Spark plugs

[speedbump]

Ok, so I get my vanagon running with it's 1.8 digifant II, after 3 years and it seems to run ok most of the time but once in a while drops a cylinder or 2 for a while then comes back. The other day when I went to go home from work it drops 3 cylinders, yes, it will start and run on one cylinder, but for some reason won't move. :roll:

So the next day I get a chance to look it over, run it for several minutes making sure it's getting spark to the plugs, shut it off and pull the plugs, the 3 dead ones are very wet with gas, get the compression tester all 180-195 psi, has good compression, so I go looking for new spark plugs. At this time I only have access to Champion and a few NGKs, didn't have them in the champs and only a close match in the NGK, it calls for BPR6ES and I have BP5ES, so I stuck them in and it runs great. It had somewhat new Bosch platinum, on my 2.0L jetta I had some problems using platinum plugs and now only use copper, so I'm thinking that the main problem with the van was the platinum plugs.

My question is, is it ok to use the non-resistor slightly hotter plugs (with NGK the lower the # the hotter)? Right now I'm only using the van for short trips, not even enough to warm the engine up.

Another question, are the metal radio noise shields on the plug wires really needed?

[burn_your_money]

With the lower resitance I beleive the spark will occur earlier so you may have predetonation depending on how your timing is set. You may be putting alot of unnessecary stress on the engine.

I don't think the sheilds are needed but I don't know.