[speedy]

My car - '91 9000i-16

I have a set of these plugs sitting in a drawer at home and i was wondering if they will work ok on my car?

Also, i haven't got round to decatting my car yet, and a friend on the rover 800 (argh so sorry i swore) yahoo group said he had taken the cat off his car and mashed out the innards then put it back on

Um.....comments on this practice....

 

[greenphotos]

With regards to spark plugs, I only go for NGK (BCP RES-11 or somethink like that) on a 1994 9000 Aero with DI, not sure what yours takes, but I know mine is very touchy with other types..

Mark

 

[mark e]

If it's DI, then you must use the correct NGK plugs (BCPR7ES11) or you risk damaging/foreshortening the life of the DI.

As your car is MY91, you do not need a cat to pass the emissions test, so yes, you could bash it's innards out.

The downside is that you wil get slightly more noise; the upside is improved responsiveness

 

[misleading]

Would a cat bypass pipe not be a better idea?

 

[speedy]

My engine is the B202 (non turbo).

I'll give the cat a bash and change the plugs to super 4's and i'll report back on developments

ps: i'm a skinflint so i don't want to be buying a decat pipe if i can decat it for free!

 

[misleading]

Out of interest does anyone know if BCPR7ES-11 need gapping before being fitted or are they pre-set? I'm about to change mine, which arrived this mornnig courtesy of the wonderful people at Elkparts.

I was under the impression that the -11 referred to a 1.1mm spark gap so I it would suggest that it was pre-gapped, but I don't want to assume that!?

 

[Paul D]

'Bashing out' an existing cat is cheaper - unless it is required to pass MOT emissions test - in which case it is definately the most expensive option!

It was around 1993 that CATS became obligatory for MOT emission test compliance. I'm sure some can verify the exact date.

 

[speedy]

Mine passed it's mot two weeks ago and i asked the tester about removing the cat and he says the year is 1992, plus my cars emmisions were so low that it would probably still pass the test without it anyway

 

[mark e]

Originally posted by Loz:
[qb]I was under the impression that the -11 referred to a 1.1mm spark gap so I it would suggest that it was pre-gapped, but I don't want to assume that!? [/qb][/b]

Correct!

For a non turbo DI, the correct plugs are BCPR6ES11.

Fit anything else at your won risk... remember a set of the correct spark plugs costs about 5% of a new DI cartridge.

 

[Dulux]

In my experience stick to NGK plugs, we use loads of them at work in small honda engines and they are the best plug for life and wear, pretty cheap to buy as well.

I run a de-cat but I kept my old cat just in case, I have seen cars later than '93 pass MOT's with a de-cat fitted but unless you are on good terms with the mechanic than can get a bit off with you.
The de-cat will make a difference, but it is a pain to fit cats back on for the mot test.
Knocking the middle out is the lowest cost way of doing it although I think there are de-cat pipes availiable for around £30, I am sure that having an empty exhaust silencer must have a negative effect on the flow of the exhaust if you want to get technical about it.

It really depends on what you are trying to acheive? more power? more noise? in which case either buy a different exhaust system, or buy a turbo......

 

[speedy]

Originally posted by Dulux:
[qb]It really depends on what you are trying to acheive? more power? more noise? in which case either buy a different exhaust system, or buy a turbo......  

     :fawlty:      :thumbsup:  [/qb][/b]

More oomph is what is needed, a non turbo'd 2 litre auto is a bit slow, especially uphills

Buy a turbo....anyone here do loans or selling one on hp?

 

[aus9000T16]

Not sure about how the super 4's will go. Have a friend with a Peugeot 306, and he swears by them. I do know that Bosch reccomend against their use in turbo applications.
I just fitted a set of Motorcraft plugs to my 9000t 16. Motorcraft have a grooved earth electrode, and I have had great success with them in past cars so thought I'd give them a go. 1000kms so far, no problems and appear to be burning correctly.
Give the super 4's 5000kms then let us know how they have gone.

 

[misleading]

I think I'll stick with the NGK plugs as apparently the DI cartridges were designed with these specific plugs in mind.

This car costs me enough money without blowing DI cartridges for fun!

 

[aus9000T16]

Loz,
Good decision mate. The DI cars should be run with NGK plugs, even if people say it wouldn't matter. You are right, the cost of a DI cartridge is far greater than a set of plugs.
Speedy, you have the B202 non-turbo, does it have DI? If so, stick with the NGK, as I am sure everyone who knows their Saabs also will. It isn't that big an imposition to use NGK exclusivly, all plugs are round the same price anyhow. (platinum that is)
Chris

 

[speedy]

I haven't a clue if mine's a DI or not. If i knew what to look for to find out i'd let you know.

 

[sgould]

If this is your car, you don't have a DI (direct ignition unit). You have a conventional distributor.

 

[gilbert]

I too have heard mixed responses to the "Super 4" plugs,some say they idle went a bit errratic,more fuel consumption was noticed,but responce was slighty improved.For the B202 non turbo engines (non of which had a DI unit fitted IIRC) Bosch recommend their number "FR78",are these what you have?
As for the deletion of the cat,knocking the insides out seems a bit pointless(unless the car has the lamda probe in the cat which yours shouldn't have),when as suggested,you can get a bypass pipe,but may have to swop it out for the mot every year ,depending on the state of mind of the tester),or just put a turbo front box on it.
I had a 2.3 hatch which i did this too,and as it looked like it should have been there (unlike a bypass pipe) it didn't even warrant a second glance when tested & having the probe in the downpipe helps the 9K's when doing this
G

 

[speedy]

Yep that's my car

It's got ngks in it now so if the super4's don't work i can put the orignals back in. I think i may wait and get a proper decat pipe for it. My mot tester friend is a saab enthusiast and it was him who recommended removing it!

 

[aerosaaber]

My mechanic told me once about the super 4's for another car in the family.
he said he didn't think they were a great performance improvement and the gap for them is weird compared to stock since there are 4 electrodes instead of one.

I stick with the stocker NGK's since I have the ever sensitive DI.

 

[aus9000T16]

I have participated in a discussion on this topic on an Australian French Car forum recently. Apart from a friend of mine who swears by them, other points of view or information iluuded to the 4 or 2 electrode plugs being only for 1 reason. It takes longer for the plug to foul up completely. That is, multiple electrodes, leads to a much longer service life due primarily to there being more than one spark path, sperading the load/wear over a larger area, and prolonging time between plug changes.