If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

You can RANT and RAVE to your hearts content here instead of clogging up the Q&A Technical Forum!
Report any offensive posts to [email protected]
User avatar
Arya2.0S
Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:23 pm
Car(s): ford capri 2.0 s

If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Arya2.0S »

Bought these along with some new HT leads for my 2.0 pinto the other day. They state they are "compatible with all Pinto engines" on the auction, and the triple ground plug is a nice feature, however they do not fit a Pinto!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180740305765? ... EBIDX%3AIT

After putting these into my car they leaked compression like crazy, causing the motor to sound like an old steam engine. Everything was installed correctly and tested thoroughly, even put the old NGK plugs i had back in which solved the issue so its obvious these are not fit for purpose despite Accuspark's false advertising and claims they have not had any issue with them.

Just letting people know, as its yet another thing that could have been avoided if people just made sure to have accurate information or knew what they were actually selling.

Now I have to go through the whole returns process yet again. :banghead:
Paul G
Posts: 1857
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 5:21 pm
Car(s): MK 3 3.0S needing restoration, 2.0S, 1.6 Laser (nearly ready), Skoda Octavia VRS, VW Polo 1.4CL
Location: High Wycombe

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Paul G »

Have they sent you ones with the washer seating instead of the correct taper seat?

IMHO with all cars just stick to NGK or the ones the manufacturer recommends and just change them a bit more often if you so desire.
User avatar
Arya2.0S
Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:23 pm
Car(s): ford capri 2.0 s

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Arya2.0S »

Paul G wrote:Have they sent you ones with the washer seating instead of the correct taper seat?

IMHO with all cars just stick to NGK or the ones the manufacturer recommends and just change them a bit more often if you so desire.
They didnt come with washers, though the picture on the auction that they use has the washers. Was told by their representative that the picture is just a generic one they use.
Theres no taper seat on the ones they sent me, not much of one on the NGK ones either but there is a very minor difference and that seems to be the key.
Paul G
Posts: 1857
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 5:21 pm
Car(s): MK 3 3.0S needing restoration, 2.0S, 1.6 Laser (nearly ready), Skoda Octavia VRS, VW Polo 1.4CL
Location: High Wycombe

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Paul G »

Arya2.0S wrote:
Paul G wrote:Have they sent you ones with the washer seating instead of the correct taper seat?

IMHO with all cars just stick to NGK or the ones the manufacturer recommends and just change them a bit more often if you so desire.
They didnt come with washers, though the picture on the auction that they use has the washers. Was told by their representative that the picture is just a generic one they use.
Theres no taper seat on the ones they sent me, not much of one on the NGK ones either but there is a very minor difference and that seems to be the key.
I know exactly where you're coming from about the ball ache it is buying something on ebay or generally online then it being wrong and having to be sent back.

A couple of months ago I needed a rear caliper for my Octavia VRS, saw a secondhand left hand rear one that I needed on the bay so I bought it. The picture was of a left hand one and I put in the comments box 'to fit nearside rear 07 Octavia VRS estate' I thinks that's plain enough English and when the caliper duly arrived it was an offside one despite the picture being a nearside. I phoned the seller, a breakers yard in Wales, and they swore black was blue that it was correct so I photo'd the correct one and sent that back. After another two calls they agreed to refund me if I sent it back.

Anyway then had to follow ebay's returns procedure. Print off the address label with the postage paid. Right, I don't have any ink in the printer and no sticky labels that size. Went down to Staples, got ink and went to get some labels. They wanted £20 a box for A4 labels. Said fuck that and printed label on standard sheet of A4, put in a plastic document wallet, duct taped to box as I didn't have any packing tape.

Then had to drive over a mile to nearest post office where there was a queue like a bloody January sale. Must have been benefits day as it mainly consisted of old ladies who stunk of piss and scruffs who stunk of beer and BO. Lovely. Waited nearly half an hour to get served then drove the mile back home. A large strong coffee was needed.

I must have wasted nearly a day sodding about with this £40 caliper. In the end I took both rear calipers apart, cleaned the pistons up with scotchbrite, reassembled with a bit of rubber grease to stop them sticking again and 2000 miles later they are still perfect. That took half the time of returning a poxy caliper via ebay!

So Arya - you're not alone!
User avatar
Arya2.0S
Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:23 pm
Car(s): ford capri 2.0 s

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Arya2.0S »

Thats bloody insane!

Whats worse is 99% of screw ups like this can be totally avoided if people took the time to use their brains for half a second and made sure their own bloody inventory was accurate to the market they are trying to sell to!

I mean i dont run a business but it cant be that hard can it? To actually KNOW what you are selling to people?

Urgh. So now im back to crappy old spark plugs which make the engine run like ass until i can get my money refunded and buy the thing i actually need.

Shame too because apart from the compression leak, these triple ground plugs made the car run amazingly well.
User avatar
Andrew 2.8i
Donator
Donator
Posts: 14723
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:38 pm
Car(s): '83 2.8 Injection (sunny days only)
'04 Toyota MR2 (owned from new)
Location: Ceredigion
Contact:

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi,
Are you supposed to check the electrode gaps with these plugs? It looks like a right pain to do with these, and the job is going to take three times as long!

Andrew.
Image
renaulthater
Posts: 286
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2008 3:15 pm
Car(s): Laser laquer red 1600
Location: nr Leeds

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by renaulthater »

Bosch Platinum plugs are what I use, hard to find now but have a spare set if youre stuck.
work well with H & H ignition
User avatar
Arya2.0S
Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:23 pm
Car(s): ford capri 2.0 s

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Arya2.0S »

renaulthater wrote:Bosch Platinum plugs are what I use, hard to find now but have a spare set if youre stuck.
work well with H & H ignition
I'm not stuck, but i was hoping to have a fresh set of plugs fitted before i went away on Thursday. Going on a 2 and a half hour drive to Southampton to see friends.
My old ones should do the job fine for now, its just annoying you know? You buy something thats advertised to be the right thing and then it turns out its not its infuriating.

Thanks anyway, i'll likely just get it sorted when i come back.
User avatar
Arya2.0S
Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:23 pm
Car(s): ford capri 2.0 s

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Arya2.0S »

Andrew 2.8i wrote:Hi,
Are you supposed to check the electrode gaps with these plugs? It looks like a right pain to do with these, and the job is going to take three times as long!

Andrew.
I haven't a clue, nobody mentioned it. Dont think ive ever done that to a spark plug in my life lol.
User avatar
Andrew 2.8i
Donator
Donator
Posts: 14723
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:38 pm
Car(s): '83 2.8 Injection (sunny days only)
'04 Toyota MR2 (owned from new)
Location: Ceredigion
Contact:

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Arya2.0S wrote:Dont think ive ever done that to a spark plug in my life lol.
You've never checked the gaps? Really?

Andrew.
Image
Caprigear
Donator
Donator
Posts: 2512
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:14 pm

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Caprigear »

I see it all the time, reversing light switches advertised for 3 litre that aren't, other sellers stating that 1600/2 litre discs are the same as 3 litre.
2.8i fuel filters that are twice the size that they should be. There's many more
A lot of parts books have been wrong for so many years.
If you don't really know what you're buying then it's easy to fall into these traps - Yes, people should know what they're selling but many don't. I don't know why I suppose you can't be a specialist on every part.
Currently, a lot of starter motors are being sold that are for autos but listed as being for manual cars.
I'm not saying that E Bay is a poor market place, there are really good sellers but you need to be aware of what will and won't fit.
Image
tejb1
Posts: 318
Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2015 1:12 pm
Car(s): -V Capri 1.6L (under restoration)
W- Mondeo 2.0 Ghia Estate
03 Focus 1.6

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by tejb1 »

I try to avoid ebay where alternatives exist - ok I may be able to get a cheaper price on the part but the advantage of getting it from the motor factor is a) you can examine the part and compare to the old one, even fit it in the car park, b) if it is the wrong one, a refund can be got easily and without hassle, c) you are dealing with a knowledgeable shop owner who knows his stuff. Any slight increase in price is made up for the benefits above.

We seem to have this notion of wanting everything as cheap as possible, understandably so, but sometimes it's a false economy.

I realise others may have differing opinions, and also I realise that I have a relatively local motor factors who are very good and the owner knows 1980s Fords inside out - if all you have nearby is a halfords or ecp, I can understand why it's more tempting to buy online.
User avatar
Arya2.0S
Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:23 pm
Car(s): ford capri 2.0 s

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Arya2.0S »

Andrew 2.8i wrote:
Arya2.0S wrote:Dont think ive ever done that to a spark plug in my life lol.
You've never checked the gaps? Really?

Andrew.
Yeah, I wouldn't even know how to. There doesn't seem to be a way to adjust them when I looked at my plugs during this process, i.e. nothing that screws up or down for adjustment. Funny thing is, i know how to adjust points but didn't even know you could adjust plugs until now. I had to learn how to do points when I owned a 1972 Beetle you see...Was adjusting the bloody points on that thing every few weeks...... I don't miss that car lol.
andyd
Posts: 8267
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:43 am
Car(s): 1981 XR3
Location: Devon

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by andyd »

My Mate works for a local Motor Factors, so I try and get anything I need from him at trade price, sometimes cheaper with his staff discount :D

Never had a problem with Ebay, but I know it's a pain in the ass when you have to return things to anyone.....
User avatar
nigecapri
Posts: 5795
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:31 am
Car(s): Black 2.0S with supercharged bike carbs.
Location: http://www.blacklabradorpuppies.co.uk/
Contact:

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by nigecapri »

Arya2.0S wrote: There doesn't seem to be a way to adjust them
Stick your thumbnail in the gap between the electrodes, if it's a slack fit then gently bend the top electrode down a bit until it's a tight fit. If you have girly thumbnails then use a feeler gauge. Are we allowed to say feeler...
User avatar
Fordoholic Nick
Donator
Donator
Posts: 6196
Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2014 3:40 pm
Car(s): Ford Capri 2.0 Laser,
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi
Location: Enfield, London

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

nigecapri wrote:
Arya2.0S wrote: There doesn't seem to be a way to adjust them
Stick your thumbnail in the gap between the electrodes, if it's a slack fit then gently bend the top electrode down a bit until it's a tight fit. If you have girly thumbnails then use a feeler gauge. Are we allowed to say feeler...
Yep I always check the gap on new plugs before fitting them after being advised by John even though they are 'supposed' to be pre-set dont always take this as gospel. Sure enough the last set I fitted I checked with a feeler and they were all a tad slack so I just gently tapped the top electrode with any metal tool too hand to slightly close the gap.

I only use NGK plugs :)

All the best

Nick
I was born a Fordoholic, They'll bury me a Fordoholic...
User avatar
pbar
Posts: 7420
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:29 pm
Car(s): Capri 2.0 Laser, frequent driver.
Location: North-West

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by pbar »

I usually push/pull with a small screwdriver. You can get a spark plug tool though can't you, does anyone actually use one of those?
User avatar
Andrew 2.8i
Donator
Donator
Posts: 14723
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:38 pm
Car(s): '83 2.8 Injection (sunny days only)
'04 Toyota MR2 (owned from new)
Location: Ceredigion
Contact:

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Fordoholic Nick wrote:Yep I always check the gap on new plugs before fitting them after being advised by John even though they are 'supposed' to be pre-set dont always take this as gospel.
Exactly!
I find it's very rare that pre-set plugs are set exactly to the correct gap. I thought that I was just unlucky.........

Andrew.
Image
User avatar
Arya2.0S
Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:23 pm
Car(s): ford capri 2.0 s

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by Arya2.0S »

I'll try to remember to do this next time. Didn't know it was a simple case of bending them, thats kinda funny actually.
User avatar
D366Y
Donator
Donator
Posts: 2568
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:26 pm
Car(s): 1986 Laser 1.6, daily runaround project
1981 GL Auto 2.0, Barn-Find-Resto, now also a runaround project
1980 3.0S, crash damage resto
1993 Fiesta 1.1

Currently full up and no more space but I still want a 2.8...
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: If you are thinking of buying Accuspark triple ground plugs....DONT!

Post by D366Y »

pbar wrote:I usually push/pull with a small screwdriver. You can get a spark plug tool though can't you, does anyone actually use one of those?
I usually just push it against any hard surface... bricks, radiator covers, the window sill... :lol:
A wise man once said... "you can never have too many capris - buy another" :beer:
It's me, I'm the wise man.
Post Reply