E3 plug

GoldenMotor.com

Agreen

Member
Feb 10, 2013
792
11
18
Southeastern GA
Before you guys go ripping in to me, i just happened to have one of these E3 weirdo plugs laying around my shop. So, naturally if the kit-supplied plug is doo-doo, and you have one for free, test it out!

Bleeaaaaaacch!

Do. Not. Use.

They're worse doo-doo plugs than the china ones. I replaced it today with an NGK BH5S. I had to move the needle clip to the lowest setting with the E3 plug. It ran instantly better with the NGK plug, even better when i moved it up 2 notches (2nd from the top).

Now, maybe there's more to it, but with the stock cdi coil, NGK is the answer.
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
63
OKC, OK
E3's seem to have a higher than normal rate of burning out coils.

NGK or Denso is the way to go.
 

Agreen

Member
Feb 10, 2013
792
11
18
Southeastern GA
And that got me thinking about a higher power ignition system. Maybe that's what it needs? It did seem to do significantly better after changing out the plug. I was running lean after changing it to the E3 and had to drop the clip to the lowest setting. Then again, i went to a poopoo pipe at the same time and thought my increase in power was due to the pipe. It ripped like that for a while, but slowly started losing performance over time. So slow, in fact, that i didn't notice it until i was getting a bit of 4 stroking at top speed. It was rhythmic too, so a second of 4 stroking, a few seconds of normal power, repeat. I changed the plug and had to drop the needle back to the normal setting. It has more power now, but nothing like when i first in put the E3 plug and changed the needle setting.

I wonder if it would take a battery supply to increase the power output of the cdi (to the level it needs). Like car ignition. It seems like the plug burned pretty well at first, but needed more juice to keep itself clean.

The plug was plenty dry, just coated in light brown soot!
 

Powertool

Member
Jul 8, 2012
229
0
16
Bradford,TN.
This is my input on the subject of the E3 plug , I have run this plug , gapped @ .026 for over 5,000 miles , the bike always starts easy and runs well , never had a problem with cdi , coil . Great plug in my opinion ...
 

Davezilla

New Member
Mar 15, 2014
2,705
10
0
San Antonio Texas
Pretty much any decent plug will work in these things, but the gap does need to be tight... .030" just won't cut it with these weak ignitions. I gap all of mine to .022 to .026" and never have any problems. If a new bike is hard to start, just re gapping the plug down to these specs will usually get a start on the first try
 

Agreen

Member
Feb 10, 2013
792
11
18
Southeastern GA
I don't know if I'd call the E3 plug decent. My reasoning is pretty solid. Current will take the path of least resistance every time. The ignition system on these little motors is not much, so don't expect very high voltage. Automotive ignition systems run at about 15-20ish Kv, so pretty high. So if the voltage coming from this cdi is as low as it is, it's not going to make another arc. Even cars don't produce 2 arcs when using dual tip plugs. We're not talking about lightning bolt voltage here, so don't expect arc branches at that low of a gap and voltage.

Many parts stores will try selling the gimmick plugs. Words like platinum, iridium, +2, +3, +4, etc. The fact is that automotive ignition is actually fairly sensitive to the type of plug you use. You can't upgrade the spark plugs and gain anything. The spark plugs are chosen with the ignition system in mind. If you go from a copper spark plug (oem) to platinum, its resistance is a lot less. Most people think that means less drag and more power. They're then going to think that it makes more power until the car starts driving weird. What's happened is that the secondary side imedance went down. The reflected impedance across the coil is less, so whatever driver runs the primary side (solid state ignitor, points, etc) has less resistance as well. This means the current going through the primary side has gone up, and will burn out soon. This is fact, not opinion.

Some manufacturers do use platinum or iridium plugs, but their respective ignition systems are built with current limiters so they don't burn out their ignitor and coils.

I remember a while back there were these split-fire plugs. Another gimmick plug, and they're no longer sold because they got sued!

I definitely consider the E3 as a gimmick plug. The dual tips will not give you more spark. Look closely to the top picture and you can see accelerated wear on one side of the electrode. As it burned only on the corner, it eroded the plug a lot more than normal. That's after 20ish miles, by the way. Maybe it somehow does burn hotter (which is possible) but it won't do that for long.

Also, there's a reason OEM manufacturers stick with single tip plugs.
 
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Davezilla

New Member
Mar 15, 2014
2,705
10
0
San Antonio Texas
I wouldn't consider an e3 plug as decent either as they are nothing more than a gimmick like the old splitfries... decent plugs are any plug of decent quality with a single electrode as it only does one job, it lights the fuel, that's it. Multiple electrodes or funky shaped electrodes do nothing but lure gullible people to buy them for their 94 Honda civics in the hope that their car will gain an extra 10hp or more.
Platinum and iridium plugs have their purpose, but it's not performance, it's solely for longevity, platinum plugs have proven to last considerably longer than other plugs but platinum has more resistance than copper core plugs so they don't perform as well in extreme conditions, but iridium has the longevity of platinum but low resistance like copper and a lot of the auto makers as well as motorcycle makers use these as standard equipment so they can recommend these really long intervals between tune ups, it has nothing to do with performance, but mark it as a performance plug and watch the 94 Honda owners come in and buy them up along with their far can exhaust, cold air intakes, ground webs, oil catch cans, etc...
I personally use Autolite or Bosch plugs for break in and tuning then put in a standard NGK once everything is dialed in the Bosch super plugs are very cheap but they get the job done reliably, and same for the autolites, but once the engine is dialed in and I've gone thru a few plugs doing plug chops etc, then a better plug goes in. There's no need for platinum or iridium plugs on these engines as they do nothing in the way of adding power or performance, but they will last the life of the engine most likely.
 

Easy Rider

Santa Cruz Scooter Works
Jan 15, 2008
2,145
7
38
Nor*Cal
I wouldn't consider an e3 plug as decent either as they are nothing more than a gimmick like the old splitfries...
Funny story this weekend at the lake. This guy had a pair of split fires in his ski and was raving the hp increase those plugs gave and how he was the fastest on the lake since he put them in. He also bragged about how he got them for under $20 and the best $20 he's ever spent. Well, I have the same ski and ripped him a new one on my slower ski. He asked me to ride it and I told him it felt slow and was misfiring so being the nice guy that I am, I sold him my spare used NGK b8hs plugs and which made his ski came alive.
Best part was he looked at me and said "I feel like the biggest idiot" and threw both split fires as far as he could and screamed "F'n gimmick!"