Bosch HR6DS spark plugs - went obsolete in 2019 with no replacement

[82DMC12]

Last week I found it difficult to find Bosch HR6DS plugs locally. A couple websites I checked like SparkPlugs.com said the part was discontinued. I called Bosch this morning and they confirmed it was discontinued in 2019 with no replacement in the works. Just a slow mover.

I'll be buying from a vendor now but just wondering how others are dealing with this problem? I know the coating on the HR6 was helpful for keeping the plugs from sticking in the heads and other brands like Autolite crossovers don't have it and can be a real scary experience trying to remove.

What is the 2021 consensus replacement?

[dmcman73]

Last week I found it difficult to find Bosch HR6DS plugs locally. A couple websites I checked like SparkPlugs.com said the part was discontinued. I called Bosch this morning and they confirmed it was discontinued in 2019 with no replacement in the works. Just a slow mover.

I'll be buying from a vendor now but just wondering how others are dealing with this problem? I know the coating on the HR6 was helpful for keeping the plugs from sticking in the heads and other brands like Autolite crossovers don't have it and can be a real scary experience trying to remove.

What is the 2021 consensus replacement?

Most of the newer sparkplugs have that coating on the threads. If you are concerned, apply a tiny dab of copper grease or anti seize grease to the threads, but, just be carful torque them in as grease will cause you to torque it at a higher level.

As for replacement, I'm actually going to try NGK 2238 plugs (should have them in a day or two from Rockauto), they are copper plugs and are cheap and the same ones that DMCH sells. These engines don't really need anything fancy in them.

[David T]

The PRV seems fussy about what plugs you put into it. One option is to sandblast the old plugs and regap them. For most of us we don't put so many miles on the car so the plugs should last a long time. This is a problem all up and down the parts chain. As the cars age even parts that were plentiful are getting harder and harder to source. The vendors will find substitutes and for the short term they may buy up all of the old stock they can get their hands on.

[FABombjoy]

I ran Denso IT20 iridium plugs from 2005-2018. I changed to one-step colder after turbocharging. Iridium plugs operate without any trouble, firing reliably even when my turbo rebuilder screwed up the seals & I was consuming lots of oil.

I don't think the PRV itself is as fussy about plugs so much as unneeded mods being installed in tandem causing problems, crappy wires that don't seat correctly, things like that. Avoid gimmick plugs like +4 and use wires with a history of success and you should be good.

[Patrick C]

I ran Denso IT20 iridium plugs from 2005-2018. I changed to one-step colder after turbocharging. Iridium plugs operate without any trouble, firing reliably even when my turbo rebuilder screwed up the seals & I was consuming lots of oil.

I don't think the PRV itself is as fussy about plugs so much as unneeded mods being installed in tandem causing problems, crappy wires that don't seat correctly, things like that. Avoid gimmick plugs like +4 and use wires with a history of success and you should be good.

+1. The quality of Bosch plugs is not what it used to be either. I’m running Autolite XP103 Iridium XPs in VIN 1880 at DPI’s suggestion, and they are great.

[82DMC12]

Most of the newer sparkplugs have that coating on the threads. If you are concerned, apply a tiny dab of copper grease or anti seize grease to the threads, but, just be carful torque them in as grease will cause you to torque it at a higher level.

As for replacement, I'm actually going to try NGK 2238 plugs (should have them in a day or two from Rockauto), they are copper plugs and are cheap and the same ones that DMCH sells. These engines don't really need anything fancy in them.

Thanks for the tip. They are available locally, too, if this the plug you are talking about?
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...238/19650088-p

[dmcman73]

+1. The quality of Bosch plugs is not what it used to be either. I’m running Autolite XP103 Iridium XPs in VIN 1880 at DPI’s suggestion, and they are great.

What gap are you setting the Autolites to? I have these in the car currently and I'm not too happy with them so far.

[CFI]

I’m also running Autolite XP103 Iridium XP spark plugs.

[82DMC12]

Anyone have any tips for cleaning the spark plug wells before I put my new plugs in? I'm thinking I will thread one of my old plugs in first, scrub the inside of the well with a brush and maybe some WD-40, and then use a vacuum to suck out the junk. The spark plug will keep crap from falling further down. Then remove the spark plug and move on to the next well.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[Patrick C]

What gap are you setting the Autolites to? I have these in the car currently and I'm not too happy with them so far.

Gapped to .024.