If in recent times we are experiencing that our car, be it diesel or gasoline, is having a higher consumption of the account if much more than what you usually do, this is the time to start investigating what is happening to your car . For this reason, and to do it in a careful way, we have an element in our vehicle that it will do because it tells us the reason and what may be happening to it.
Pay attention if your car consumes more than normal
Total fuel consumption is very important when it comes to the health of your car and your pocket. Because every motorist wants their vehicle to be as fuel efficient as possible so they can save money.
For those who don’t know, fuel consumption is measured by the number of kilometers per liter that you can travel in your passenger car, SUV, van… And that number, that number of kilometers per liter of a vehicle, is normally quite stable and constant.
That is why, if the distance in kilometers per liter changes suddenly, we must be aware of this and investigate because, in one case or another, our car may be suffering from a problem that can become more serious over time. And there, in its mechanics, we find an element that will tell us what the problem could be. We are talking about spark plugs .
What is it about
But it is also true that not in all cases it has to tell us that this is a fault. Thus, some elements, such as parking heating or the air conditioning system, require a lot of energy, so consumption may be higher than usual in winter or summer, if applicable.
Vehicles with four-wheel drive or with an automatic torque converter usually need more gasoline or diesel, but also low tire pressure or high car loads cause higher consumption, as long as it is punctual . If this becomes repetitive in any circumstance, then we must watch what we have.
It will be then when the spark plugs can give us some kind of warning about what is happening to us because, in their case, they are not working as they should. And this sometimes means that something is wrong with the engine .
Spark plugs are small, elongated pieces that are inside the engine cylinders. Its mission is to generate the electric spark that triggers the explosion when fuel and air mix, which makes them the perfect thermometer of what happens in the engine: they serve to know how everything is going in the combustion chamber and, depending from its status , we can know what the problem is.
The three cases that will tell us that we should change the spark plugs
At the same time, and beyond the problems that we may have, the truth is that it is advisable to check the spark plugs every 60,000 kilometers , although they can start to show defects half the time.
Defects in these small parts can result in increased vehicle emissions and even damage the engine. This is what we can find.
- Misfires in the ignition of the car. If the car does not start or has difficulty starting, it may be an indication that the spark plugs are not doing their job properly
- Increased fuel consumption. Worn spark plugs cause the air-fuel mixture to not burn correctly, which increases consumption.
- Power loss. Failing to start the car can cause a reduction in engine power as well as an increase in the gases emitted from the exhaust pipe. IF the engine does not perform as usual, we may be facing a spark plug problem.
