Fine Wire Reliability and Failures Out of the Box?

M

M20K

Cleared for Takeoff
Joined
Jan 14, 2025
Messages
1,169
Display Name
PeteMc
I was going to finally make the move to fine wire spark plugs at this annual, but when I was talking to the mechanic about them, he said he had three fail out of the box. (No spark.)

Is this a fluke or has there been talk of them failing? And any difference in brand for either life expectancy or out of the box performance?
 
sourdough44 said:
I’ve heard mention about this, nothing concrete. I have 8 +/- y/o Tempest fine wires in my engine, no issues over the years, never replaced one.
Click to expand...
Similar experience here with years'-old Tempest fine wires. I have not heard such anecdotes about failed new plugs, but then that's also not a topic of conversation that comes up frequently for me.
 
Save your money and keep the massive electrode plugs. I've seen a rash here lately of them failing. To me, not worth the huge jump in price for just a little longer life. "They are supposed to go over 1000 hours" Massives go about 500 if you take care of them. If they last twice as long it should be twice as much, not $161/ plug ($39 a plug for a massive).
 
Lama1125 said:
Save your money and keep the massive electrode plugs. I've seen a rash here lately of them failing. To me, not worth the huge jump in price for just a little longer life. "They are supposed to go over 1000 hours" Massives go about 500 if you take care of them. If they last twice as long it should be twice as much, not $161/ plug ($39 a plug for a massive).
Click to expand...
I have yet to run a set massive electrode plugs >400 hours.
 
The juice ain't worth the squeeze for most of to go fine wire imo.
 
Perhaps the OP has a set of old-stock Champions. Those had the spring-loaded resistor that caused so much hassle, and I had new Champs fail right out of the box, too. Champion finally updated their design maybe ten years ago. Took a lot of complaining. Look down the plug lead well; if you see a screwdriver slot at the bottom, those are the old plugs.

Clip4 said:
I have yet to run a set massive electrode plugs >400 hours.
Click to expand...

Before Champion bought up Auburn and shut them down, I used Auburns exclusively in the flight-school airplanes and most often got 800 hours out of them. They had a 400-hour warranty. I think Champion still only has a 50-hour warranty, but am open to correction on that.
 
Didn’t AC ( Albert Champion) become Autolite, then Auburn, then Tempest ?

Might have been a couple more.

There was also Red Seal & BG; but I’m unsure if they were just rebranded.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Perhaps the OP has a set of old-stock Champions. Those had the spring-loaded resistor that caused so much hassle, and I had new Champs fail right out of the box, too. Champion finally updated their design maybe ten years ago. Took a lot of complaining. Look down the plug lead well; if you see a screwdriver slot at the bottom, those are the old plugs.



Before Champion bought up Auburn and shut them down, I used Auburns exclusively in the flight-school airplanes and most often got 800 hours out of them. They had a 400-hour warranty. I think Champion still only has a 50-hour warranty, but am open to correction on that.
Click to expand...
I might amend my comment since it’s been forever since I ran Auburns and may just have forgot how long they lasted.
 
Magman said:
Didn’t AC ( Albert Champion) become Autolite, then Auburn, then Tempest ?
Click to expand...
Tempest is Tempest. Champion did buy Auburn.

Autolite was part of First Brands. When they went bankrupt, a court-approved deal was reached for PGI Northstar to buy Autolite and some other brands.

Champion fine wire plugs are basically a copy of Tempest, as I understand it.
 
Dan Thomas said:
I don't think Auburn was part of that chain.
Click to expand...
Auburn>>SL Industries/Auburn>>Champion. Auburn also made turbine ignitors for AC/GM then bought that line of plugs and ignitors at some point in the 1980s.
 
Just pulled a set of autolite plugs off this winter and was curious about the age.

Unison spark plugs were branded Autolite. Unison divested of the brand and sold to aero accessories in 2010 and were branded tempest.

To continue the rabbit hole. Aero accessories and McFarlane aviation were bought by Vance Street. Which then became Victor Sierra. This past January Victor Sierra was bought by TransDigm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top