E3 Spark Plugs News

Let me gues... E3 Spark Plugs lists the top 10 reasons your car breaks down.

So you’re on the side the road again, hoping your cell phone battery will hold out long enough for you to get through a phone call with the tow trucker, dad, significant other, best friend, neighbor, guy you met in the bar last night, or whomever else you can think of who might be willing to give you a lift home. E3 Spark Plugs probably knows why you’re there. Here are our top ten reasons for auto breakdowns:

1. You’ve got a bum battery. Small trips can be a big drain on a battery. Make sure your car gets an extended run every few weeks. It’s a great excuse for a fun day trip.
2. You lost your keys. Again. Make several copies of your car keys. Keep one in your purse or wallet, another at your home and one or two with a trusted family member, friend or neighbor.
3. Your tire went flat. Check your tires weekly to make sure the tread remains deep and your tires remain adequately aired up.
4. You’ve got a damaged distributor cap. Damp conditions can play a part in this little fiasco if your distributor cap happens to be cracked or otherwise damaged. It can cause a high voltage short circuit, preventing the spark from reaching your spark plugs.
5. You’ve got a faulty alternator. Check for a worn drive belt or a wonky connection.
6. You’ve got fuel trouble. Were you paying attention at the gas station? Accidentally filling up (even just a little) with diesel gas instead of regular can damage your engine.
7. Your clutch cable is shot. A clutch cable engages every single time you change gears. Eventually, it will wear out and, unfortunately, it doesn’t always give you any warning.
8. Your spark plugs have lost their spark. If they’re misfiring or just not sparking, they may be fouled. You may be able to give them a good cleaning and re-install. But if they’re worn or cracked, you may have to switch them out for new ones.
9. Your HT leads have fizzled out. HT leads deliver high voltage currents to your spark plugs. Long periods of repeated temperature cycling can deteriorate them and cause them to fail without warning.
10. Your starter won’t start. Your starter may be shot, but it could also be a bad battery, worn battery cables, broken starter mounting bolts, a stuck neutral safety switch, the starter solenoid or armature.

If you suspect it’s your spark plugs, be sure to check our online cross reference catalog to choose the right spark plugs for your vehicle.

Pro MotoX racer Ashley Fiolek and SuperX champ Jeremy McGrath appear in Honda's "The Undying Dream" documentary short.

A while back, E3 Spark Plugs introduced our blog readers “The Power of Dreams,” Honda’s amazingly inspiring short documentary series. Indy car racer Danica Patrick appeared in one installment titled “Failure: The Secret to Success.”With another browse through the series’ website, we recently spotted other familiar faces are in the mix.

Pro Motocross racer Ashley Fiolek and Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath – both Honda racers, appear in a six-minute piece titled “The Undying Dream,” which parallels their own quests to become racing royalty with Honda’s quest to create increasingly energy-efficient, clean vehicles.

“As the energy shortage becomes more critical, there will be a shift for everyone to use public transportation instead of personal mobility,” says Honda Motor Co. President and CEO Takanobu Ito. “But that’s not our goal. We want to guarantee the freedom and the joy of personal mobility into the future.”

“The Undying Dream” also shows early home video of a three-year-old Fiolek already on the tracks, and of pro surfing king Laird Hamilton, who talks of growing up wanting to be a world famous wave rider and of conquering the famed Millenium wave.

“I know I can do it. I know I can achieve my goals,” says Fiolek about her drive to become the first woman to qualify for a men’s national race. “That’s a good feeling, to be first and to be successful.”

“It’s a battle between me and me,” adds McGrath, talking about the quest to continually improve his racing. “When you’re battling to be the best, you’re battling with yourself.”

You’ll also see some great vintage video of early Honda motorcycles that’ll have you reminiscing about your own first bike. But mostly, it’ll leave you feeling inspired. Have you seen any of Honda’s “The Power of Dreams” series? Which is your favorite? Has it inspired you to make a change, set a goal or implement a plan? E3 Spark Plugs wants to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment on the E3 Spark Plugs website blog or on our Facebook fan page.

Former GM Boss Bob Lutz details the state of the American automotive industry in his latest book.

If you’re a car buff who has ever wondered about the real inner workings of the automotive industry, E3 Spark Plugs has a recommendation for your next read. Former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz recently released his second book, Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business. And it’s sure to rev a few opinion engines.

Car Guys vs. Bean Counters is essentially Lutz’s educated opinion on today’s American auto industry and a chronicling of the steps he took to change GM during his second decade-long stint with the company. The Zurich, Switzerland-born auto magnate began his business career while flying in the Marine Corps Reserves and selling vacuum cleaners in Walnut Creek, Calif. during the late 1950s and early 1960s. With a bachelor’s degree in Production Management and a Marketing MBA from U.C. Berkely, Lutz entered the automotive industry and rose to its top ranks, serving executive positions at Chrysler Corp., Ford Motor Co., BMW and General Motors. He worked with GM in Europe from 1963 to 1971, then again at GM in North America from 2001-2010. Throughout his career, Lutz initiated or led the development of multiple best-selling brands including the Dodge Viper, Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Camaro.

Bob Lutz speaking in Detroit, Michigan in October 2008. Photo by Ed Schipul via Creative Commons.

In Car Guys vs. Bean Counters, Lutz details the creative rise, financial fall and steep uphill climb of not just GM but the entire American auto industry. It runs from the 1960s when “car guys” held sway, creating top-quality, innovative designs; through the industry’s gradual-but-hostile takeover by the “bean counters” who pushed for less personality, cheaper production and maximized profitability; up through the bankruptcy and bail-out days of late.

“It’s time to stop the dominance of the number-crunchers, living in their perfect, predictable, financially-projected world (who fail, time and again), and give the reins to the ‘product guys’…those with vision and passion for the customers and their product or service,” Lutz writes.

“It applies in any business. Shoe makers should be run by shoe guys, and software firms by software guys, and supermarkets by supermarket guys. With the advice and support of their bean counters, absolutely, but with the final word going to those who live and breathe the customer experience. Passion and drive for excellence will win over the computer-like, dispassionate, analysis- driven philosophy every time.”

Amen, brother!

Have you read Car Guys vs. Bean Counters? E3 Spark Plugs wants to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment or post your two cents on our E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page. In the meantime, enjoy this 2009 clip from Dave Letterman’s Late Nite interview with “automotive industry legend” Bob Lutz.

Suzuki's Brett Metcalfe claimed his first Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX Championship overall win in the 450cc class at Southwick, MA.

Neither rain nor snow nor Hurricane Irene could keep the 450cc motocross riders from delivering the mail at the Moto-X 338 track over the rain-soaked weekend at Southwick, MA. Storms rolled in early Saturday morning and each group’s lap times continued to soar as track conditions progressively deteriorated throughout the practice sessions. However, once the premier class of the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX Championship class took to the track, well things just got stranger by the lap.

At the end of the day, a rookie 450 rider would have claimed his first ever win in only his second race, a seasoned veteran would have claimed his first ever overall victory, a former points leader would sit dejected on the sideline with a broken bike, and the defending class champion would mount a come-from-behind ride that legends are made of. That’s right. Honda’s Justin Barcia led wire to wire in Moto 2 to claim his first win in the big bike class. Popular Aussie Brett Metcalfe claimed his first overall victory aboard his Rockstar/Makita Suzuki. Multi-time class champion Chad Reed’s DNFs in both motos would essentially eliminate the TwoTwo Motorsports rider from the 2011 championship chase.

Oh yeah, did we mentioned that first-moto winner Ryan Dungey put on a mind-blowing performance in Moto 2 after his Suzuki arrived at the starting line about a minute and half after the rest of the field took the green flag. Yep, the kind of stuff legends are made of. Dungey mounted his Rockstar/Makita Suzuki in 40th position almost a lap down to the leaders and went to work to salvage his opportunity for a second AMA 450cc MX championship. With points leader Ryan Villopoto on cruise control, Dungey made it look simple. Just go faster than everyone else and never say die.

When the checkered flag flew, Dungey was in seventh place just two positions behind Villopoto. With his win in Moto 1, Dungey would finish the day losing but a single point to his Kawasaki rival and now trails Villopoto by eight points with only two rounds remaining. Reed’s dismal performance leaves the Honda rider 65 points out of the lead. So, the stage is set for E3 spark plugs racing fans to catch the final two AMA pro outdoor motocross races at Steel City raceway outside Pittsburg, PA, and Pala raceway in the southern California desert. Don’t forget to pick up a box of E3 replacement plugs for your favorite ride. See you at the track.

This photo of famed Formula One racer Ayrton Senna spraying the winner's champagne on the podium at Germany's Spa in 1991 was taken by his lifelong friend and official photographer Keith Sutton and reportedly was his personal favorite.

Only a few drivers’ names are mentioned when discussing who is the greatest racecar driver in history. Aryton Senna, Brazil’s national hero and three-time Formula One World Champion, is the only driver ever named that by his peers. Fifteen years after his untimely death at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, 217 current and former F1 drivers named Senna as the greatest Formula One driver in a poll conducted by Autosport Magazine. Now, Universal Pictures has released an engrossing documentary film SENNA honoring the remarkable story of a true racing hero.

Born in 1960 in a barrio of Saão Paulo, Senna started kart racing in Brazil as a youngster. His love of motor racing led him to Europe to pursue a career in Formula One. The charismatic Brazilian made his debut for the Toleman-Hart F1 team in 1984 and posted his first of 65 career pole positions with a win in 1985 for Lotus-Renault in the Portuguese Grand Prix. In 1988, Senna joined French F1 driver Alain Prost at McLaren-Honda. Although an intense rivalry existed between the two, they won all but one of the sixteen Grand Prix races that year. The vibrant Senna went on to claim his first of three World Championships and proved himself to be one of the quickest drivers ever in adverse, wet track conditions.

The fierce competition between the two McLaren drivers peaked during the 1989 season as both battled for the number seat and the World title. During the penultimate race of the season at Suzuka, Japan, Prost and Senna would lock wheels and spin off an escape road. Senna would restart and claim the win but was later disqualified for cutting the track when he restarted using the escape route. The DQ gave Prost the F1 championship before the Frenchman left for a seat at Ferrari in 1990. Senna and Prost would continue their bitter rivalry on separate teams with Senna winning the World Championship in 1990 and 1991.

After Prost reluctantly retired at the beginning of the 1994 season, Senna became perturbed with Formula One’s leadership over regulation changes that banned active suspension and traction control. During Friday practice at Imola, Senna’s good friend Rubens Barrichello crashed breaking his arm followed by a fatal accident to Roland Ratzenberger during Saturday’s qualification round. On the morning of the final race of Senna’s career, he met with fellow drivers to establish the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association in hopes of enacting safety changes. While leading the San Marino GP, Senna’s Williams FW16 left the track at the high-speed Tamburello corner. The 34-year old Senna was killed when his car struck the Armco barrier head on.

An estimated three million people lined the streets of Saão Paulo for Senna’s funeral. Career rival Prost would serve as one of Senna’s pallbearers along with Rubens Barrichello, Emerson Fittipaldi and Jackie Stewart. The Brazilian government declared three days of national mourning. After the Brazilian’s state funeral, it was discovered that the benevolent Senna had left a large portion of the $400 million fortune to the Aryton Senna Institute to develop social programs aimed at offering kids from low-income backgrounds an opportunity to develop their full potential as future citizens.

Although not originally intended for release in the United States, the film’s success at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, caused the studios to reconsider a U.S. debut which is scheduled for mid-August of this year. Chief film critic Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Sometimes a documentary will unexpectedly grab you by the throat, not giving you a second to breathe. That’s the way it was with SENNA. E3 Spark Plugs encourages all of our devoted racing fans to watch for the release of SENNA. No one should miss this moving tribute to the thirty-four year old Brazilian hero who will forever be remembered as the “Greatest Driver Who Ever Lived”.

Steve Coonan and Rob Brydon try relentlessly and hilariously to one-up each other in "The Trip," and E3 Spark Plugs recommended flick.

When is the last time a movie made you laugh so hard your Diet Coke shot out of your nostrils? According to Time Magazine Film Critic Richard Corliss, the next time might be when you watch The Trip. After all, it happened to him.

E3 Spark Plugs loves a road trip film, and this one is driving up interest and great reviews at major Film Festivals including Toronto and Tribeca. Directed by Michael Winterbottom and starring acclaimed comedic actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (24 Hour Party People, A Cock and Bull Story), The Trip follows the two actors playing themselves as “eat, drink and try not to kill each other” while touring the North of England in a Range Rover. Mind you, it isn’t the fast-paced, beer-fueled raunchfest you typically see in American road trip films (not to say we don’t love those, too). It’s a bit more the steady-paced,  intellectual comedy that Brit filmmakers are known for.

Says Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger: “Very funny…The kettle-on-the-fire of quietly simmering exasperation is a hallmark of English comedy and Coogan is one of its masters.  It is, as one of these chefs might say, a quite delightful amuse-bouche.”

The storyline goes that Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country’s finest restaurants. He’s immediately stoked at the idea of a romantic getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But when she opts out, Coogan’s only other option is best friend (and chief irritator) Brydon. Largely improvised, The Trip follows the duo as they drive each other to the sanity brink with constant one-upmanship and showdowns of competing impressions including dueling Sean Connerys, Al Pacinos, Michael Caines and Dustin Hoffmans. Somewhere along the way, the ultimate odd couple learns a thing or two about not just great food, but about relationships, the nature of fame and their own lives.

One fan calls The Trip “Monty Python meets Woody Allen.” Playboy calls it “Hysterical. Line for line, insult for insult, The Trip is the year’s most addictively quotable movie.” And the New Yorker: “The only thing that’s made me laugh at the movies this year. Coogan and Brydon are mimics of extreme virtuosity.”

Have you seen The Trip? E3 Spark Plugs wants to know what you think. Leave us a comment on the E3 Spark Plugs blog or our Facebook fan page.

Smells delicious! But are my spark plugs in one of those boxes too?

Calling in a large pepperoni pie or a few orders of moo goo gai pan for home delivery is second nature in America. But how about getting that new set of spark plugs and struts, a few jugs of motor oil and a pair of fuzzy dice delivered right to your doorstep? Several auto parts retailers are testing the home delivery waters.

Advance Auto Parts (which, by the way, is an E3 Spark Plugs distributor) is one of those retailers offering home or curbside delivery in a select few pilot markets. The company offers free delivery for purchases of $75 or more within a five-mile radius ($9.99 for purchases under $75) and generally drops off orders within two hours. Nearly 80 percent of those deliveries are to the homes of auto owners with dead batteries or to the roadside curbs where stranded motorists call via their cell phones.

Come to think of it – that is pretty handy. And some marketing pundits say home delivery of auto parts is a smart move.

“When a consumer is stuck at home because their car won’t start, once you deliver the part they need, you leave them with positive emotions about your brand and gain their loyalty,” Cult Marketing CEO Doug McIntyre told reporters recently.

While having your spark plugs delivered may never offer quite the appeal as, say, a 12-inch supreme on thick crust with extra cheese, we think these retailers are on to something. What do you think? Leave us a comment here on the E3 Spark Plugs blog or on our Facebook fan page.

Honda’s Justin Barcia moved up to the 450 cc class for Round 9 of the AMA Pro MX Championship over weekend. The nineteen year old New York native finished third overall in his debut race. Photo courtesy of powersports.honda.com.

Since 1970, motocross racing fans have been traveling to the mid-state Leatherneck region of New York State for one of AMA’s oldest outdoor motocross events. This year was no exception as fans lined the fence three-deep for the start of the first moto of the 450 cc class. After the disappointment of not winning the Lucas Oil AMA Championship round at his home track in Washougal, Ryan Villopoto gave himself an early birthday present by winning both motos at the Unadilla National.

In his first ever professional race on the big bikes, Honda’s Justin Barcia took the early lead in front of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Villopoto and the Rockstar Makita Suzuki of Ryan Dungey. After season-ending injuries to Honda’s Trey Canard and Josh Grant, the factory race team decided to promote Barcia from the 250 cc Lites class. Barcia didn’t disappoint with solid top three performances in both motos. But nobody, including Barcia, could touch the new 2012 Kawasaki.

Villopoto slipped by Barcia early in race one and was never challenged for the win. After a good duel early on, Dungey also got past Barcia to claim a second place finish. TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed passed Jake Weimer late in Moto One for fourth and fifth place respectively. In Moto Two, Villopoto would work his way around early leader Mike Alessi on the factory KTM. Barcia and Dungey would have a classic battle for second overall before the two clipped handlebars and Barcia would again have to settle for third.

As the teams take a week off, Villopoto holds a seven-point lead in the AMA Pro MX Championship over Dungey. Reed’s fourth place overall at Unadilla would drop the Honda rider to 25 points behind Villopoto with three races remaining. Round 10 of the race for the national title will be held at the famed Southwick MX track in Massachusetts on August 27. If you’re looking for an advantage for your favorite ride, pick up a box of E3 motorcycle spark plugs at your favorite discount or auto parts store. E3 spark plugs were Born to Burn.

Spark plugs make great (and cheap) fishing lure retrievers.

Going fishing? Well, if you’ve got a used spark plug sitting in your tool box, you may want to drop it in your tackle box on your way out the door. That’s because car spark plugs make great fishing lure retrievers.

Old-school fishermen have used this trick for decades, but the idea went mainstream with the onset of urban fishing holes, where young, hip city denizens gather to cast lines and compare catches. Photos of these events certainly are not the stuff of Field & Stream photo spreads. Fishing spots often are small bodies of water surrounded by chain link fencing with razor wire, rusting metal beams and concrete slabs jutting out of the surface. But the camaraderie of anglers everywhere is just as strong in urban areas as it is anywhere else.

“Fishing is so cool because it breaks down social barriers,” Ben Sargent, founder of New York’s Brooklyn Urban Anglers Association and Brooklyn Fishing Derby told reporters. “If you’re male or female doesn’t matter, race doesn’t matter. There’s definitely skill involved, but you can bring out a newbie who can catch a 40-inch fish.”

Many of those involved in these organizations, which encourage fishing in New York’s East River and surrounding waterways, use the spark plug lure retriever trick. Simply slip a snap swivel on the spark plug electrode and bed or tap the electrode downward, closing the gap. If your lure gets snagged (as often happens when fishing beneath bridges and dams), tighten your line, clip the swivel onto the line between the rod tip and your lure, and let the spark plug go. It’ll link down and knock your lure free. Spark plug lure retrievers work best on crankbaits and jigging spoons. They’re less effective with small lures such as jigs and worms. And if your lure doesn’t come free, you’ll have to break the line and leave behind both your lure and the spark plug retriever. You might miss your favorite lure, but at least your spark plug retriever is cheap and easily replaceable.

To help keep America’s fishing holes clean from toxins, be sure to boil your spark plugs in salt water before using them as lure retrievers. This will get rid of any oil or grease.

Have you used a spark plug as a fishing lure retriever or for some other odd-but-handy purpose? E3 Spark Plugs wants to know. Drop us a line on in our blog comment section or on our E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page. Don’t forget to post your pictures, too.

You know you wanna drive it! E3 Spark Plugs racing fans are rushing to sign up for the Ford Octane Academy and the chance to show up a few of today's top racers.

You’ve called plenty of races from your sofa or from the stands. Now, E3 Spark Plugs racing fans have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hang with the big boys and take in the view of the tracks from behind the steering wheel.  Power up your video camera and ready your audition for Ford’s Octane Academy.

Never heard of it? Octane Academy is an all-new action sports program that pairs the gutsiest young race fans out there with four of today’s top racers: Vaughn Gittin, Jr., Ken Block, Tanner Faust and Brian Deegan. Chosen participants will attend four fantasy weekend camps designed and run by the pros, taking on an array of challenges and dares to see which participant can best measure up. And each will have to prove himself (or herself – we know lots of ladies that can give any guy out there a run for his racing money) from the drivers’ seats of Gittin Jr.’s Mustang drift car, Block’s and Foust’s rally machines and Deegan’s off-road trucks.

“Getting the chance to create my own challenges for the hard-core competitors who want to take on the challenge of Ford Octane Academy is going to be crazy,” said Deegan in a media release announcing the program. “I can’t wait to bring competitors to my spot, the Compound, to give them the ultimate Ford action-sports adventure.”

The best part? The overall winner of each camp will drive home a one-of-a-kind vehicle created by Block, Foust, Deegan or Gittin Jr.

While it’s a dream waiting to happen for a select few lucky racing fans, Octane Academy also is being lauded a genius marketing move by Ford. More than 300 action sports competitions take place each year, with more than 22 million athletes participating and more than $12.1 billion racking up in retail sales.

Think you’ve got what it takes to take on racing’s top pros? Hit up www.OctaneAcademy.com to find out how to register. And if you’re readying for your next race, or just looking to rev up your ride, remember that E3 Spark Plugs are “Born to Burn.”