Misc: Ignition Spark Plugs

[chankly bore]

From Wikipedia: "The factory was demolished in 1989 and replaced by an ASDA superstore__________ the gates were donated to the Brooklands Museum". More information on that site.

 

[kettlrj]

I USE DENSO W22ES-U PLUGS IN MY RAPIDE FITTED WTH A MAGNETO. I SET THE PLUG GAP TO 12 THOU AND IT STARTS EASILY EVEN THOUGH FITTED WITH TT9 CARBS

 

[Jonathan Lambley]

My spark plug of choice is KLG FE70, I have had short lived failures with NGK and others in the past, I have no idea whether I was sold fakes way back when, but I doubt anyone in China is knocking out fake KLG plugs so I stick with them, and for me they simply work in every respect. If you keep your eyes open they are still available from time to time for similar money to the modern equivalents, fakes and all, but recently I picked up a few KLG FE70 A spark plugs, but the A is lower case size but upper case font if that makes sense, it is just a small capital A. Does anyone know what this suffix indicates, the only thing I notice about them is the threaded HT cap on the top of the plug is very difficult to remove, a bit like it has been permanently locktighted onto the thread, I always need to remove these as I run Black NGK non resister plug caps, I can remove them with gentle heat, but despite extensive searching on the net, I cannot find any reference to the small A suffix.

Peter,
I use KLG FE70's in my Rapide and Comet but I don't tell anyone, as they are hard to find. I also use Esso spark plugs 8623, which are more readily available and seem quite good.
Just for information, I made an error once (I've made a few actually) and bought some KLG FE70's but a racing type, or so I was told. You can see on the attached photo that the ground electrode is different. I've just put them on eBay and marked them as not for road use.
Now you've tols everyone about KLG's I'll never find one anymore!
Cheers
Jon

 

[Jonathan Lambley]

Thanks Damien, This forum is such a great resource, my initial question was answered entirely, KLG FE70A was replaced with KLG FE70, and the heat range between FE70 and FE75 is just a continuance, so very close to each other, and in a decent engine, probably both are OK.
The one thing that surprised me was the KLG recommendation for all post Vincents as being FE75, whereas all the literature that I have ever read states FE70 as the default, with FE50 for oily engines.
Thanks for all your input, I will continue searching out and using FE70 and FE70A whenever I spot them at sensible prices, for me that is around £5.00 per plug.

A chap at the Green Spark Plug Company told me that the KLG FE70 is the plug for a Rapide and not the FE75.

 

[Alyson]

from the KLG cataloug, 1960s, I don't make stuff up. I only knows what I knows.....

 

[Alyson]

I suppose that cat. could contain a "typo" or two ? Anyone else have a cat. to suggest different ?

 

[Alyson]

I was just perusing Ebay and there is an earlier cat. from '56 and that one shows Vincents using the FE70 plug. I wonder if that later
cat. was just updating, clarifying, or what... time to ponder

 

[Jonathan Lambley]

from the KLG cataloug, 1960s, I don't make stuff up. I only knows what I knows.....

The catologue is clearly right. I think the guy at the Green Spark Plug Company probably siad that due to modern fuels that FE70 was better due to temperature or similar.

 

[Jonathan Lambley]

I was just perusing Ebay and there is an earlier cat. from '56 and that one shows Vincents using the FE70 plug. I wonder if that later
cat. was just updating, clarifying, or what... time to ponder

From Paul Richardsons book...

 

[Don Morris]

I found the FE75's , used for fairly fast roadwork on my 'C' Shadow were the ideal ones. No problems at all and lasted well.
This was before the current National Speed Limit came into being.