Spark Plug Gapping Tool

rondds

rondds

Well-Known Member
Oct 3, 2006
8,859
Jersey Shore
Boat Info
2001 380DA
Engines
Merc 8.1s (2008)...Hurth ZF 63 V-drives...WB 7.0 BCGD (2013), Garmin 8208 & 740 MFDs, GMR 24xHD dome
Anyone know where to get the plier type that isnt a POS? I ordered this from Summit Racing and it's cock-eyed and won't close enough to gap the plugs for my 454. The plug seems too short and the plier handles touch before it even crimps the plug. PS: I already have one of those $2 keychain models.

Garbage that I have to return... :smt013
sum-900313_w.jpg
 
I have a set of Snap On and Craftsman feeler gauges. If you don't want to spend for Snap On there is nothing wrong with Craftsman tools.

The ring things are useless.

Best regards,
Frank
 
Expertvillage My A**!!!
Doesn't that guy know that the tool he is using has a part built into it to help with the re-gap?
Never pound a sparkplug on a table or the ground.
Geez what a moron!
 
fc3 said:
The ring things are useless.
Click to expand...

Why so? I actually didn't know there was anything else out there for gapping spark plugs; those other things seem like over-kill to me. All you need is an appropriate feeler gauge to get in there. Unless you're talking about one thing and I'm thinking about another... :smt001
 
I'd refrain from any tool that loads the plug onto a tapered gapper. Use only the wire gauge type.

Think about it. Unless you load and unload on the same plane, the gap will change. And if there is a burr on the lesser angle side of the electrode, the gap is less: unless you use a wire gapper.

The wire gapper is a minimum clearance wonder. Mic one and see. The tapered one is not quite accurate. Doesn't matter what the angle is with a wire gauge, as long as it is perpendicular to the plug. You don't want the ground electrode at a angle to the positive electrode. Even with Split-Fire plugs or multi wire types.

AC Sparkplugs only offered the wire gauge type in their older catalogs. Go to a sparkplug manufacturer site and see what they recommend.

And it's really cheap.

dg
 
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I was thinking of the tapered ring tool. The wire ones are passible, but you can't feel drag with them. I'm fussy. I like the feeler gauge type since you can feel if there is enough, too little or too much drag. After gapping, check the difference between a lot of drag and a little drag. It's a couple of thousandths. As I said, I'm fussy.

There's lots of uses for feeler gauges. Had to reset the valve clearance on the Westerbeke this year, for example. Can't do that with a plug gapping tool.

Best regards,
Frank
 
Hallelujah! I found it! The extremely old but well functioning gapping tool my dad lent me. They just don't make 'em like they used to!

100_0917.jpg
 
fc3 said:
I was thinking of the tapered ring tool. The wire ones are passible, but you can't feel drag with them.
Click to expand...

Ahaha, yes I never knew anything about the tapered ring tool gapper. Does sound odd. I have a stack of the wire ones, like the Craftsman link Ron put up. All my Dad an I have ever used...

Tom
 
If it's that old, maybe there's been some wear on the gauge surfaces. But really .001-.002 isn't really all that important in this case. You'll never feel the difference.

The wire gauge. It's what racing engine builders use for last word type things.

Drag? It's a "go" or "no go" type deal. If it, (wire gauge), passes through the gap, then it's set. I have some Starrett micrometers. They all have the ratchet tension dial on them. It's so it is always at the same load when measuring an item. If you really are "fussy," then there is no such thing as a little drag or no drag. It's either at the exact measurement or it isn't.

When do you use a tapered implement to measure anything around the house?

How accurate is a cheese wedge?

dg
 
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