Jump to content

So what spark plugs do you use on a 5.3l and why?


Recommended Posts

NGK TR5IX are the same as Delco spec'd Iridiums, and are much easier to come by in my area. Just make sure you don't get the old spec .060 Platinums, and you'll be fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I've read through this thread and saw a lot of posts on preferring or not preferring platinum, or I've used these for the past 20 years, etc.

 

Fact is, engines have changed a lot in recent years.

 

I make my living in the field of instrumentation and controls. In my humble opinion...people with bigger and more powerful brains then mine engineered components that worked well as a circuit.

 

This circuit is made up of coil packs, ignition wires, and plugs. They were chosen because they deliver the right amount of voltage without loss, produce an arc at the right length for efficient ignition, and at the correct temperature to achieve maximum efficiency of combustion, while not causing undesirable wear on the engine.

 

When you start changing out components you're altering a lot of variables than you may not consider like excess O2 for instants.

 

You might spend $30 for a set of plug wires instead of $70, but what kind of voltage drop will you get? Will they deliver the correct voltage from the coil packs to the plugs?

 

Remember the old commercials "Keep you GM car all GM"? That wasn't just to make you spend more money. Unless you're planning on putting your truck on a dyno to get the exact specs you're looking for, my advice is to stick with OEM.

 

I found this on www.sparkplugs.com and concerning Iridium, and I found it interesting:

 

Iridium is a precious metal that is 6x harder and 8x stronger than platinum, has a melting point 1,200°(F) higher, and conducts electricity better.

 

For many years, spark plug manufacturers have favored platinum for their long life and performance plugs due to its high melting point. However, increasingly strenuous engine conditions, and the creation of smaller electrodes and longer life plugs requires harder and stronger metals. The strength, hardness and high melting point of iridium makes it very well suited for a fine wire plug and for ultra long life spark plugs.

Though better than platinum, it is very expensive, and at higher temperatures it oxidizes, thus rendering pure iridium as an expensively poor choice for spark plug construction. However, when properly blended with other precious metals such as Yttria, Rhodium or Platinum, you can enhance their advantages with the superior strength and hardness of Iridium.

Almost all manufacturers have their own version of an iridium spark plug. Do not be fooled, iridium plugs were not created equal. Iridium content varies. Some of the lower priced iridium plugs have just enough iridium content so they can be marketed as iridium plugs. They likely will not perform or last as long as the plugs with a higher iridium content.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

I have a 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 5.3L V8  pickup.....I bought it used a year ago and it had 215K miles on it. Since then, I’ve used it to travel on dirt roads, light work of hauling hay or woods, and travel on a 70mph highway which has brought my pickup to almost 250K miles. Still running great, looking to replace spark plugs on it. What would be a great fit for a pickup with this many miles on it? Thanks for all suggestions!,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Aaron Betselie said:

I have a 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 5.3L V8  pickup.....I bought it used a year ago and it had 215K miles on it. Since then, I’ve used it to travel on dirt roads, light work of hauling hay or woods, and travel on a 70mph highway which has brought my pickup to almost 250K miles. Still running great, looking to replace spark plugs on it. What would be a great fit for a pickup with this many miles on it? Thanks for all suggestions!,

Go back with whatever is in the truck now.  Can't argue with the results that they've given

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 5.3L V8  pickup.....I bought it used a year ago and it had 215K miles on it. Since then, I’ve used it to travel on dirt roads, light work of hauling hay or woods, and travel on a 70mph highway which has brought my pickup to almost 250K miles. Still running great, looking to replace spark plugs on it. What would be a great fit for a pickup with this many miles on it? Thanks for all suggestions!,
Most will tell you to stick with AC Delco plugs and wires...

2012 2500hd 6.0l CCSB 4wd



Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/19/2014 at 12:03 PM, Duelin said:

Always OEM. GM and other manufacturers spend millions of dollars developing and testing to get the correct spark plugs for each individual engine application. How much do you think other spark plug manufacturers spend on developing and testing each individual engine application. Or do you think they just try and duplicate the OEM plugs? One thing comes to mind. When I started to work at GM in the early 60s I started on the motor line. One of the first thing they stressed was to torque the plugs to the correct specs.. If the torque was not correct it could change the heat range as much as 2° in either direction.

what exactly is that Torque? for a 2000 Silverado Z71? That makes sense though what you said, I never thought of it that way.

 

And OP here are my Plug Specs...

I Heard NGK made the ACDelco plugs, so I just recently installed NGK Laser Double Platinums #3784 for my 2000 Silverado 1500 LS Z71 5.3L  and got MSD 8.5mm Super Conductors #32829 for the wires. They work Great! Definitely more power, much cleaner idle, actually it added enough extra power from before that I blew part of my exhaust bracket from the pipes, and wore out my tensioners! Granted i'm sure all of these were on the way out, but it wasn't until I changed my plugs and wires to these that all these New Noises started. Also I don't know how old the plugs and wires were, but they were ACDelco Plugs and Autolites 7mm Wires and the plugs did not have bad damage or anything on them, so i'm sure they couldn't have been that old.

 

I Agree ACDelco is the best for most, but I mean you all have to admit there are definitely certain brands that make better products than ACDelco. They specialize in certain manufacturing  while ACDelco makes Every Single Individual Part for Every Single GM Vehicle.

 

A neighbor mechanic said that I should use the ACDelco oil filter because it uses some "special" oil back flow thing I don't know, but like that (and i'm going to try it out next oil change to see) but come on you're telling me ACDelco Oil Filters are better than Mobil 1 the Leading Brand in Oil?!

Edited by TEWNCfarms
Link to comment
Share on other sites

NGK makes *some* plugs for GM but not most.  That being said, the proven and long standing rule of thumb is to stick with the same brand and type of plug that it was engineered around.  In this case, AC/Delco. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, TEWNCfarms said:

what exactly is that Torque? for a 2000 Silverado Z71? That makes sense though what you said, I never thought of it that way.

 

132 inch pounds or 11 ft pounds

 

And OP here are my Plug Specs...

I Heard NGK made the ACDelco plugs, so I just recently installed NGK Laser Double Platinums #3784 for my 2000 Silverado 1500 LS Z71 5.3L  and got MSD 8.5mm Super Conductors #32829 for the wires. They work Great! Definitely more power, much cleaner idle, actually it added enough extra power from before that I blew part of my exhaust bracket from the pipes, and wore out my tensioners! Granted i'm sure all of these were on the way out, but it wasn't until I changed my plugs and wires to these that all these New Noises started. Also I don't know how old the plugs and wires were, but they were ACDelco Plugs and Autolites 7mm Wires and the plugs did not have bad damage or anything on them, so i'm sure they couldn't have been that old.

NGk does make the Delco plugs for these engines.

18 hours ago, TEWNCfarms said:

 

I Agree ACDelco is the best for most, but I mean you all have to admit there are definitely certain brands that make better products than ACDelco. They specialize in certain manufacturing  while ACDelco makes Every Single Individual Part for Every Single GM Vehicle.

 

A neighbor mechanic said that I should use the ACDelco oil filter because it uses some "special" oil back flow thing I don't know, but like that (and i'm going to try it out next oil change to see) but come on you're telling me ACDelco Oil Filters are better than Mobil 1 the Leading Brand in Oil?!

Neighbor is WRONG, Mobile 1 filter is much better than the Delco.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...
On 4/8/2018 at 10:30 AM, muddkatt said:

NGk does make the Delco plugs for these engines.

Neighbor is WRONG, Mobile 1 filter is much better than the Delco.

Depends on how you define 'better'.  Filtering out smaller particles usually means more restrictive flow, which on my truck, means the Mobil1 filter causes much worse AFM lifter noise and piston slap at startup, than the AC Delco factory filter.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.