“Indexing” Spark Plugs…and Life

I learned a new tuning tip the other day.  I guess that I must be the last mechanic on planet earth to hear the term “spark plug indexing” but, yes, it was new to me.

I discovered this was while searching for some information on increasing horsepower on an engine I was working on.  I noticed that there were some spark plug shims parts offered in a variety of thicknesses and this led to an Internet search on what those shims are used for.  Eventually I stumbled onto the term “spark plug indexing.”

If you have not heard the term before, the idea is that if you install your spark plugs with the ground electrode facing the intake valve, this is bad because the incoming fuel vapors are ignited by a spark that is partially shielded by the ground electrode. According to the plug indexing gurus, the optimal setup is to face the plug so the ground electrode away from the intake valve. This gives the spark improved access to the incoming vapor so the spark can create a more efficient fuel burn pattern and greater HP results. The shims that I had first discovered are used to index the plugs and by varying the shim thickness you can tighten the plugs into the proper torque setting range and get the plug lined up properly so they are all ready to ignite the fuel mixture with maximum efficiency.

As I read all the articles and testimonials on indexing I thought that this is so similar to what our relationship to God is like.  When I sin, I have turned away from God and suddenly he seems far away.  I am miserable and feel guilty.  If I repent, that is turn back to God and align myself properly by confessing it to Him, instantly that spiritual efficiency, connection and access are restored.  He has not moved but is watching and waiting patiently for me to return just like the father of the prodigal story did with his son (Luke 15:11-32).      

As I continued to research the indexing subject, I found that the topic of spark plug indexing was not without controversy.  One person on an automotive discussion forum said they had seen dyno results that verified it really worked while others were very skeptical.  Another person said it was a complete waste of time and unless you were wrenching on a Top Fuel Dragster or Funny Car, it would have negligible benefits.

Sometimes we are so far out on a limb spiritually, that we wonder if repentance and turning back to God is even an option for us.  One of my friends told me he wondered if he had committed a wrong that was so grave that God could not forgive him. When we hit these times we need to remember that we are only a prayer away from turning back to God and feeling the fresh blast of His energy in our lives. We might think that we must clean up our lives before we can come to Him but that is the wrong order of things.                       

I guess that I have treated confession and repentance with skepticism or indifference, too.  I sometimes sin and decide to stay out in the cold like the son in the prodigal story did.  Let’s face it, sometimes sin is fun…for a while that is. Eventually we realize that sin has a high cost and that it is like acid that is eating us up from the inside. We must turn and face God so that our access to him is restored. As the writer of Acts put it so well in Acts 3:19:

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord”        

Richard Lewis
Pathfinder Christian Church
Riverside, CA