Buying a Cheap V10 Viper Truck at Auction turned into a $15,000 Mistake
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After fixing up this V10 Dodge Viper Truck, and getting it ready to sell, a spark plug blew apart during it's test drive. This truck started off as a cheap gamble, and now it's turned into the ultimate money pit.
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I would not ship him the plug back, unless you document the conversation and have his word that he will get back with you with a real reason why this happened. They will bury your issue, and never let you know what happens. And your fault you used a cheap plug as well. It is a Viper, not a neon.
That's a pretty cool shirt ,your wearing at the end of the video 😂 ,Go WINGS !!!
That spark plug happened to me on my 2002 Sequoia. It has coil on plug. It does NOT run. The spark ignites the fuel and then comes up out of the plug home and starts a fire almost immediately with the rubber boot attached from the coil. I immediately pulled over and saw the melted coil. Pulled the coil out and the ceramic inner came with it. 1 plug and 1 coil later, and she was all good again.
Good ain't Cheap and Cheap ain't Good. Perfect old southern saying..... Heard it all my life probably first from my Grand-dad, it's true with guns, boots and cars!
@@GenX...MCMLXV and tires 😂
There is a reason why even mopars started using NGK as OEM. 😂
Only thing I use Champion for is my lawn mower - and that's because that's just what the local hardware store sells.
@@Beer_Dad1975won't hold that against you since it's local business.
When I replaced the champion plugs for ngk on my motorbike,it became much more reliable and had a better response. I always put ngk plugs in all my cars and bikes..
Too bad i saw ngk doing the same in my neighbors chevy even broke the spark wire when blewup 😅😅😅
Plug got drop at somepoint before getting installed.
I don't even like putting Champion plugs in my lawnmower lol
I have used them exclusively for 40 years with zero problems.
@@mikek5298 40 years ago maybe. With modern engines having iridium plugs from the factory, I would stay clear.
LOL, I use them in my lawnmower and used to use them in my chainsaw and line trimmer before I went electric on those - never had any problems with them, but always go NGK for my cars.
😂
I'm with yall. Champion plug was fouling and missing. Replaced with NGK one range colder. Making .03 more horsepower, and cuts are now running 5 minutes shorter on average. For the record that's Ohio on a 76 degree day running 93. Summer temps generally require more alcohol and higher consumption. As always YMMV.
2 uploads in 2 days! Good job Samcrac
Sam is there something wrong? - 2 videos in a week - blink twice if something is wrong or blink once if everything OK
😉😉
@@Samcrac Is your Step-mom ok?
I was actually saying the same thing. I thought it was a short. 😅
Not that we are complaining but just know that you are appreciated for sharing and taking us along
He needs some additional KZhead revenue. Must've bought another Ferrari....
Retired BMW tech here. I have seen Bosch plugs where the center electrode comes loose causing misfires. The end result is a continuously variable plug gap. Sometimes difficult to find but usually visible when shaking the plug up and down by hand. You can see the gap close as the electrode falls down.
Thanks for the info!
I have had a Bosch plug internals become lose causing a bad misfire thankfully it stayed in one piece
Why does Bosch make so.much crap products despite the premium price? Typical German engineering.
yeah mechanics know never bosch plugs. they are crap. NGK or denso are personal favs.
@@WhiteG60 Wow, did not know spark plug prices could be that high.
Nothing you did wrong, Sam, other than putting Champion sparkplugs in that engine........NGK works best IMHO! Thanks for a cool video as always!
Thanks for watching!
i used to drive a tank truck for chemlawn in florida in the late 80s , it had the 9 liter engine if i remember right , gas engine v 8 and at least once a week it would blow a spark plug just like yours did . after it happened 5 times , always on I75 near tampa , they took the head off and found loads of carbon on that piston and it was causing EXTREME compression on that cylinder
I had a 16 F-250 with a 6.2 in it. They have 16 spark plugs. Three of the 8 lower plugs came apart just like yours. They were also champions.
I've never seen a sparkplug do that. I shared the video with my dad, who's been working on cars since the mid-50's, and he said thats the first time he remembers seeing it.
you never had a geek install the plug either. he ruined it on installation
hahah totally makes sense XD @@jonathannagela2130
@jonathannagela2130 if Sam was an idiot or a noob, I might agree with you. But considering how many plugs he's changed and the numerous reports of defective parts coming right out of the box, I'm more inclined to believe the spark plug was defective.
@@AeroGuy07 but on the other hand 999 times he’s careful maybe this 1000th he was careless hence the one all the way in the back… perhaps he used a tool that wasn’t fit for the job or combine this with a 45-90degree extension that put wrong kinda stress on it…
I have now seen them come apart a few ways on other channels. QC on many parts is horrible
Lesson learned Sam. Don't go too cheap. LOL
This truck will probably run for years problem free with all the repairs you have done to it. I did similar with a Toyota van that I was going to make into a camper. I had the engine out several times as i converted it to diesel, changing out the gear box and diff as well. Breaks, clutch, suspension and steering also got big overhauls. I spent all my spare time for a whole summer on it, late nights and weekends. Then reached the point I couldn't even stand to look at it, and I sold it without fitting it out as a camper as I had planned. The guy who bought it told me years later that he still had it, and it had always run great for him with no issues.
That’s why we watch you Sam . Because you show the real problems that can arise from these vehicles don’t hide the bad ,
Thank you for this video Sam. I have a '97 Viper GTS that had Champion plugs in it. A speciality Viper shop up North told me to use NGK plugs so that's what I ended up putting in it but glad I changed them out sooner than later!
By far the most educational and straight to the point auto channel on KZhead
Champion plugs used to be ok when I was a kid back in the 1960's, but not long after I got my first car in 1972 I put Champion plugs in and they were ok but within three months they were externally as rusty as hell. They looked as if they'd been stood in a bucket of water for two years! I was a roadside mechanic for 25 years and just about every set of Champion plugs I took out of customers cars were in the same rusty condition. I always put NGK plugs in my customers caress and used them myself with no issues whatsoever.
NGK for the win, Champion in the bin!!!!
I can honestly say that Priority Tire is legit
Whoever is watching this video, I hope this day will be a great day.
2 videos in 2 days... Holy crap 😮 Keep it up Samcrac!!!
I had exactly the same thing happen with champion plugs 42 years ago on an Australian GM performance car. Not just once but 6 times and it was several plugs at once. Used motorcraft plugs from then on.
I've never been to a tyre place where they didn't check for leaks once the tyres were on but then that just might be how things are in the UK
Thanks for being upfront about what make of a plug failed and how they treated you when you called them. Being upfront to your viewers is super nice to see and i don't take it for granted. You could have easily done a deal with them that would have included a clause about not disclosing publicly the make and model of plug that failed in order to protect their image. So thanks for not going that route. Huge win for it not doing any harm to the engine!
A very long time ago (late 70's) a mate of mine had this happen to him when riding his Velocette Venom. Not the end of the world, being an old English motorcycle rider he had the important spares in a tool roll, swapped out at the side of the road and on he went. Never seen it since until this!
Had the exact same thing happen with a '79 Mercury Bobcat station wagon. It was an inline 4 and when I punched it when the light went green, it made the exact same noise.This was back in my young and dumb years, so I don't recall the brand of plugs. It also made a lot less power then it's 100hp so it limped back to the apartment quite slowly, and loudly. After getting friend to give me a lift to and from the parts store, it was replaced quickly and I was back on the road for a couple more years.
Champion spark plug no never for me
im just super impresssed you made a 20 min video about this lol
This was great SAM two videos in just a few days!!!! Thank you i needed this. Hate not having any videos for a week or two
Champion is the OEM plug for that truck, and for any Viper in that generation, and they work great. Unfortunately, parts do fail sometimes. Sucks it happened to you, but it happens.
Champion plugs are the worst I’ve ever dealt with. Their quality control sucks, and the ones at the parts store are different than what the factory installs.
Love your videos keep going ❤
This plug issues has happened to me at least once...dont beat up yourself. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you so much for sharing all the things you lean along the way. You are a constant source of knowledge or me.
Saw a guy on FB showing a separated champion spark plug the other day and was thinking this is weird and now that i saw this I was like OMG it can't be lol
New videos back to back! Love the uploads Sam
I live in the UK and have had a lot of cars over the years… I’ve never had a tyre fitted that they haven’t checked for leaks… I can’t believe that’s the first time you’ve had this done… that seems crazy to me!!! Admittedly our wheels are normally more corroded than yours are due to the climate but still… that really surprises me!!!
Oh, a Samcrac video just before falling asleep :)
and that is supposed to be interesting?
The Ford plug problem wasn't that the threads weakened.. there were just fewer threads in the affected cylinders. It was an engineering failure with the block design.
I had a top-of-the-line champion plug BREAK very similar to how yours broke in less than 200 miles after install. It was torqued to spec at install. I only use NGK now.
I fixed on my son's 4.6 Ford but other failures with plugs. Great video!🎉
I haven’t seen someone leak test in water since the 80’s
Around here the used tire places do it.
Holy Spark Plugs! This is crazy! Never seen anything like that before. Glad you caught it early and it sounds like the new plugs fixed the problem. Those Bosch Platinums are usually pretty reliable I've had good luck with them in a few different vehicles 👍
Sam, I learn so much watching ur videos. Thnx
Ive been watching you for years man and youre one knowledgeable guy! Keep making these amazing videos.
I've had it happen on a Champion snowblower plug.
Champion is the fram of spark plugs.
What about Autolite?
I’ve used all brands of plugs and never any issues with any except auto lites. I even switched out some Bosch platinum plugs on an 04 ram 1500 with the 4.7 v8 that has 8 plugs and a coil on plug design with champion copper and it runs so much smoother and the throttle response has improved also get about 1mpg better fuel economy.
Hi Sam I used to work for Champion they always cover up these problem. They are owned by Federal Mogul who have many vehicle aftermarket names under their bet, including ANCO wiper blades; Bentley-Harris protection solutions; Champion spark plugs, wipers and filters, BERU glow plugs; AE, Fel-Pro, Goetze, Nural, Glyco and Payen engine products; MOOG steering ...
I've had a car wirh a missfire, turned out the plug failed excatly the same way but didnt pop out, was a champion plug too!
5:24 - is that your finger? What the hell happened?! Did a giant wasp stung you?
Looks like a burn injury
It's probably Mike's finger, and I'm pretty sure that's a skin graft 😬
I’m excited for 2 videos in 1 week. I like Sam’s videos because he entertains and has some good advice sometimes.
I'm a mechanic and I've seen it before. Interestingly enough it was a Champion. Was on a V8 Benz bought in on a truck. We wondered who puts Champion plugs in a Merc LOL?
Counterfeit plug ? at Amazon ?
Very possible. I don't buy any supposedly 'oem' parts off of Amazon and eBay anymore. After searching through hundreds of listings sometimes you can spot the fakes. The sticker/label may look suspicious
CHAMPION PLUGS DO THAT !..
☠️
NGK every time; Champion absolute sh*t.
@@kevinmoffattNGK has some other shitty failures lol. Had mine blow but thank god not fall into my engine, twice.
Awesome and outstanding content as always
We used to see the issue on some Nissans (GA/CG) with Champion plugs in the UK it was an issue with the sealing between the ceramic and the nut difficult to reproduce even at Champion in Europe - I worked for Nissan (NETC) at the time (mid 90's) it would take out the spark plug tube best solution is always NGK!
Any old doge truck worth nothing? LOL maybe do a little more research. A clapped out rust bucket ok, but price a cummins ram with 100k and say that.
Dodge is trash 😂 that's why Fords been America's best selling truck for over 47 consecutive years. My grandparents left me their dodge when they passed it didnt even have 40k miles needed 2 wheel bearings / alternator / I had fixed the ac in the truck 3x. I sold that extended cab 1500 pos not even a week later for 3k and the inside was immaculate
Thanks for all the Videos. Funny thing I just had a neutral switch problem on a 2002 Impala not a super car.
I use to see that leak test in tire shop all the time but now that you brought it up I haven’t really seen them any do them recently
I stopped using Champion plugs over 40 years ago after losing two engines myself and having several at our workshop suffer the same fate. Centre electrode fell out into the cylinder and destroyed them. Used NGK ever since 😊save the Champions for lawn mowing
Funny you mentioned that as I had an engine cylinder destroyed by an ngk plug! Chunks of the ceramic came off and that number 2 cylinder was decimated. Number 4 had a chunk missing but not as bad as the first one. I run champion in my cars that are non turbo and Bosch iridium’s in my turbos. Course the champions I’m running are the non resistor copper cores my old mercedes requires
@@12pagani i guess you never can tell. We used to see a lot Bosch plugs cracking the ceramic body in the 1980s. I fixed the problem and drive a diesel these days. Haha. Have a great day 😀
Wow, that's crazy.I've been using Champion plugs for over thirty years and have never had one fail like that,never had any issues at all,actually. Glad to see you get the Viper truck sorted , all things considered, it's still a nice truck.
My preferred spark plug is Champion. I have never had a failure with them. Bosch is the plug I had the most problems with and NGK gave the most interesting problems. On a Fiat Uno the made the engine sound like I dropped a nut on the piston and on a Mazda 2.2l Pick up they caused a rough running and no performance issue that caused the owner to have the head off twice to try and find the problem, but in both those cases it was the plug with the V in the electrode.
That's a new one on me, as well. The only thing I can think of is faulty manufacturing due to possible off-shore assembly. I have not used Champion for decades and, rather, have been consistently using NGK which, for the most part, is competitively priced and, touch wood, have never let me down, either in automotive or small engine applications.
Yes had a plug come apart just like that on my jaguar. Almost same exact as this. No engine damage just scary when it happened.
Glad everything worked out 👍👍👍👍👍
Glad youre making serious videos again.
Yes, I have had that happen to me, Ford ranger 4 cyl. The porcelain pop out of the threads just like that, was going up a big hill while pulling a decent load.
Denso and ngk make great quality plugs among the best in the mass produced game
luv your channel Sam..i learn so much.. i have 11 cars .. ive bought 1 new Bosche plugs that failed ..all others worked great just not in nissans
12:40 Derek at VGG has a good way of covering tyres when respraying wheels. It is much easier than the way you do it!!!
I've never heard of that. When I work at the Ford Dealer, there was plenty of 5 fours that. plugs came out of and you had to rethread it. I always use iridium. They're the best. They last longest.
My dad’s old 03 ram had this happen. Champion plugs. He was driving and thought he lost a cylinder. Brought it to a shop and they showed him this exact scenario said they’ve never seen that happen. So here’s two rams now that I’ve heard of doing this, different motors but same champion plugs. Wild!
I had an identical spark plug failure on a BMC Mini back in 1969. Guess what - it was a Champion plug. Very nice man at Champion said they had never seen anything like it before and sent me a new set of plugs. If it only happens once every 55 years I suppose we can't complain.
I had this same issue happen 3 times on a high compression high horsepower boat engine while I was living in Florida. Scared the hell outta me the 1st time. I started using E3 plugs from a suggestion from Don Garlets of all people. Not had an issue ever again. Ran a lot better too. Expensive plugs though.
Sam you should have put ngk spark plugs in. There’s a reason most people don’t use champion
We have had problems at our dealer with Bosch spark plugs. Seems to be 992 911 have misfires after plug changes. Porsche put out a TSB blaming use but there is literally nothing wrong with the plugs visually. I think they were dropped at some point but can’t prove it.
S197 Mustangs (2005-2009) had OEM plug issues where the factory plug would separate upon removal leaving the probe in the head without a way to get it out. There is a special extractor tool needed to remove it.
The original plugs for the 8.3L were copper Champions, replaced every 30,000 miles. The ones you bought were an upgrade platinum set. The correct Champion number plug was a 438, or RC12ECC (which should still should be listed on the emissions decal). That plug blowing out is a manufacturing failure, that wouldn't have been something you did. Sounds like Champion was willing to make things right. On the transmission issue, when replacing the Governor Pressure Solenoid, ALWAYS replace the Governor Pressure Transducer (Sensor) with it. It's right there, very easy to replace while doing the solenoid. In rare cases, the wiring going to the two Governor components inside the trans. can be bad, to replace that wiring you would have to replace the OD/TCC Solenoid pack, which the wiring is integral to.
Glad it was no big deal. I have had that happen before…with the same plug manufacturer. I are also had others separate from the threaded portion of the plug…had to use an easy out to extract it. Wonderful world we live in…new parts failing right out of the box. Not your fault…it’s 100% manufacturing related.
Have had this issue twice! With Bosch and Mercedes Oem (NGK) plugs. The OEM hadn't even done 1000km
Brother get that big girl sorted and you’ll be happier than any other truck with two less cylinders to play with
Back in the 80's i had a spark plug pop out the engine on a 1978 citroen cx 20 onthe M1 motorway at 75mph in the uk 🇬🇧 Scared the shit out of me and put a ' inside out ' dent in the bonnet. Pulled up on the hard shoulder, looked in the boot, and (as my dad was old skool) he had a service bag that incuded, fan belt, bulbs, HT lead, rota arm and a spark plug😮 So along with the tools required i popped in the missing plug and carried on home.
Thanks Sam, I learned something here, Trans flush. Like always another great content and video.
I had the same issue on a Jag XJ12 1994. I thought that the engine was shot. Good news that it was just a plug that separated as well. I guess it happens sometimrs! At least, I am not the only one now!😅 Cheers
NGK Crea9 in a hayabusa came apart on me just like this . its just a natural thing that happens since they produce so many .
HA! I know the feeling about the dodge money pit. 2 years ago my wife kept telling me to get a new truck. My 2007 Ram was at the disposable time. The prices of new vehicles were getting more than my first house price. I agreed to keep my 2007. Bad choice! I have done so much work to the truck. Even had to do the cam change. The only thing left is suspension. Good thing I am able to do the work myself. All in all, huge money pit. The viper truck is bad ass. Glad to see you got it going .
In the late 90's i did experience this, it is the only time i have ever seen it. We were in my buddies mercury topaz. We were just driving down the highway, and heard the same exact sound. We pulled over thinking the engine was done. popped the hood, and since it was fwd, we saw the ceramic part just dangling from the plug wire right away. The ceramic was still intact, so we popped it back in and tried to drive. It immediately blew back out so we pulled the injector plug and limped it back home some 15 miles on 3 cylinders. In some ways, old tech is better.
Sam u are on a different level
I had the threads on the spark plug in a o5 dakota motor that I was getting swapped to a ram come off in the block. The end that goes into the socket stayed on the porcelain. Luckily the motor was out and a squared extractor was able to get it out. Forget what brand the plugs was but they was stock.
Fords Triton problem was in teh 5.4 and 4.6 3V engines from early 2008 and prior. It wasn't an engine problem, it was a 2 piece sparkplug problem. Carbon build up on the end of the plug could cause the base of the plug to stay in place while the rest of the plug was turning during the removal process. This could lead to part of the plug falling into the head. Replacing the plug with a typical 1 piece plug resolved he issues and Ford starting doing that in late 2008. You could tell which plug was in the engine based on the color of the coil on plug.
GREAT VIDEOS LOVE EM ALL
When that happens it usually happens to the back or most difficult to reach plug and in my humble experience happens ftom putting a bit of lateral force on the plug when tightening. This cracks the plug very near the point where the ceramic meets the metal. Often it breaks right off, but not always. It is easiest to do with blind installs on tall plugs. The V10 in question is susceptible to exactly that.
ive had a champion plug do this same thing back in the 90s. i had just replaced the plugs in my bronco II, and not even 50 miles later one blew out the center electrode. that was the last time i used champion plugs.
I just got a big 450 crf R im hyped🎉
The Trabant 601 of my dad back in 1991 or 1992 had one of its spark plus blown out but because either the treads were non existent or the plug was a wrong size. It already was chimmed in its hole and my dad put it back just like it was. Worked for a year until the car was scrapped ^^
I actually had something similar happen to what sam was saying towards the end of the video. I had a spark plug come apart on my 2007 honda civic, it was a bad coil plug but had burned through the ceramics, separated the metal, and melted the end of the spark plug off.
I love the sponsorship shout out lol when I heard you about to tell us what you thought the best tire for this truck could be and you said Venom…. I laughed pretty good.
I did have A customer that had engine problems on a trip The garage the got towed to blamed it on a broken Champion spark plug(I did not put them in), I thought it was not likely they sent borescope pictures, I thought more likely a piston of rod bearing went, and caused the piston to hit the plug, so they replaced the engine, now I am thinking it could have been the plug, it would have needed some cylinder head work anyhow, so glad you posted this, lesson learned, Champion plugs stink, Autolites are good, I just had a hard time believing that any spark plug could drop into the engine and cause damage like that
My girlfriend's son had a Z24 Chevrolet Cavalier 3100 V-6 with Acc plugs did the EXACT same thing, and he drove the car 100 miles to have me check it out . I found the Plug Insulater hanging on the plug wire . Holf hour later New plug and he was back on the road!
I like that playing card set up !! Good hack.