colour of the
combustion flame. Just like when you adjust a torch or a burner, a yellow
flame means too much gas (too rich) and a bright blue-white flame means
too much oxygen (too lean). There are all kinds of colour charts packed
with the Colourtune that help you interpret colour changes over RPM
changes (slow throttle opening, fast throttle opening, etc.). In
addition, it lets you see if oil is getting into the combustion chamber
(reddish tinge to flame at all times). They cost about the equivalent of
$18 in the UK, about $35-$40 in the USA.
---
Daniel Stern "a T3 2.2, a 2.5, and 2 225s."
Automotive Headlamp Specialist At Large Website Items:
http://ursula.uoregon.edu/~dastern <----All Things Daniel and Pizza |
'65 Canadian Valiant "D'Valiant" | The Slant-6 Resource Centre |
'91 Spirit R/T "Dodgebert" | Western HQ, Internet \6 Club|
'62 Lancer "The Green Machine" | The Offshore Chrysler Centre|
'92 LeBaron "Roo" |________________________________|
epotter
Thanks, I've learned something today. Now if I can just find a place
that sells them.... Available only in UK?
Whistling In The Dart
The Eastwood Company, who sell tools and supplies for automotive service
and restoration, often advertise the Colourtune in their catalogue. Their
toll-free phone number is 1-800-345-1178. I was fortunate enough to find
mine in the UK, where it was less expensive (presumably because it's made
in the UK).
--Dan
---
Daniel Stern "a T3 2.2, a 2.5, and 2 225s."
Automotive Headlamp Specialist At Large Website Items:
http://ursula.uoregon.edu/~dastern <----All Things Daniel and Pizza |
'65 Canadian Valiant "D'Valiant" | The Slant-6 Resource Centre |
'91 Spirit R/T "Dodgebert" | Western HQ, Internet \6 Club|
'62 Lancer "The Green Machine" | The Offshore Chrysler Centre|
'92 LeBaron "Roo" |________________________________|
Andy Dingley
The moving finger of Ken Payne having written:
>I'm at a loss as too how a clear insulator is going to help with
>diagnosing carburator problems..... either there is a good spark
>or there isn't.
It's not an electrical diagnostic tool, it's a fuel/air mixture
diagnostic tool. Think back to a chemistry lab Bunsen burner for a
moment - when you open the air sleeve (weak mixture) the flame is hot
and blue. When you close the sleeve (rich gas mixture), the flame is
luminous yellow and sooty.
It's just the same in a car engine. A blue flame is a good mixture,
orange is too rich and white or pinkish is too lean. Snapping the
throttle open should give an orange flash as the accelerator pump does
its thing. One cylinder with white flashes tends to indicate a leaking
inlet manifold gasket.
I use four of them because I have a V8 with two single choke carbs and
a manifold design that has 2 long and 2 short branches from each carb.
By using a plug in each combination, it's easy to get the mixture
adjusted right on each carburettor - I've never managed to do it with
my exhaust gas CO meter.
Don't go for a road test with Colourtunes in place. They _will_ melt
if you hit them hard enough.
--
Andy Dingley din...@codesmiths.com
Great Failures In Advertising: the Andrex Armadillo
ken_payne
din...@codesmth.demon.co.uk (Andy Dingley) wrote:
Thanks for the explanation. I wasn't aware that the device would
let you the actual combustion, I guess it makes sense - if you
can see the spark then naturally you'll see the combustion or part
of it. It does sound like it would be a good and inexpensive
diagnostic tool, especially on older vehicles which don't have a
computer to analyze the air/fuel mixture. Who makes them?
Tim Shih
Thanks for all your info and help.
So,,
How much are they, and where can I get them?
thanks
tim
Robert K. Henry
I remember reading about a product a few years ago called (I think) "Color
Tune" that involved a clear glass spark plug. You could see the fire inside
the cylinder through the glass insulator. You screwed in this special spark
plug and adjusted the carb mixture until the color of the flame matched
whatever color was specified. Of course this is sort of obsolete with
today's computer-controlled engines.
If you're interested in simply seeing if the plug is firing: I once bought
a little tool from Champion (got it at K-Mart) that looks like a little
pen. You hold one end near the spark plug wire and a little neon light in
the body flashes each time the high-voltage in the wire comes through.
There's enough voltage floating around in the wire to make the light flash.
Really works. I've found fouled plugs with it. I have no idea how it would
work with modern engines though, especially the "lost spark" engines with
no distributor.
--
Bob Henry
Tim Shih <ts...@ucsd.edu> wrote in article <5adm49$k...@news1.ucsd.edu>...
> Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
Andy Dingley
The moving finger of Ken Payne having written:
>Who makes them?
A UK firm called Gunson. They began years ago, just making Colourtunes
but have now branched out into a whole range of domestic-grade tuning
equipment; strobe lights, gas analysers, carb balancers etc. I've not
seen them outside the UK though.
Next time I see their address, I'll post it.
JAMES W HOLLINGSWORTH
In <32cc1ef0...@news.demon.co.uk> din...@codesmth.demon.co.uk
White Eagle Manufacturing
RT 1 BOX 279
EAST BERNSTADT KY 40729
(606) 843-6126
Bob Gilbert
In article <5adm49$k...@news1.ucsd.edu>, Tim Shih <ts...@ucsd.edu> writes:
> Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
> I think i heard about it somewhere.
> supposedly, the theory is that the "spark" is visible though
> the glass to determine if all cylinders are firing.
>
> how come no one knows what i'm talking about?
I remember these, I think they were called ColorTune, or somesuch.
They were primarily used to adjust the fuel mixture by visually
watching the color of the flame (apparently a nice blueish color
was indictative of a proper fuel mixture). Best part was that
you could move the special plug to different cylinders to verify
that each cylinder was receiving the correct mixture, most useful
for synchronizing multiple carbs or detecting a vacuum leak or
other problem with just one cylinder.
-Bob
Clarence Snyder
Ken Payne wrote:
>din...@codesmth.demon.co.uk (Andy Dingley) wrote:
>
>>The moving finger of Tim Shih <ts...@ucsd.edu> having written:
>>
>>>Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
>>
>>Popular tuning gadget in the UK. It's called the Gunson Colourtune,
>>has been around for at least 30 years, and is the only way I know of
>>setting up the mixture on a multi-carb engine with a single exhaust
>>outlet. I have four of them, which I use simultaneously to work on my
>>V8.
>>
>>As well as setting the mixture, they're also handy for diagnosing all
>>sorts of carburettor problems.
>>
>
>I'm at a loss as too how a clear insulator is going to help with
>diagnosing carburator problems..... either there is a good spark
>or there isn't. What kind of spark you're getting has nothing
>to do with the fuel mixture coming from the carburator. Is there
>a way to "see" better combustion?
>
>I've always set the mixture the old fashioned way, turn the
>idle screws until it smoothes out and then add 1/4 turn.
>
>
>-Ken, 1967 Ford F100, 390FE V8 - Fordnatic
>+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
>| Do NOT add my address to any mailing list without my express written |
>| permission. Unsolicited commercial email will be proofread at my |
>| consulting rate of: $75/hour, 4 hour min. If you wish to correspond |
>| (non-commercial only) please send email to: kpa...@mindspring.com |
>| Due to a bug in my mailer any junk email received will automatically |
>| subscribe the sender to the majodomo lists. |
>+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
>| Cole's Law: Thinly Sliced Cabbage |
>+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
The colourtune is great - I've had mine for years. It gives you a
"window" into the combustion chamber, so you can see what colour the
fire is. If it runs too rich, the fire gets orange. If it is too lean
the fire gets white, and when it's just right, the fire is a pretty
blue colour. Indispensible for setting up carbs on bikes, small
engines, and those twin carb limey-mobiles like MGBs, sprites,
coopers, et al.
Running with them in would not be adviseable, particularly at their
price! OUCH!!!
Barry Bolling
Hi Tim & Group:
The spark plugs you mention can be found in JC Whitney catalog,
and also in at least one other motorcycle parts catalog (generic).
I have never used them, so I cant comment. I'll bet they are
really neat on a bike, at night. The other "gimmick" is to put
spark plug boot replacements that light up, I don't know if spark
is wasted in the boot, or if the boot has neon gas it in that robs
miniscule power from the spark current flow.
Bottom line, both items are gimmicks, except possibly when used as
diagnostic aid, but then a neon bulb held near each spark plug
wire will fire as well, and is easily visible during the day, you
can compare the brightness of the neoon bulb with that of other
plug wires. Get one at Radio Shack, and tape one to each spark
plug wire, or put it in a piece of vinyl tubing (hardware store)
and tie-wrap the assembly to each plug wire.
Cheers,
Barry
egdir...@gmail.com
> Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
> supposedly, the theory is that the "spark" is visible though
> the glass to determine if all cylinders are firing.
>
> how come no one knows what i'm talking about?
>
> tim
egdir...@gmail.com
Paul in Houston TX
Where do you gmail users find these ancient posts?
gearheadz...@gmail.com
> Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
> I think i heard about it somewhere.
> supposedly, the theory is that the "spark" is visible though
> the glass to determine if all cylinders are firing.
>
> how come no one knows what i'm talking about?
>
> thanks
> tim
here ya go.
http://www.autoexpertproducts.com/colortune-12mm.shtml
Kevin Bottorff
c80079...@googlegroups.com:
meatbal...@gmail.com
> Does anybody know about a clear glass insulator spark plug?
> I think i heard about it somewhere.
> supposedly, the theory is that the "spark" is visible though
> the glass to determine if all cylinders are firing.
>
> how come no one knows what i'm talking about?
>
> thanks
> tim