What Is A Spark Plug?

What Spark Plugs Do In Your Engine

Inside your engine, while you are driving down the road, there is a continuous series of tiny explosions that propels your vehicle forward. All of your vehicle’s complicated machinery works together to convert those explosions into motion, and no part plays a larger role than the spark plug. Most drivers have heard of spark plugs and may know that they are vital to a functioning engine. Spark plugs are essential to that very basic element of the combustion engine, the explosion. If you want to learn a bit more about how they work, you may get a better idea of how to keep your engine running more efficiently.

Spark plugs are built to last because they perform the same function thousands upon thousands of times, but once they decline, it’s not long until they are completely ineffective. Two very fine pieces of filament, close together, but not touching, create an arc of electricity that ignites a mixture of gasoline and air. The force of that explosion moves the pistons in your engine that turn move the crankshaft. That movement passes through several other mechanisms and it is finally transferred to the tires and your vehicle is propelled forward. If that initial spark becomes weaker or even fails to ignite, that could result in a misfire or engine failure leaving you stranded. If you haven’t experienced being stranded in the cold in West Jordan, Utah, we don’t recommend it!

At M1 Auto Repair, we certainly didn’t invent the combustion engine, but we are fascinated by it and have extensive knowledge of how it works. Many small mechanisms need to work together efficiently and at the start of this whole process is the spark plug. Now you can imagine how we answer when someone asks us about the importance of spark plugs. Our ASE-certified technicians will tell you that they are essential to the function of your vehicle. While they are manufactured for longevity, it’s important to check them regularly and replace them if the spark is becoming weak.