[ESOG 1981]

I went to ngk's website to check the gap and here's the thing that I need help with. Mine is a 2006 base 2.4 l but my car has a turbo setup. The plugs that I got are the NGK iridium IX 4344 and when you put into their website 2006 base 2.4 l it obviously does not account for the fact that my car has a turbo so the plug gap it calls for is 044. I wanted to see if I go up one year to a 2007 to the same plugs for the 2.0 L GXP and as you can see it calls for a gap of 036.

I have not pulled the plugs out of the car yet but the new plugs that I have the gap out of the box is an extremely tight 044.

What do I do?

 

[JohnWR]

Whose turbo do you have, and have you contacted them? Custom installations typically are supplied with custom instructions.

 

[ESOG 1981]

Whose turbo do you have, and have you contacted them? Custom installations typically are supplied with custom instructions.

I have the shop who put it in. Of course it doesnt say what plugs.

But i pulled the plugs and they are HORRIFIC. Also, the gap on the plug in the car is .036.

They are the same ones I have new but the gap on the new plugs out of the box is .044.

I dont know if I should drop them in as is or tap them down a bit closer to .036.

 

[JohnWR]

A forum search revealed that Hahn has previously recommended a 0.030 gap with NGK V-Power #4306 plugs.
Whether that applies to your specific application is of course unknown.

 

[sirwm]

I thought the wisdom of the forum said that the gap for stock plugs 41-108 was 32...

 

[JohnWR]

I thought the wisdom of the forum said that the gap for stock plugs 41-108 was 32...

What I found was a presumed recommendation from Hahn for a turbocharged 2.4, so not stock.

 

[ESOG 1981]

I appreciate you doing the research. I'm going to go ahead and try to keep this as short as possible. Pertaining to the NGK iridium IX plugs that I have, straight off ngk's website for a 2006 2.4 l it lists a gap of 044. Now since my car has a turbo set up I decided to look up on ngk's website the same plugs iridium IX but for a 2007 GXP and the Gap calls for 036. I called an auto store and asked them to look up the plugs and tell me the gap and their system for the same plugs for both 2.0 and or 2.4 l they list a recommended Gap of 040.

I don't know why this is so difficult. And why there's so much conflicting information but I then asked them to look up AC Delco iridium laser plugs and get this it says plugs come pre-gapped do not change it and the Gap is 034.

Now the plugs that I took out of my car I figured I will just get them at whatever got they are at as I assumed that would make most sense. They are gapped at 036. And they are the same exact plugs that I have new in my possession which again are the NGK iridium IX. Now I will also say that I recently watched a YouTube video of a gentleman with a sky red line and he had put in the NGK plugs but kept playing around with The Gap to see which worked best but he put it at 028.

I'll be honest I don't know whether to just drop these plugs in at 044 as they are or to tap them a little bit and try to get them down to an 036 it seems to me that there's a obvious very large Gap, pun intended LOL in the range that these plugs can be.

JohnWr I really appreciate you looking that up for me. The part number of the plug that I have is 4344 and it is the NGK iridium IX. If you were in this situation what would you do? Do you think I should try to tap them down to an 036? I don't have a vice grip and I really do not like to make the Gap smaller on plugs it's not an easy thing to do and it never comes out right. Because I'll tap it nice and Light and then I'll test the gap and then one is looser than the other or I did a One Tap too hard and then I'm bending it back using the Gap tool and then it's back and forth and then it's like the plug is just getting beat up.

 

[G-Ram]

I had the same problem with my GXP. I called the tuner, RPM Motorsports, that the previous owner used and he let me know what gap they had the car set to for the tune. If you can't get a gap from the tuner I would chose a setting, try it and see if your happy with the performance. etc...Not the ideal way to do it, but adding the turbo and the tune changes normal factory settings.

 

[JohnWR]

First, I would never tap a plug to close the gap, I would use the gapping tool or, at worst, press the plug tip against a hard surface to gently close it.

NGK (and everyone else that I know of) recommends a colder plug when you supercharge an engine, so the stock plugs shouldn't be what you want. I know that the kit I got from DDM came with two ranges colder plugs, but the DDM website currently recommends NGK LTR6IX-11. They are one range colder but the gap is the same as stock at 1.1 mm or 0.044 inch.

 

[ESOG 1981]

I had the same problem with my GXP. I called the tuner, RPM Motorsports, that the previous owner used and he let me know what gap they had the car set to for the tune. If you can't get a gap from the tuner I would chose a setting, try it and see if your happy with the performance. etc...Not the ideal way to do it, but adding the turbo and the tune changes normal factory settings.

I'm assuming the person who tuned the car set the Gap at 036 which is what the GXP calls for. Because the plugs that I pulled out of the car I checked the Gap and it's 036.

 

[ESOG 1981]

First, I would never tap a plug to close the gap, I would use the gapping tool or, at worst, press the plug tip against a hard surface to gently close it.

NGK (and everyone else that I know of) recommends a colder plug when you supercharge an engine, so the stock plugs shouldn't be what you want. I know that the kit I got from DDM came with two ranges colder plugs, but the DDM website currently recommends NGK LTR6IX-11. They are one range colder but the gap is the same as stock at 1.1 mm or 0.044 inch.

I agree I don't recommend tapping the plug to close the gap either. I don't like to close plugs because it's never correct because you end up closing then differently and then having to use the Gap tool to widen them and try to get them all the same Gap and it just never works out one is too tight tightly the other one is little less tightly etc. Everyone keeps telling me use the Gap tool to lessen the gap I don't understand you cannot lessen the Gap as far as I know with a gap you can only lighting it am I wrong. Also the plug that I'm putting in is not stock it's the same plugs that were in the car and it's also what everyone recommends, it's NGK iridium IX. Stock number 4344.

 

[JohnWR]

I agree I don't recommend tapping the plug to close the gap either. I don't like to close plugs because it's never correct because you end up closing then differently and then having to use the Gap tool to widen them and try to get them all the same Gap and it just never works out one is too tight tightly the other one is little less tightly etc. Everyone keeps telling me use the Gap tool to lessen the gap I don't understand you cannot lessen the Gap as far as I know with a gap you can only lighting it am I wrong. Also the plug that I'm putting in is not stock it's the same plugs that were in the car and it's also what everyone recommends, it's NGK iridium IX. Stock number 4344.

According to NGK that is the stock plug for the 2.4L Solstice:

My gapping tool has a small slot that fits around the electrode and is used to bend it in or out to widen or tighten the gap.

If the plugs you have are the ones "everyone recommends", and the gap you have is what you think it should be, what is your question?

 

[G-Ram]

I'm assuming the person who tuned the car set the Gap at 036 which is what the GXP calls for. Because the plugs that I pulled out of the car I checked the Gap and it's 036.

My tune works best with .032 gap. When chasing a high RPM sputter I had it as low as .028. The sputter turned out to be the high pressure fuel pump had failed so the plugs were put back at .032.

 

[boboborino]

For tuned and modified, one step colder with .028 -.030 gap. That is for a GXP/Redline, but I would gap yours at .030 and give it a shot.

Good luck
Bert

 

[ESOG 1981]

I had the same problem with my GXP. I called the tuner, RPM Motorsports, that the previous owner used and he let me know what gap they had the car set to for the tune. If you can't get a gap from the tuner I would chose a setting, try it and see if your happy with the performance. etc...Not the ideal way to do it, but adding the turbo and the tune changes normal factory settings.

Good news is I got a hold of the tuner just a little bit ago and I sent him pictures of all the paperwork that I got with the car which is the work that they did of course and also the dyno paperwork. I'm waiting for amen I spoke to call me back and I'm going to ask him about the plugs as well and we'll see what he says.

 

[JohnWR]

Good news is I got a hold of the tuner just a little bit ago and I sent him pictures of all the paperwork that I got with the car which is the work that they did of course and also the dyno paperwork. I'm waiting for amen I spoke to call me back and I'm going to ask him about the plugs as well and we'll see what he says.

Definitely the best approach. Please share what you learn from him.

 

[ESOG 1981]

According to NGK that is the stock plug for the 2.4L Solstice:
View attachment 128256

My gapping tool has a small slot that fits around the electrode and is used to bend it in or out to widen or tighten the gap.

If the plugs you have are the ones "everyone recommends", and the gap you have is what you think it should be, what is your question?

To save you from having to read my obscenely long reply I will jump straight to the question that you are trying to determine I am searching. The question is plugs that I have are Gap out of the box at 044, which is for a base non turbo 2.4 l Solstice motor as you know. However if you go back to ngk's website and look up the plug for a GPX solstice, 2.0 l turbo as you know, you will see that listed are the exact same plugs and stock number that I have however it calls for a gap of 036. The plugs that I took out of the car yesterday were in fact and thankfully the exact same plugs that I have, meaning the NGK iridium IX stock number 4344. I checked the gap on the plugs that I pulled from the car and they are 036. All in all it would seem to me then and rational to lessen the gap to 036. However I'm wondering if perhaps the reason why the car has been misfiring I'm behaving the way it has is because they are maybe supposed to be 044? Tell you the truth I don't have a clue and everybody has a different answer so at the same point I'm going to do after I change the oil is get them down to 036 and start at that. R

Yes I know that that is a plug for the 2.4 I was on ngk's website as well. You want to know my question I apologize if I'm not making it clear enough, doesn't surprise me however because every Facebook and group I'm on pertaining to the solstice and the sky as well as this board no matter what question I have it seems everybody has a different answer. That being said I will reiterate what I said in the start of this thread; the plugs that I got stock number 4344 NGK iridium IX when I go to ngk's website as you have just saw a 2006 2.4 L base solstice with that plug calls for a 044 gap. The plugs that I have which are the ones were talking about come get at 044 right out of the box. However out of curiosity and good measure I went a step further and I looked up what the NGK plugs would be for a 2007 GPX and it lists the same ones that I have same stock number but it calls for a gap of 036. So that is the question without asking a question. I watched a YouTube video regarding a sky red line and then I see here just read the next couple of posts before the one I'm writing now and you'll notice that everyone seems to have a different number. The Saturn sky red line guy on YouTube started his Gap at 036 and ended up bringing it all the way down to 028. As you can see as well a few of the members between my post now and yours that I'm responding to even they say that they have went less than 030. Then for more s**** and giggles and decided to give AutoZone and Advanced Auto a call. Not that I would ever for the life of me depend on or use anything from an AutoZone or Advance Auto including information as scarce as our cars are. But again I just wanted to see what would be said. For a 2006 Solstice 2.4 l built with a turbo on it AutoZone had the NGK plugs up and it's screen there and the crazy thing is is that his screen told him the plugs come out of the box at 044 which is true but then there's a note you read me in his system that says you got them down to 034. Then things got a little hectic having to toggle back and forth between this board and the many Solstice groups that I am a member of on Facebook because I posted my questions that I've been asking not only just on this site but as well as about a half a dozen dedicated Facebook sites for solstice and Sky owners. Turns out more people you ask is not actually more efficient. Then I asked the guy at Advance Auto if they had the actual AC Delco plugs and he told me yes but then he said the Gap that they recommend is 040. And then as I just mentioned before if you read the post replies rather the replies before this one here you'll notice too I think two or three people had said then they run 028. Anyway I'm scared to just drop them in at 044 because and I'll say it again and this was my original question the plugs that I took out of my car our Gap 036. So the question was do I go with what NGK said on the website at 044 change the oil drop the new plugs in and send it. Or do I lessen the gap on the plugs that I have 036 which I'll say again that is what they are gapped at the ones that I pulled from the car?

Definitely the best approach. Please share what you learn from him.

For sure I will definitely keep you updated, also going to ask him about what he thinks about the oil seeping through the charge line to the intercooler.

I know people were also asking me what Turbo do I have as well as what tune, so I'm going to put up the paperwork that I have right now so you could all see. I also wanted to mention that I have all the garage work as well and that's been done to it it's not jazz new shocks Bilstein Oe sway bars links wheel alignment and it had new gasket valve cover gasket that is with two new solenoids according to the paperwork and that was done in the car had almost 52,000 miles on it and I bought it with 58,000 and some change.

 

[Shadofax]

Definitely the best approach. Please share what you learn from him.

Agree, the tuner will help you, they likely were running certain plugs/gaps during this custom development (Turbo 2.4 not NA, nor Turbo 2.0). Who knows what length is needed? Is the 2.0 and 2.4 same exact block, same heads, etc?

 

[boboborino]

Good news is I got a hold of the tuner just a little bit ago and I sent him pictures of all the paperwork that I got with the car which is the work that they did of course and also the dyno paperwork. I'm waiting for amen I spoke to call me back and I'm going to ask him about the plugs as well and we'll see what he says.

So what did your tuner have to say?