Do spark plugs age?

Even the sharpest of all tools wears out eventually. Same is applicable to our beloved spark plugs. Getting premium spark plugs to have a wide array of benefits such as better fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and improved overall longevity of the engine. But all things age with time, and so do the spark plugs. But unlike some of our devices, ageing spark plugs might not be very evident for a layman. As spark plugs go through thousands and thousands of miles along with your vehicle, their internal components tend to wear out and even though they can withstand extreme temperatures, their durability goes down with time. A spark plug can not and will not last forever, because of a few reasons which we are about to discuss. As the spark plugs and its components interact with a variety of substances such as air, fuel, a mixture of fluids etc. a build-up starts to develop on them. This build can lead to a number of various scenarios where the spark plugs might get delayed in its working, cause erratic behaviour and jerky performance while operating the vehicle. In addition to this, the jump gap can also expand making it more difficult for the spark plug to function as expected. Another thing to keep in mind regarding this build-up is that it tells you a great deal about the problem or the underlying cause of it. Various kinds of build-ups, the texture of the build-up and the colour of the build-up are distinct for each root cause. For instance, the colouring of the build-up on the spark plug is different when there is an oil leak and different when there is a gap or the spark plug is not a proper fit and so on. Furthermore, every spark plug is rated for a certain number of kilometres that it can work through and might fail beyond that. As these spark plugs age, they start to fail in performing their intended function and might even prevent the engine from starting altogether. So the best way to overcome this problem is to replace your ageing spark plug before it damages the rest of the machinery in any way.