Triumph Repair: General automotive-spark plugs, spark plug leads, spitfire 1500

Question
Jim

I have a 1978 spitfire 1500.  I recently chagned the spark plugs and set the gap to .25 like the manual said to.  However, now when I drive the car, it hesitates and jerks constantly.  I have very little automotive knowledge, so I was wondering if yo could give me some guidance to head me in the right direction to get teh car running smoothly again.

Answer
Brian,

I hope you set the plug to .025", not .25"

What new plugs did you install?  Were they the exact same manufacturer and part # as the old plugs?

And do you know if the car is still in stock trim or has it been "tweaked" by a previous owner?

And what condition were the old plugs in?   How long did the car sit between running with the old plugs and the new ones?

And have you checked to see if the spark plug leads are set correctly and all 4 cylinders are firing?

What's also possible is that the previous owner had set up the car for better performance and it now needs plugs designed for a different heat range.

Cheers,

Jim

Cheers,

Jim