# Spark plug malfunction after front-end collision

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/spark-plug-malfunction-after-front-end-collision/108344>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [September 20, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spark-plug-malfunction-after-front-end-collision/108344 "2017-09-20T20:45:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![meganf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@meganf](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meganf)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spark-plug-malfunction-after-front-end-collision/108344/1 "2017-09-20T20:45:32Z")

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Can minor front end collision cause a spark plug malfunction?

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**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spark-plug-malfunction-after-front-end-collision/108344/2 "2017-10-04T18:47:14Z")

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“Spark plug malfunction” doesn’t give us quite enough information.  
What _specific_ problem took place in regard to the spark plugs?

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**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spark-plug-malfunction-after-front-end-collision/108344/3 "2017-10-04T21:02:06Z")

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I’d also like more information about the accident, perhaps a photo.

We recently had a thread here wherein a poster wondered if a front end accident could cause a sparkplug to break out. Turns out, it was a transversely mounted four with COPs and the hood was crushed right over the engine. The hood could have slammed the top of the coils and damaged a plug. It’s a steel rod from the top of the coil to the top of the sparkplug.

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**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spark-plug-malfunction-after-front-end-collision/108344/4 "2017-10-05T00:29:13Z")

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That would be unusual, other than perhaps a wire fell off b/c of the jolt. It’s certainly possible a minor collision could make the engine run poorly though, and that might seem at first to act like a spark plug problem, but normally wouldn’t turn out to be that.