Seems there is a lot of discussion on here about Champion spark plugs, I took a chance on a new set D21 s and I took them back out within 10 minutes.
I had some problems with Champions in my old Ford 8N years ago, switched to Autolite and never really thought about it again. While I had the hood off the "good" Cub yesterday, it seemed like a good time to blow off all the dirt around the plugs and pull them out for inspection. It had Champion D18Y plugs in it, they looked good, and have never given any problem. I needed something from town anyway, so I figured I would grab a set of D21 plugs . I do not really do anything with the tractor but pull a small wagon, so my conclusion from what I read here the D21 might be a better choice. I set the gap, coated the threads with anti-seize, and put the hood on. I was really happy when it stared on the first throw of the hand crank (usually it is 2 or 3 tries) but wait, what is this miss I can hear in the exhaust? I shut her down and checked all my wire connections and even the firing order just to make sure I didn't get something wrong. It is amazing how well a cub actually will almost run with two wires in the wrong spot, as I learned on the other Cub. I even adjusted the mixture a bit on the carb thinking maybe the hotter plug wanted something different. Nothing helped, so I put the D18Y back in. Back to running perfect. I think the D18Y plugs are probably at least 10 years old, and I the new ones I bought sure look "cheaper" to me. The diameter of the insulator is smaller, and the plug tip is not as beefy. Maybe all of that is ok, but defective right out if the box is not with me. I have a set of Autolites on the way. Here are the two side by side, not sure how well the picture really shows the differences.
I had some problems with Champions in my old Ford 8N years ago, switched to Autolite and never really thought about it again. While I had the hood off the "good" Cub yesterday, it seemed like a good time to blow off all the dirt around the plugs and pull them out for inspection. It had Champion D18Y plugs in it, they looked good, and have never given any problem. I needed something from town anyway, so I figured I would grab a set of D21 plugs . I do not really do anything with the tractor but pull a small wagon, so my conclusion from what I read here the D21 might be a better choice. I set the gap, coated the threads with anti-seize, and put the hood on. I was really happy when it stared on the first throw of the hand crank (usually it is 2 or 3 tries) but wait, what is this miss I can hear in the exhaust? I shut her down and checked all my wire connections and even the firing order just to make sure I didn't get something wrong. It is amazing how well a cub actually will almost run with two wires in the wrong spot, as I learned on the other Cub. I even adjusted the mixture a bit on the carb thinking maybe the hotter plug wanted something different. Nothing helped, so I put the D18Y back in. Back to running perfect. I think the D18Y plugs are probably at least 10 years old, and I the new ones I bought sure look "cheaper" to me. The diameter of the insulator is smaller, and the plug tip is not as beefy. Maybe all of that is ok, but defective right out if the box is not with me. I have a set of Autolites on the way. Here are the two side by side, not sure how well the picture really shows the differences.
