[Bobbed06]

My girlfriend says she gets a slight miss sometimes on her 2015 Soul Base. It has 62k miles on it and I keep it maintained. So far its just required front brake pads, just put 3rd set of tires on, and air filters.

I googled and searched the forum, but I only got one thread that popped up debating on iridium vs standard Champion plugs ( those are crap, and I hope thats whats in hers)

I am a huge fan of STANDARD NGK plugs, so my question is. Have any of you changed to NGK standard plugs? If so may I have the NGK plug number you chose?

If you switched to an Iridium type plug and noticed improved idle, mileage etc...feel free to post that plug type and part number as well.

Thank You

 

[Bobbed06]

Local Autozone has the Autolite XP 6203 plugs for about $7 each.

May I have the torque spec for the spark plugs in a 2015 1.6 Liter Base ?

 

[jdmartin]

Engine is covered for 100k miles so I wouldn't do anything until I let Kia look at it under warranty. I like NGK plugs too and I do all of my own work but one of the hazards of being under warranty is the dealer claiming you did something later to make a real warranty issue void. Better to get it in, and documented, now so that if there is a real problem later you've got a paper trail.

 

[Bobbed06]

I appreciate the input jdmartin, but I am gonna change the plugs. Its not even throwing a code, so they arent gonna find anything. My girlfriend is a bloodhound when it comes to engine tunes. She been around the car game for a long time.

Without going into a debate, im mainly looking for torques specs for the spark plugs, and which plug people like in the 1.6 GDI.

 

[jdmartin]

I appreciate the input jdmartin, but I am gonna change the plugs. Its not even throwing a code, so they arent gonna find anything. My girlfriend is a bloodhound when it comes to engine tunes. She been around the car game for a long time.

Without going into a debate, im mainly looking for torques specs for the spark plugs, and which plug people like in the 1.6 GDI.

5.8-7.2 ft lbs. I'm just curious what makes you think the miss is the spark plug?

 

[GeoSoul]

Congrats bobbed on such good reliability & low maintenance on her 2015 stick. I've got the 2014.

I don't know the torque specs but wanted to ask if you guys have done the Techron additive from time to time?

Thanks & keep us posted on the plug change results.

 

[Bobbed06]

5.8-7.2 ft lbs. I'm just curious what makes you think the miss is the spark plug?

Its probably not, I believe she still has a slight bit of bad fuel in the tank. I prefer to stay ahead of maintainance rather than have to do it later. We are going into what feels like some big changes with our work and location. So doing this now will allow me to stay focused on the move and career changes later.

Honestly I think she is complaining about the 1-2 lag that everyone hates with the manual, and may do the mod for that. Im sure she will stop complaining if I do that mod....at least about that LOL....

 

[GeoSoul]

5.8-7.2 ft lbs. I'm just curious what makes you think the miss is the spark plug?

I was wondering about that too jd. Weird misfires, from what I've been reading, can also be a symptom of carbon buildup on the intake valves on a GDI engine.

 

[jdmartin]

Its probably not, I believe she still has a slight bit of bad fuel in the tank. I prefer to stay ahead of maintainance rather than have to do it later. We are going into what feels like some big changes with our work and location. So doing this now will allow me to stay focused on the move and career changes later.

Honestly I think she is complaining about the 1-2 lag that everyone hates with the manual, and may do the mod for that. Im sure she will stop complaining if I do that mod....at least about that LOL....

Well, the lag is a pain in the ass no doubt about it, and it's real. I've had manuals all my life and I still find this annoying 130k miles in. I keep thinking I'm going to pull the valve on the slave cylinder but I commute 100 miles in this thing every day so taking it down hasn't been a good option, and now I'm close to retirement so I think I'll keep putting up with it - I've done it 6 years so far, what's another couple?

First thing I would do is run the tank down low and refill with 93 and see what happens. I started noticing pinging/pre-det on mine - I'm sure from carbon buildup on the valves from the GDI - at around 60k miles or so on long uphills with dropping RPMs, say if I hadn't shifted 6-5 before falling to about 2500 RPM. It's a little more noticeable now after 130k miles - not enough still for me to switch to 89 or 93 or pull the intake for cleaning - but definitely there. I pulled one of my plugs around 100k and it barely looked fired. The manual has changeout at 105k I think but all of mine still fire fine. I'll probably change them over the holidays as I've got a couple of weeks off from work.

 

[Bobbed06]

We have always ran premium, and have great power and no pinging. It is a rare and intermittent misfire that mostly shows up to me when its really cold (25f-32f) on startups, which is almost always a sign a spark plug is a tad weak. We are on the 2nd tank of fuel since the bad fuel. I think she is being nit picky, cuz I drove it and it seems great to me. She also doesnt let it warm up nearly as much as I do. I give a car 5-10 minutes warmup time but she works in a complex and leaves at night and gets scared so she is probably starting it up and driving off. These things are tuned super lean from the factory, and being cold shows that off worse as well.

 

[Greg_E]

I can guess that these are Iridium plugs and should probably be replaced with the same. When you replace them every 50,000+ miles, the cost is not that bad.

I'd check to make sure the boots are installed properly too, might have a bad contact with the plug.

My 2.0 NA engine has an odd spot between dead cold and mildly cold (no bars on the gauge yet), there power just drops off at the point until it gets warm. I'm guessing it gets warm enough to be out of cold start enrichment, but it is transitioning to this map a little early. Mine is repeatable to every time I drive it cold. Might be a similar issue.

 

[Buzz]

I went another route and got E3 spark plugs just for the heck of it.

 

[Bobbed06]

I can guess that these are Iridium plugs and should probably be replaced with the same. When you replace them every 50,000+ miles, the cost is not that bad.

I'd check to make sure the boots are installed properly too, might have a bad contact with the plug.

My 2.0 NA engine has an odd spot between dead cold and mildly cold (no bars on the gauge yet), there power just drops off at the point until it gets warm. I'm guessing it gets warm enough to be out of cold start enrichment, but it is transitioning to this map a little early. Mine is repeatable to every time I drive it cold. Might be a similar issue.

Yep, I think the lean fueling combined with the manual trans lag on 1-2 shifts is what she is experiencing being as its really cold right now and we used to live in the much Hotter South. The plugs that are supposed to be in her 2015 base model is the NGK Iridiums, I am gonna replace them with the more readily available Autolite XP6203 as some Soul owners with the 1.6 GDI actually gave poor reviews on the NGK.

Just a side note, Over the 30+ years of motorcycling I have fouled very few spark plugs (maybe 3) , but I had an iridium plug stop working in the most odd way once. I was about an hour into a ride, I was rippin down an old rail bed about 3rd gear wide open and POP! Bike just shut off? Removed iridium plug, it looked fine and clean, replaced with an old NGK standard plug and off I went. Not that it really applies here directly, but you really cant look at a plug and see if its working properly or not. It either is or isnt.

 

[HAWKia]

To replace plugs...

Easy to replace. Our plugs have long threads, and the plug gap is: 0.044. Buy pre-gapped plugs for Kia Soul at any parts store.
Tip: Apply a drop of white lithium grease on the threads, and only on the threads so they don't seize.
Tip: When installing, turn plug backwards slowly, until you feel it drop into the threads, then turn to tighten so you the threads don't get mis-threaded.

I replaced 4 plugs last week but it was not needed. 70,000 Miles with no breaks, tires or tune-ups needed. Just 2 alignments and a throttle body cleaning.

It seems that the rear wheels are not adjustable!

 

[The Sradiator]

Bobbed Said :"Just a side note, Over the 30+ years of motorcycling I have fouled very few spark plugs (maybe 3)"

I guess you've never owned a 1974 CR125 or a 1974 RD350?

 

[jdmartin]

Bobbed Said :"Just a side note, Over the 30+ years of motorcycling I have fouled very few spark plugs (maybe 3)"

I guess you've never owned a 1974 CR125 or a 1974 RD350?

Or a Benelli! That was a bike you better keep a rag and a wrench with you because you're gonna need it

 

[The Sradiator]

Or a Benelli! That was a bike you better keep a rag and a wrench with you because you're gonna need it

That pretty much describes every Italian car/motorcycle ever made!