civic d16a8, spark plug problems & radiator

[honda_nemesis]

hey there guys, i just cleaned my spark plugs(NGK bkr6e-11) and then put them back in, right ...

so its all good.......... then 2 days after i opened my engine and found out that one of the spark plug leads (the end one) popped out/up....high enough so it wasnt making contact with the spark plug, so therefore i was runnning on 3 cylinders

but then i popped it back it, and a day later, did the same thing....... so i went out and bought some new ones(bosch), and put them in, and ok they were good, so i took out the spark plug in the chamber that kept popping out and just observed what the deal was........ couldnt allocate any problems at all........ so popped it back in

and back to step 1, kept popping out.......any ideas what the problem is???

as i want to run on 4 cylinders instead of 3 argh..........

could this be a result of a crappy spark plug lead, i have had them since 3 years ago on my d16a8...........and does leads(NGK, Magnacor), increase horsepower??..... and i realised a really sluggish downgrade from NGK spark plug to a bosch...... :shock:





another problem is my radiator, ok my car has done 250,000km and a 1991 SI model, and yep still the same original radiator 13 years ago, so at the moment i can see its leaking on the top.......i think the seal is broken, but my question is, better to replace/fix it, buy a new one?? or 2nd hand one??........ upgrade the cooling to a bigger radiator??? if so whats a good place to do it in brissie?? anyone have any recommendation??

thanks

[geo41e]

get honda leads....i need them too lols...change ur plugs ??

[Weq]

honda aleads are the way to go. ive heard of this problem on boosted honda's before, but never while NA...

[honda_nemesis]

the spark plug leads ive had for the last 100,000km since i drove it, do leads corrode or wear out by any chance???

[ECU-MAN]

leads do wear out. there resistence increaces, so they tend to fail. you cant see the wear but only measure it with an ohm meter. Honda leads are awsome and worth there price.

[crx_16x]

Check the boot of the spark plug lead to see if it needs to be replaced. Look for splits along the joins.

Also check your tappet cover seals.
Pull the tappet cover off and look on the top of spark plug cylinders. There will be a rubber seal there. Replace them all they cost like $5.

[wynode]

FOr your radiator, if its just the top tank, you can have that replaced without changing the whole radiator. But if your radiator core is not in good condition, might as well pickup a new one.

[honda_nemesis]

where to find a good 2nd hand radiator in BNE???

i just found out how much it cost new!!! $240....genuine honda

dont think im going to pay that much for new.......the guy in the shop.......didnt even look inside my core and check the status of it.... he said

"mate, your car is 13 years old and done 250,000 km, you may as well get a new radiator"

far out.....if its only leaking on the top is it really necessary to get the whole radiator fixed???

[Setanta]

He's pretty much right I'm afraid. Radiators aren't something to take a chance with and they do get old due to the temps they cop. 240 bucks - god-damn that's cheap!!!! Why the hell didn't you get it put in for that price. FYI: mine cost me 450 bucks as a custom build (because Honda Aust couldn't supply me with the right spec).

[Toby]

Yeah man a new radiator is one of the best things you can buy!!
My Civics temp gauge was always reading about halfway and on hot days even overheated but since buying the new radiator I have never seen the gauge read over a quarter