Your Porsche has a superb engine with the perfect combination of power and reliability. Your car moves by combustion, and this process is in the hands of the relatively small spark plugs. These plugs provide the ignition source for combustion. Over time, these plugs will wear out or fail due to age. When this happens, your Porsche dealer can install new ones for you. These are some signs that your plugs need replacing.
Misfiring Engine
Misfiring in an engine is always a sign of a problem. This situation is caused by the failure of the fuel-air mix to correctly ignite in a cylinder. Fuel and air mix in the intake manifold. Once they’ve correctly mixed, the mixture is injected into the cylinders. The mixture in the cylinder is highly compressed, then ignited by the plug. This produces combustion.
When a misfire occurs, the plug doesn’t have enough power to ignite the mixture. You’ll feel and hear the misfiring cylinder, as your engine power briefly drops and your car shakes. The failure to ignite could be due to a damaged plug, a drop in electrical current to a plug, or a fuel-rich engine. Our technicians will investigate and fix the cause of the problem.
Strong Gas Smell
If you’re smelling a strong gas smell from the exhaust, this could be a sign that one or more of your plugs have failed. As we’ve seen, the plugs should ignite the fuel-air mix. After the explosion, the fired cylinder opens, and the remnants of the combustion process are dumped into the exhaust system. If the plug has ignited correctly, there is little residue.
The remnants of combustion pass through the catalytic converter, where they’re converted into harmless gases. The gasoline smell means that something has gone wrong. If the plug doesn’t ignite correctly, a large amount of hot, unburnt fuel is dumped into the exhaust. This fuel can damage the converter as it passes through to the exhaust. We’ll find the cause of the fuel smell and repair it.
Check Engine Light
The check engine light lights up whenever a problem is detected in your engine. This light connects to your Porsche computer and a vast network of sensors. These sensors monitor all the essential components in your car. They send back information to your computer and also report any problems that are detected.
A worn or damaged plug can cause the light to come on. The sensors can detect minute changes in their attached components. We’ll check the error code on your computer and replace the damaged plugs.
If you have these or any other signs of trouble, call us at Porsche Stevens Creek.
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