Subaru FORESTER 2004 Service Manual page 9

2) Carbon fouled:
Dry fluffy carbon deposits on insulator and elec-
trode are mostly caused by slow speed driving in
city, weak ignition, too rich fuel mixture, dirty air
cleaner, etc.
It is advisable to replace with plugs having hotter
heat range.
3) Oil fouled:
Wet black deposits show excessive oil entrance
into combustion chamber through worn rings and
pistons or excessive clearance between valve
guides and stems. If the same condition remains
after repair, use a hotter plug.
4) Overheating:
White or light gray insulator with black or gray
brown spots and bluish burnt electrodes indicates
engine overheating. Moreover, the appearance re-
sults from incorrect ignition timing, loose spark
plugs, wrong selection of fuel, hotter range plug,
etc. It is advisable to replace with plugs having
colder heat range.
Spark Plug
D: ADJUSTMENT
Clean the spark plugs with a wire brush. Clean and
remove the carbon or oxide deposits, but do not
wear ceramic insulator.
If deposits are too stubborn, replace the plugs.
After cleaning the spark plugs, correct the spark
plug gap using a gap gauge.
NOTE:
Do not use spark plug cleaners, because the spark
plugs are applied with platinum or irigium tips.
Spark plug gap: L
0.7 — 0.8 mm (0.028 — 0.031 in)
IG-00012
NOTE:
Replace with a new spark plug if this area (A) is
worn to "ball" shape.
IG-00013
IG-00014
IG(H4DOTC)-7
IGNITION
L
(A)
IG-00015