Sparkplugs - .040 or .044 gap

habitTrail · **Joined:** Sat Jul 16, 2005 11:56 am **Posts:** 46

All the paperwork I see says that the sparkplug gap should be .044

However, the sticker under the hood of my '03 Liberty Sport says .040

So which is it?

TIA

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

I've seen the same thing. I just set it to .042 Right in the middle. Really not all that much of a difference.

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Tue Apr 11, 2006 12:24 pm

I set mine at .040 but i am wondering if they shouldnt be at .044, cause i am not getting very good gas mileage. Would this be enough to make a difference in MPG?

-Nick

Albert · **Posted:** Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:12 pm

Mine says .040 under the hood also. (05 Limited)......No reference to it in the owners manual. Guess you would need look in the shop manual or call the dealer??

As far as gas mileage goes I don't think the difference between .040 and .044 (this is thousanths of an inch) could make too much difference. Now if you shave 1,500lbs off the frame and took out the front diff and axles, t-case and skids and dropped the whole thing down lower and more aerodynamic and ripped off the jeep emblem - so it would get stuck in a puddle of water it could be a crv and get 26mpg.........naaa - - I think I'll keep my Jeep.

Al

Neal · **Posted:** Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:24 pm

hood says .040 and haynes manual says .042 and ngk says .044
not that big a deal, keep in mind gaps gets wider as plugs wear.

jeepkj02 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:30 pm

habitTrail wrote:

All the paperwork I see says that the sparkplug gap should be .044

However, the sticker under the hood of my '03 Liberty Sport says .040

So which is it?

TIA

I noticed that too, but didnt think too much of it. Just went to autozone and they gave me some spark plugs. I didnt even gap them. I noticed some MPG improvement.
If you plan on replacing the spark plugs, you'll need some long extensions because the plug by the overflow coolant box is tight. I recomend removing it, but give the engine time to cool down.

chefdab · **Posted:** Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:44 pm

I've been thinking of replacing my plugs soon as I am approaching 30000 miles. When I asked the guy at the desk at Advance Auto parts to look up what came from the factory, he said the listing was for NGK platinum and were supposed to good for 100k miles. But I'm not sure I trust that because when I asked them to look up the transmission filter, their system showed that all Libertys regardless of the year built had the 45rfe tranny, not the 42rle like I have on my 03. So how long are the stock plugs supposed to last? And should I really go platinum or iridum instead of regular plugs? How much better would they be?

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:56 pm

I got autolite platinums because they were out of the NGK's but they said they were similar in quality and i have always had good luck with autolite plugs...

-Nick

Myke · **Posted:** Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:27 pm

Bosch +4 in mine, with these you don't need to worry about the gap. Never need to set them or adjust them.

Mango~Ridge · **Posted:** Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:17 pm

I just replaced mine at about 18,500. I put NGK iridium in & could feel the difference right off. Pretty good performance jump for plugs imo. My old plugs looked great btw. I checked the gap out of the box it was .044 (tight) so I left it be. The flyer in the NGK box said to put the plugs in a cool engine and to torque them to I think 40 lbs. I got the torque close by hand, didn't have a torque wrench handy. Got a 1/2" but didn't have the socket.

chefdab · **Posted:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:31 pm

So how long should they last? Can't see spending money on them if I don't have too.

Mango~Ridge · **Posted:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:42 pm

I got them at autozone, the dude behind the counter, who was about 40ish, said NGK offers the Titainum which was $7.45 +- and the Iridium's which are $6.39 +-. He said the Titanium plugs last a little longer but he Iridium plugs offer a little more on the performance end. I'm real happy with jump in performance. I'll let you know how long they last.

Sparkplugs - .040 or .044 gap

Who is online