Leyland O series plug problem

[Wicksy]

A NZ contributer on our Princess forum is having a problem with locally sourced spark plugs for his Princess with the O series engine.
The problem is the plugs - both NGK and Champion of the correct pt no - are too short in the shank. The resulting much reduced hex protusion from the head recess makes removal with a plug spanner very difficult due to slipping and consequent rounding off.
Anybody with a Marina, Sherpa, Ital, Ambassador, Princess or Rover SD1 using the O series experienced this problem
If the answer is no then I think our friend needs to obtain his plugs from a UK source.
Any thoughts
By the way this guy is so p----d off wth the problem he is considering opening up the recess with a cutter or reamer to gain improved access with the plug socket, he has also tried grinding the socket down too but no good:shock:

[MG Mal]

Has anyone asked him if he is using the correct socket?

The old style larger socket is an issue with O series based engines.

He should be using the more streamlined socket.

Other than that, it may be that for his home market they do shorter plugs, but I would think that unlikely.


I have several 2.0 O series cars and have no issue with access to the plugs.

Mal.

[Wicksy]

Thanks for replying Mal - if you look on the Leylandprincess forum you will see he has put some great pics of various plugs, insitu shots and a ground down socket that definatetly aint going to work
I think that the plug makers in that part of the world are making them shorter to save costs but let's see if anybody else over here is seeing the same thing.
By the way I never included Montegos, Maestros and Aggros in my list of O series users - BL must have made millions of them, so I would have thought that there would be a few gripes if this is a problem.

[JPB]

Aggros....

Allegros? Nope, they never came with an O-series. A series, with E series in the 1500 and 1750.

These foreign plugs must be the cause of the problem though, I don't recall ever having had trouble fitting and removing plugs from a few ADO71s, Marina & Ital 1.7 and 2.0, etc. that I worked on back when they were just another cheap used car. Looking at the ones I could find on eBay, they appear much as they ever were back then.

Buying the plugs from within the UK has to be the solution there.

[Grease Monkey]

The 'O' series engine should have taper seat spark plugs, Champion BN9Y, these have the 16mm hex rather than the normal 21mm.



John Simpson

[Wicksy]

Yup John that is a given - hit leylandprincess.co.uk/forum index to see what this is all about, the topc is under Wedge wisdom by Kiwi Princess.
He has now posted pics of his own special tool to relieve the head to allow plug spanner acess - really inovative stuff and would make a great Mag feature I rekon

[mach1rob]

Yes been there and done that, I think it stems from those inexperienced of taper plugs and winding them in so much until the socket can no longer grip the plug, and by then the plug is so far in there's little chance of getting anything on it to undo it.

Some may remember the brown Princess I had off Alex, that suffered the above, 3 plugs were so far in they just snapped when trying to undo them, nothing I had would bite, and the plug hole being recessed left no room to attach mole grips or anything, so I had to resort to complete butchery. This meant getting the hoover out, and smashing the ceramic out to remove the innards, then attaching a straw to hoover the bores out after to remove any bits that found their way into places they shouldn't be. New plugs fitted and NOT wound all the way in, resulted in it running sweet as again, and not on the 2 cylinders it had been on before.

OK it's risky beating the innards out for bits of plug to end up in the bores, its a chance you take to save having to pull the head, I take no responsibility if he tries in and something is stuck down the bores on start up!