NGK BP6ES

[2002#3]

Yep, looks like NAPA has them. My local NAPA said they had plenty available; however, they are seeing a run on them.  My bribe of 3 rolls of Charmin facilitated the purchase.  

[PaulTWinterton]

 

 

On 4/13/2020 at 5:34 PM, tech71 said:

just went out and pulled a plug out of  Survivor.. Oh God No! its the dreaded NGK BPR6ES!

Whats going to happen? 

Is the coil going to burst? Plug wires melt? Will I lose a percentage of a percent of power?? Nooooo!?

 

Those questions came up years ago when the "R" plugs were first offered.  AFAIK there is no difference in performance, except for racing (thx  @TobyB )

 

Please tell me I'm wrong and tell me I'll get another 10hp out of my engine if I switch back, because I've been using "R" plugs for ages.

 

My external coil resistor does get pretty darn hot.  Is that because of the extra resistance in the plugs?

 

 

 

 

 

[NickVyse]

what exactly is the issue with using them (for racing or otherwise). Excuse my ignorance, good mechanically, fairly shit with electrics.

[JohnS]

If you're using the stock spark plug "resistor" boots on your wires, maybe the additional resistor in the plug isn't needed?  I always wondered why the stock spark plug boots contained a resistor?  Slightly weaker spark? To increase plug life?  I'm shit with electrics too. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by JohnS

[jp5Touring]

Found a dozen at one of the local NAPA stores, whew crisis averted.?

['76mintgrün'02]

This discussion is finally getting interesting!  Enough so, that it should almost bleed off into a fresh thread about the resistance built into the ignition system, as opposed to putting the information in a non-resistor plug-availability thread.

 

I've been trying to figure some of this out too and stuck my nose into section 11 of the BMW Service Manual, looking for answers.  

 

OscillOscOpe  +  Blue Book section 11 =  answers.

 

One thing I read recently on a VW site said that the resistance built into a rotor will affect the amount of time the coil takes to discharge and that translates into spark duration.  I put a stock 5Kohm resistor back in and removed the 1Kohm one I'd installed.

 

We think of less-resistance as "hotter", but time is a variable in the resistance equation.  Meaning, more resistance slows things down.  

 

That brings up questions about where to place the resistance in the electrical plumbing equation and  more questions about how that affects things.

 

There is a discussion (short) that I found in a Mercedes forum where a guy is talking total resistance in the system and trying to get a handle on it. 

https://www.benzworld.org/threads/spark-plug-wire-rotor-coil-resistance-d-jet.1610778/

 

We are discussing resistance at the end of that system, with the plug type chosen.  Using a lower resistance rotor with a higher resistance plug might make sense... or not, depending on what the side effects might be.

 

Those oscilloscope illustrations/instructions in the manual are fun to look at.  Makes me want another new old tool to play with!

 

Tom

[JohnS]

Hi, my name is John (JohnS on the BMW 2002 FAQ) and I'm a Spark Plug Hoarder... ☺️

 

[JohnS]

Bosch W8DC was the standard plug I used when I first bought my car and while they were still made in Germany.  When Bosch production moved to Brazil the quality seemed to fade.  I found a stash of old German-made W8DCs on Australian e-bay years ago.  In Victoria, Australia. I guess the old Holden and Ford Cortina used the same plugs.  Still the NGK BP5ES is my 1st choice.  

Edited May 1, 2020 by JohnS

[JohnS]

Maybe the resistor is all about radio noise suppression.  Radio Noise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dBt3mJtgJc

 

 

[Hans]

3 hours ago, JohnS said:

Hi, my name is John (JohnS on the BMW 2002 FAQ) and I'm a Spark Plug Hoarder... ☺️

 

That's like having a wine cellar full of vintage bottles.... that's about one million miles worth of plug changes. I'd keep those locked away. I means, how big can Watsonville be?

[elfhearse]

Quote

Maybe the resistor is all about radio noise suppression.  Radio Noise

I was stationed at a USAF intelligence site in southern Italy in 1976-77 and our cars had a yearly "RFI" check.   One of the "suggestions" was to run resistor type sparks plug to cut down on the "static" produced while driving on base.   Sadly all I could afford at the time was a '69 Fiat 850 Coupe....new 2002's were too much for an A1C salary.

Edited May 2, 2020 by elfhearse

['76mintgrün'02]

11 hours ago, JohnS said:

Maybe the resistor is all about radio noise suppression. 

 

I think that this distributor cap cover was designed to help with that as well.

 

 

[Conserv]

12 hours ago, JohnS said:

Maybe the resistor is all about radio noise suppression.  Radio Noise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dBt3mJtgJc

 

 

+1

 

That was always my understanding, John. And, thus, resistor plugs were simply considered un-necessary on ‘02’s.

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

[Conserv]

I feel like Rip Van Winkle.

 

The NGK BP6ES became the “go to” spark plug during my 28-year ‘02 sabbatical, which stretched from the time the ‘76 was removed from daily driver status to its resurrection (1983-2011). I missed a lot during those years, having no ‘02 community. So other than ready availability, I have no clue why, by 2011, an NGK plug had replaced the factory-recommended Bosch, Beru, and Champion plugs.
 

Is the NGK BP6ES (a.) recognizably superior to the Bosch’s, Beru’s, and Champion’s, or simply (b.) more “available” than the Bosch’s, Beru’s, and Champion’s? And, are forum members aware that NOS examples of all the old plugs are readily available on eBay?

 

Like John (@JohnS), I have a stash of NOS plugs. These are Bosch W145T30’s, Bosch W175T30’s, Champion N9Y’s, and Champion N10Y’s, most acquired in the last ten years. But, based on their packaging, clearly “of the ‘02 period”. These are not hard to find: there are always examples on eBay.

 

Does anyone believe that a 40-year-old NOS spark plug is likely compromised by years of inactivity? I ask that question not rhetorically, but with a genuine desire to know.
 

And, frankly, when I hear of the discontinuance of the NGK BP6ES, I don’t panic, because I’m confident you’ll still be able to buy them 40 years from now. I might not, but you will! ?

 

So, back to my first question: is an NGK BP6ES superior to an old-fashioned Champion N9Y?

 

Below, the spark plug pages from my factory parts binder.

 

Thanks and best regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Conserv

[Oldtimerfahrer]

Well,  I wouldn't panic, the iridium plugs cost a fortune but are available and how often do you change plugs? I also went to NGK due to freak inconsistencies in others...just didn't happen with ngk for some reason. We are creatures of habit...fool me once shame on you ....

But I went to NGK before I had a 2002, IT'S not a BMW thing...

Andrew