SpinMonster

My charging system keeps wigging out and I again changed the TR6's and its ok....for now.

Is anyone using irridiums with boost? What other plug can I try so this doenst happen anymore?

tjwong

Whats going on with the charging system? I have used many TR6IX in boosted applications.

eboggs_jkvl

TR6 plugs in the Camaro last for years. Whachu doin?

PowerLabs

I don't see how the material at the tip of the plug would affect your charging system? My buddy and I both had problems with that error message and it turned out to be the alternator: I run a Bosch one now...
Subarus come with those Iridiums stock and if you crank the boost that little tip forms a hot spot and leads to pre- ignition... We don't run as much cylinder pressure in our cars but given enough boost you would have a similar outcome.

SpinMonster

Several members have had charging issues with the error message and then swapped alternators (as I have with a friend's unit) only to still have the same issue. when the plugs were swapped out the issue goes away for a few 1000 miles.

As for how it can affect the system, the car uses a voltage sum check for turning on things around the car and the noise generated by older plugs in high HP applications can on occaision cuase the PCM to not signal a turn on for the charging. You can raise the BS flag but my car has now for the 2nd time returned to proper operation after swapping out the plugs.

One of three other people who had this happen:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-p...6-working.html

You can say its not possible but my car is again working with a new set installed while an alternator swap didnt fix it. the battery is a 3 week old yellow top that I swapped out for a 6 month old red top.....no fix from battery swaps either. all terminales were/are clean and the terminals at the starter look fine. If someone has another suggestion please make it. a known good alternaotr doesnt fix it on my car.

Is anyone running a different plug with boost with success? I would like to try a different brand equivalent to the TR6's if nothing else.

SpinMonster

What bosch alternator?

Tiago

never had a problem related to the plugs... run TR6s, TR7s TR8s TR9s.....

Skunkworks

I'm not sure I'd buy into above link...

Ok some basics "Ohm's Law", as resistance (measured in ohms) goes down, current (amps) go up, if voltage from coil stays the same. I = V/R, I is current (amps), V is Voltage (volts), R is resistance (ohms).

Why is this important, with FI we run a diminished/reduced gap on plugs... as gap is reduced so is resistance thus an increase in current... In the summer I think most C6 charging systems are on ragged edge (cooling fan running 90+% duty cycle, ac clutch ON, interior fan blowing...), then add in some copper and semiconductor losses (both go up with temperature) so seeing low voltage at idle is common especially with heat soaked engine bay.

I'd start by checking all grounds, because on my previous C5 I had issues on new car (not modded yet) and dealership couldn't find fault... well I found it and it was main lug under battery, but not before dealership replaced both battery and alternator. Excessive noise (back EMF) is usually a bad ground on cars.

Not sure what's going on with your plugs, but what gap are you running or is the gap closing? A higher current alternator will have better idle characteristics, how much additional load have you added?

That's my .02, but suspect root cause is not plug type.


Mike

SpinMonster

My car....factual....runs 14.2 volts 45 minutes after a plug swap to the same TR6's but it had 12.8 volts before the swap. I will note the plug gaps were too wide at nearer 38 to 40 (they come 38). I changed nothing else. An alternator swap had no effect on fixing the problem. The battery is new and the old one is singing nicely in a friend's truck with no issues. I am running a parallel fuel system likely pulling another 15 amps.

I'll just plan on checking gaps at 35 and if need be, I'll change them more often. 2k miles doesnt sound right to me. your explanation suggest the gaps and not the plugs themselves are the issue there. The fact remains two times now the problem went away with swapping plugs. I guess the wires are being touched too so that can be part of the issue.

The higher amp alternator sounds good to me just to have it, so thanks on giving me a data point on idle characteristics. I can see why that would be.

Skunkworks

Are you comparing cold start voltage to hot engine bay voltage in the summer? If so my car acts the same with same plugs.

My voltage when I had shroud off got down to 11.9V at idle after 1 hour of bumper to bumper traffic... Put shroud back on so fan is taxed less and voltage rebounded.

So unless I'm not understanding your posts, still think something else is going on. BTW I have 15,000+ miles on my plugs.


Mike

SpinMonster

Cold start to hot: 12.8-13.

Cold start to hot now: 14.2-14.4

Your point of comparing your car isnt quite the point. When checking a failure rate you count failures not cars running good. 4 guys now had this problem and it was fixed with a plug swap. Is it possible a plug is cracked or the gaps were too wide? Are all the cars 2005's? I dont know. Dismissing that the car now for the full day no longer ran with 12.9 volts is trying to dismiss the issue was fixed with a plug swap. If I swap back and the problem returns with nothing other than a plug swap will that change your comfort level with the plugs being the problem? Im asking a scientific objectiveness question and not being a wizeazz.

I think its an issue likely with a single plug and that may reflect an issue with a failure rate on the TR6 plugs and not a full time characteristic of them. This would explain why your car works and mine doesnt. I have a bad TR6 and you dont?

I guess if you were that interested i will swap back and if you wish, I'll sedn them your way to try them. If the batch of my plugs is bad on your car it shows a quirk that sometimes appears with them. Recall that comp cams had issues with 918 valve springs breaking. A dozen guys kill a motor because one breaks and people say, "but my car has them and they arent breaking therefore 918 springs dont break." It illustrates why 99.9% of corvettes running TR6's dont have an issue but the 4 winners of the prize buy alternators with no relief in the charging system issue. I also see a correlation with BAP and pump issues with cars going over 5000rpms. guys report it and s/c kit sellers insist that becuase they never had a failure in xxx,xxx BAPs in service, that Powerlabs and I are wrong about the issue. yet the problem gets fixed with a stock pump swap or the addition of a parallel fuel system. Some people are just set in their beliefs and think because they dont see a connection that one doesnt exist.

I understand the frustration in reading posts like this but maybe there is more going on than either of us know.

PowerLabs

Your spark plug gap has zero effect on how much current the coils draw: that current is governed by their primary impedance and the dwell time.

knkali

yep

I had TR6 plugs (i didnt know it at the time and had charging system DIC messages) Changed battery, alt, ECM, upped the idle rpms , the only thing that didnt get changed were the plugs. Changed them and problem is gone. I ended up having the L terminal code switched off using HPT before the plug change to stop the DIC messages..

triblk6spd

English version please?

Way2Slow

Yes..I ran TR7IXs with my A&A kit and also on several other turbocharged vehicles. I prefer them way more then regular TR6s

NitrousMan

This is interesting, the 05 I bought in July has a Procharger on it and a monster alternator as the seller was telling me. On my drive home with the car I noticed on the DIC while checking all the readings the alternator was only showing 12.8 on it. Since the car has been at the shop since I got it home with a bad differential in it I can't go check to see what plugs it has but I'll look when I finally get the car back.

NitrousMan

I remembered seeing some extra plugs in a box the seller gave me so I checked to see what they were and they are the same TR6 plug that you have. Must be what I have in the car since this is a full new set.

knkali

OK made changes. Love the avatar BTW. Any questions PM me.

triblk6spd

Ahh much better. Thanks for the info man.

Gannet

Ok, I'm confused. Are we saying that this isn't really an issue, that it's just a bogus error message? Or does the charging system in fact not work once this condition arises? Or does turning off the error check also keep the problem from occuring?

See, I told you I was confused.