Fabrik8

It almost looks like the plug isn't sealing to the head properly and you're getting corrosion from the combustion blowby, or that the plug is getting too hot and cooking the plating off. What's up with the terminal nut where the plug wire attaches? It looks like it's corroded also. So all of the plugs look just like this?

I can't see from the picture (the plug is turned the wrong way) but is there a caramel colored ring at the base of the porcelain insulator where it meets the metal plug body?

ricedoutaccord

Yes there is. There's a large gap where the carmel color is coming from

burnoutboy

This is what I'm thinking as well.

ricedoutaccord

So what should I do ? Run a hotter plug and if so any recommendations ?
Thanks

Fabrik8

That's good. As long as it's caramel and not black, there isn't any leakage around between the insulator and metal body. The caramel color is just corona discharge and isn't a problem. I could see a little discoloration in the picture on the insulator but couldn't see anything else. If it's leaky, it will usually be black.

I'm assuming the corrosion problem is just cheap plating being attacked by the corona discharge. Clean out the spark plug wells on the engine, and make sure the spark plugs and plug wire boots are clean when you install them. Oil and crap around the spark plug is what makes the corona discharge leave that caramel ring, and can sometimes cause spark leakage problems too.

It almost looks like salt corrosion.

Anyway, it looks OK, maybe a little bit rich and/or slightly cold.. Doesn't look bad in any extreme though. Nothing's melted, nothing's really fouled, no microballs of aluminum, nothing major. I'm used to seeing the center insulator a little lighter colored than that, but that can change depending on the brand of gas you're using and the additives in it.

Fabrik8

Besides the low idle and the poor gas mileage, are you having any other problems? When's the last time you replaced the plug wires? The idle and gas mileage could be caused by many different factors, like old plugs wires, engine running too cold, sensor going bad and changing the tuning, etc. Way too many things to tell by looking at a spark plug that doesn't look abnormal.

ricedoutaccord

The car spark knocks right before v tec beside that it runs smooth but since it does that I have stayed out of that rpm range and out of v tec shell gas is ran in the car also once a month a octane booster I replaced the plugs yesterday with the same NGKs that I have been using car dosent seem to spark knock as bad but i have also taking in consideration that it has droped in temp outside I have gaped them at .044 like the ngk site recomends should I open the gap or close ? Could it be wrong temp plugs ? I can't afford to get the car retuned right now or for the car to blow up. The wires are about a year old good looking shape. Brand new cap and rotor I put on like a month ago the car gets about 300 miles to a tank normaly don't really think that's good but haven't had a fully built motor in a Honda before same routes that I have normaly been driving the car has gotten about 270 miles for the past three tanks if it was one tank I'd blame the gas but since it's been three tanks and the corrosion on the plugs I was a lil worried I also did a compression test on it because I noticed the coolant was a lil low the overflow was almost empty. But I put the car on the lift and the coolant pipe behind the block seems a lil wet so I'm going to mess with that tonight

ricedoutaccord

?