How Many Spark Plugs Does A 4 Cylinder Engine Have?

Do your spark plugs in your engine need to be replaced?  Maybe you don’t know when your spark plugs were last replaced and are looking to do that.  But how many spark plugs are in a 4 cylinder engine? In today’s modern world most car manufacturers are looking to reduce the size of their engines to allow their vehicles to be more fuel-efficient in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint from gasoline engines.

The vast majority of engines made are made with one spark plug per engine cylinder.  This means that if you have a 4 cylinder engine it will likely use 4 spark plugs, one for each cylinder.  The exception to this is older 4 cylinder engines from Alfa Romeo, Ford, and Honda that were mainly sold in Europe.

If your car was sold in the US and has a 4 cylinder engine it’s likely that it uses 4 spark plugs.  Now that you know you likely need 4 spark plugs for your 4 cylinder engine what type of spark plugs should you go with?  How often should you replace your spark plugs?

How Many Spark Plugs Are In My Engine?

If you are unsure of if your engine uses one spark plug per cylinder then your best bet would be to google your specific make, model, and year car to determine what engine your car has.  From there you should be able to tell how many spark plugs your specific car uses.

To find more information about your specific engine you may need to know the displacement of the engine, which is usually defined in liters.  If you can’t find the displacement of your engine by looking in the engine bay it’s best to find out the trim of your car.

Another way to find out what kind of engine your car has is by looking at the trim level of your car.  Honda, for example, uses trim levels of LX, EX, and sport.

Each trim level may have a different engine, but knowing your specific cars year, make, model, and trim would allow you to look up the specific engine online.

What Are The Different Types of Spark Plugs?

The three main types of spark plugs are copper, platinum, and iridium.  Copper spark plugs were commonly used until they were eventually replaced by platinum spark plugs.  You can still find copper spark plugs for use in older engines but if you have a somewhat modern engine it would make more sense to go with platinum spark plugs.

Platinum spark plugs were the main type of spark plugs used for a while until they were eventually replaced by iridium spark plugs.  If you want to go with cheaper spark plugs then platinum spark plugs are your best bet.

Iridium spark plugs are currently the latest spark plug technology and are going to be used in most new vehicles made today.  Iridium spark plugs offer the best longevity over platinum and copper spark plugs, because of this they are going to be the most common.

Link article about iridium and platinum spark plugs

When Should You Replace Your Spark Plugs?

The type of spark plug that is currently inside of your engine will determine how long you should go before replacing them.  It’s unlikely that your engine has copper spark plugs if it was made in the last 10 years.

If your engine has platinum spark plugs they typically need to be replaced every 50,000-90,000 miles.  Iridium spark plugs are going to last the longest and typically will need to be replaced every 100,000 miles.

If you are unsure of the spark plugs that came with your engine you can check your cars owner’s manual to see how often they recommend replacing the spark plugs.  If it says that your engine came with platinum spark plugs you can upgrade to iridium spark plugs if you want a bit longer life and better performance.

Just make sure that you pick spark plugs that are compatible with your specific vehicle.

Finding Compatible Spark Plugs

The best way to find spark plugs that are compatible with your specific vehicle is to use a compatibility checker.  Amazon has a parts compatibility checker that you can use to plug in the specific vehicle that you can use to filter your search for parts that are compatible with your specific car.  To check out what spark plugs are compatible with your vehicle on Amazon click here.

If you are in a hurry to purchase your replacement spark plugs and have a local AutoZone, O’Reillys, or Pep boys they have similar compatibility checkers on their websites.  You can also just go to your local auto parts store and have them find which spark plugs are compatible with your car.

Inspect Your Spark Plugs for Problems

When you replace your spark plugs you should visually inspect them to make sure that there aren’t any larger issues with your engine.  If your old spark plugs are fairly clean little carbon buildup then your engine is likely operating normally. If your spark plugs are black and wet this can be a larger indicator that something is wrong with some part of your engine.

Potential causes of black and wet spark plugs are old spark plugs, faulty fuel injectors, and a plugged or blocked fuel filter.  If your spark plugs are black and wet you may want to check out my other article on the subject that explains the common causes and what to do to fix the issue.

How Many Spark Plugs Are In A 4 Cylinder Engine – Conclusion

The vast majority of 4 cylinder engines are going to come with 4 spark plugs, 1 spark plug for each cylinder.  Unless you live in Europe or have an older Ford Ranger you likely will have 4 spark plugs in your 4 cylinder engine.  If you want to be certain then you should look up your specific vehicle and engine to confirm.