Autolite vs Champion plugs

I know the majority of people here prefer autolite plugs over champions - just curious as to what you see with them that makes them better. I've got Champion plugs in all 7 of my tractors and I can't say I've seen issues. I'm using D21's and they are not in freshly rebuilt engines and they are engines that are not using oil either.

Yep,

They work just fine for me also.......in tractors.

Allan

Some people just think they are no good. Been this way for years. First I heard was a mechanic tuning up my 84 Chevy pickup over 20 years ago, could not get it to run right, blamed Champion plugs. I have had them in several vehicles with no problems, tractors also. The place I take my vehicles to now uses Champions. Some on this forum will rather impolitely say they are worthless. Old rumors die hard.

My 2 cents, not trying to bash either one. But I have had better luck in My old magneto powered F-Series with Autolites, for light use, tractor rides etc. Champions tend to foul easier, have had no issues with that since 3077 Autolites put in. However those are too hot a plug for plowing, and I put the Champions back in and pulled the crap out of an F-20 all day plowing and never had an issue.I think light use with rich running old tractors the Autolites are superior.

since 90% of what i own is pre 39 ive found that champions in them are simply JUNK! havent have a single one worht a crap yet. i run autolites. although, i have a fouled one in the past too

Well, I like them both. In my low compression old F series, especially regulars and 10-20s, I use autolites. The reason why is that CHampion does not glaze the insulator anymore and the porous ceramic is all too willing to absorb the fuel and foul out the plug. Autolites don't do that. But in high compression engines, the champions run much better.

Well, now you have done it. We just got all the worms back in the last can! Seriously, I don't know what issues people have had. I have used both, and both have worked just find for me. Gotta pick the right heat range for what you are working the tractor at. I always keep plugs in inventory, and watch for sales. If autolite is on sale, that is what I buy. If Champion is on sale, that is what I buy. I buy most of my plugs on eBay now, as they are cheaper than my autoparts store can get them, and that includes the shipping.

I would venture a guess, that Champion had a quality control issue at one point in time (wow, sounds familiar, doesn't it......look what happened to IHC).

I do know that I have pulled more Champion plugs out of old tractors I got, that I have Autolite. Not sure that means anything................

they both work, I've seent he champs foul out faster though.. this new gas don't help any either.

I have a few champs and a bunch of al's I keep in rotation.. i use a abrasive plug cleaner. havn't bought a plug in years now..

soundguy

Heat range, size of center electrode, material of center electrode, projected tip or not. That is what determines how well the plug performs, not the brand. I have had a lot of good friends over the year tell me champions were no good, I just say, well maybe, but that is what we use, what IH used. Good enough for them, good enough for me. If a particular brand does not offer the type of plug you want then use a different brand. Now, should we discuss the difference between a 8-com that come in most all IH engines for many years, and a D-16 that all the part stores said IH recommended. I have a letter from champion spark plug co. that says they are (slightly different) but either should work in their recommended work range. IH still said, use 8-com until they went to the projected tip like D-15Y etc.

On average,over the years,Autolite was a better made plug.

I used to work at a GOOD auto parts store,LONG ago.I can tell you this:The plugs you buy in a "bubble pack" are not nearly as good as the ones you get in a box.(I dont care who made them!)The ons you buy at the actuall parts place were"tripple tested" at one time.

Like everything else,as time goes on,the quality gets less,and less.

I say use what works best for you. On light use tractors I got tired of buying D21 champion plugs years ago that would start missing on one cylinder in a short use time. Put autolite in the same tractors with very little problem.
Bought a SH tractor a couple months ago that just had D18Y champions installed. Long time since I had used champions so thought give them a try. Week two it was missing so autolites went in.
Forgot I have champion in gas start diesel doing okay but they are old stock. also have AC plugs in one tractor that have lasted longer than the chapion for me. As they say your results may differ.

I was raised on Champion plugs, Dad sold them for years. In my Super C they lasted two weeks and two of them went dead, Autolites have been in it for 8 years.

BTW:

My Super M has "C" series AC plugs in it right now.I just recently installed them.I should pull them out and look at the electrodes.

I have noticed fuel deposits on all of the previous ones.

I bet they need cleaned and re installed right now?

champion plugs tend to not rust as fast as autolite and are easier to remove after they have been installed for a bit. me thinks

yep, i sure agree with that. had a w-400 with 2 champions in it and 2 autolite. one autolite broke off and the other was real tight. champions came out easy. had to use an easy out to get the broken autolite out with a long swing handle, squeeking all the way out. boy if i had to pull the head just because of a useless autolite plug that would have taken the cake. that sure showed me the champion was a better built plug hands down!

Ive noticed that alot of "northern" folks use Champions, and the "Southern" folks use Autolites. I know for a fact, in anything I have ever owned, Champions just do not last, but if I bought new, that Champions, the plugs last, until they need changing. For instance, my 93 Dakota. Plugs had close to 60000 miles on them, when the truck was totaled. It had Champions in it from the factory, IIRC. I recently put them in my Dads old 88 Ford, wont go into the details but I had to sell it. After only a couple of hundred miles, it had developed a miss. The guy who bought it from me told me the problem was 2 of the plugs were fouling. I have really begun to wonder if Champion has a probelm with their packaging and shipping procedure!!

add a drip of neverseize to the threads and they all come out easy.

soundguy

no neverseize n yer shop eh?

it's made to prevent what you just described.

and works.

soundguy

(quoted from post at 20:26:58 11/15/11) Some people just think they are no good. Been this way for years.

Click to expand...

My bad experience with Champions goes back probably 40 years so may no longer be relevant, just left a sour taste so don't use them if I don't have to. Don't even remember what vehicles I had at the timem, but had to replace Champions about every 3000 to 3500 miles, switched to Autolite and could easily go 10K.
I never had a real problem with them in a tractor, but they seem to be all I could ever find for my S-55 Oliver and 240U. I don't work the 240U very hard, but I did the S-55... had a 10' M-F field cultivator and a 6' Ford flail mower that worked it pretty good.

i bought the tractor that way on an estate sale. them old farmers hardly changed plugs not yet knowing to lube treads! i know what its for!

when i get one like that and as I turn it out, if it is squeaking, I stop and spray penetrant oil all around the base of the plug thread.. then actually screw it back in, and repeat.. each time it usually gets looser as the penetrant wicks in.

have saved time NOT breaking plugs that way

have seen plenty of peple pull threads out of heads or break plug bases off in heads by cranking a squeaker out.. sometimes it's carbon.. sometimes rust. neither is good on a hard pull though.

just my opinion anyway.

soundguy

ohh yes did all that, not my first rodeo. just giving a comparison of the 2 plug types. another thing is that the champion is thicker at the threads than the autolites, thats another reason it broke off.nothing wrong with champs as in my experience i have found more faulty autolites that dont even fire not not counting missing. so when someone says champs are junk i wonder where the info gets started from.my preference is champs just due to my own experiences. sure autolites run just as good also. i am sure if champs were that bad they would be all recalled.

i notice champs foul a bit esier, but as for bad plugs, I've actually only ever had 3 'bad' plugs.

had a champion , that right out of the box would not fire. was shorted internally.

had an ac delco not fire.

had a ngk not fire due to a cracked insulator that i could actually see.

as for the fouling out easier.. not a big issue to me.. I recycle ALL my plugs reguadless of brand nowadays in my plug cleaner. I have plugs easilly in service that are over a decade old.. whenever a set fouls or need cleaned / gapped, I just trade it out for a new set and clean those when the box gets full enough.

don't recall having a real plug failure in a few years now... last fouling was about 3ys ago.. so now I just swap clean plugs in yearly and keep the cycle going.. no issues that way.. not on champs, al's or delco's or ngk.. which are about all that I have in the system right now. In fact.. have more champs than anything kind of accidentally.

when TSC dropped the champ line a few years ago, in favor of AL, they clearanced all their champ plugs, and then tossed them nice metal dispensors. Out of 4 stores within driving distance, i managed to make it to 1 single store that had not already "TRASHED" the nice metal champion flip to, drop down dispensor. it had about 18 assorted plugs still in it, and the manager said h'ed toss it when all the plugs were sold. i asked if i could have the display if I bought all the plugs, he nodded.. so for about 9.54$ i got the nice display and a very good assortment of plugs. still using off those..

at 50 cents each.. I'm glad to have them.. no matter who's name is on them.

soundguy

thats for sure. a plug will last as long as the electrode lasts. just clean them , file the electrode flat and regap and good as new.you dont have to buy plugs just because their dirty.i have a champion plug cleaner and tester also.

A fouled plug is usually caused by a low compression cylinder or the wrong heat range plug. If a D-15 was recommended that's not to say a D-21 might work better. I don't think the QC at Champion is as good as Autolite. I do know that the discount auto stores do buy plugs less than first line. If those Champions are less expensive at ABC Discount Auto Parts than they are from say NAPA there's a good reason.

When I did a tune up with my A a while back, I replaced old Autolite plugs with Champions and it ran a whole lot worse. Swapped the new Champions out and reinstalled the old Autolites and the A ran fine again.