Autolite Sparkplugs 295 at Walmart for only $1.97 each, replacement for Champion J8C

[desoto1939]

I know alot of MoPar car owners are always asking what sparkplugs can they use in their flathead engines.

 

These newer plugs can be found at your local WalMart store back in the section around the airfilters. The plug number is 295.

 

They sell them for $1.97 here is PA.  I have seen these same sparkplugs listed on Ebay and other site and they are asking alot more that the $2.00 price at walMart.

 

These are a replacement for the Champion J8C plugs that were also used on our flathead 6 cylinder cars and truck.

 

A friend of mine runs these in his 1939 Desoto and has had no problems with these plugs. The only difference that we seen is the the metal base of the plug is chrome and they original Autolite A9/A7 plugs were black.  So if you have a driver you can purchase all six plugs for under $12 plus local state taxes.

 

I have these as spares in my tool box in my 39 Desoto.

 

Just passing along this information as an FYI.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by desoto1939
added picture of the plug with the number

[DonaldSmith]

I couldn't find the 297 on Walmart online.  There's a 2974, in a similar package, cross referencing to an RCJ6Y,  and there's a 2976 and some others.  Your photo of the display card does not show the model number, SKU, or other number.      

[desoto1939]

Sorry about the typo the plug is a 295. Here isa picture of the front of the package.  Rich

 

[DonaldSmith]

Gee, that's what I just bought at O'Reilly's.  I paid 2.99 each, but the store was close and had the order picked for me in short order. 

(I could still load up on Walmart plugs.  Thanks for the tip.) 

[slatgrille]

Thanks to this topic, I got them here in Maine for the same price....but they're for my rebuilt jeep engine instead.

 

Craig

[Dodgeb4ya]

I just bought all nine #295 the local store had for $1.98...thanks for the tip Rich!?

[desoto1939]

And the funny part of all this is that there are sellers on Ebay charging doublel to triple the cost of the same plug in the same packaging  plus shipping and tax.  I just saw one of these being listed for $16 on Ebay.

 

 

Rich Hartung

 

 

[soth122003]

Chapter 1 paragraph 2. in the how to get ahead in life. 

THERE IS ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE.

 

Joe Lee

[Semmerling]

 

Stop by Champions website and put in your info. I called them and had a long conversation with them.

Price is right, but the plug is wrong. One really wants to be in the 12 range, 11 will have to do. 8 is a non starter. 

 

[Sniper]

6 hours ago, Semmerling said:

 

Stop by Champions website and put in your info. I called them and had a long conversation with them.

Price is right, but the plug is wrong. One really wants to be in the 12 range, 11 will have to do. 8 is a non starter. 

 

As I pointed out, Mopar calls out the Autolite A7, crosses to J8C.  I think I'll believe Mopar first.  I wonder if running the hotter plug is what is causing pinging some have reported?

[Semmerling]

I think there are a couple things going on. First is the champion has cut down their full production line enormously. The early plugs aren't the only thing that aren't being manufactured anymore. I tried to Source a specialty Champion plug for a 2000 production Dodge, Champion isn't making it anymore. Dodge realizes that and recommends a plug now it is neither long enough nor cool enough to really run as well as the original Champion spec. You can find the j11s and 12s if you really work hard at it for the early Dodge. I'm running the 11s because the 12s are a ridiculously expensive. I don't see how 8s are going to work. 

[Sniper]

O'rielly's has RJ12C's for $3.59 each

 

Advance shows J12YC's for the same price.  I believe the Y means a projected tip?

 

[Sniper]

I think I may have found the reason Champion says an R12 and MoPar said R8 plugs,

 

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/spark-plugs-tips/

 

Key section is quoted

 

Quote

Gasoline quality: However, with todays cleaner-burning oxygenated unleaded gas, an equivalent engine needs to run plugs about 1-2 heat ranges hotter than originally specified (many plug manufacturers have revised their catalogs accordingly).

 

Which makes me think if you are running E10, like I do the hotter plug works but IF you are running ethanol free an R8 equivalent may be a better choice?

 

I think I might run a set of RJ12YC, with the projected nose to see if they work better.

[kencombs]

What are the thoughts of the brain trust regarding heat range and compression ratio changes?    I've been thinking that maybe a colder plug may be needed with ratios over 8:1.  Mine will be around 8.5:1 I think, and I'll be running a 185deg 'stat.  But with the info Sniper posted, maybe not?

[Semmerling]

First off, thanks you Sniper for all the time you take, I enjoyed the very much the updated CHAMPION nomenclature chart. This last week I had to reach out to Champion again after a trip to the top 3 Auto Parts stores in my area yielded nothing. In this case "nothing" means that Champion plugs were listed in their book, but they had no inventory nor could they special order. I was searching for plugs for projects that more current is a year 2000. A couple of observations...

1. The Champion "direct" phone line is not Champion, but rather a business that services Champion clients on their behalf. They are only reasonably informed and generally look up in their data what they "have" and what is "available." In the world of flathead 6, we still can get 12's though the price is going up.  11's are and I am left with the thought that 11's are about right. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being great, they get a 10 and looking up stuff and a 1 for knowing any depth or breadth of the line. Its is about the same for Autolite and Bosche. As we both know, and the industry is very much aware of and does not plan to fix, the suggested crosses in regard to heat ranges between providers are a joke. One has to grow comfortable with one or two providers and work their way through the plugs. There are fewer plugs....poor crosses....and less of what they do make have. Favorite EBAY listing? The ones that read like this "Champion spark plug RJ12YC #14 - replaces OJ11Y - RJ10Y- RJ11Y - RJ87P - XJ10Y." Nuff said.

2. The richness of the Champion line is pretty much over. Now, in the case of these old plugs, I am still not sure any of this really matters that much. I am running 11's and they do just fine (I still can't imagine 8's) but whereas one could come much closer with a heat range choice, that is pretty much a start hotter and see what works kind of event. 

3. As an example, on the 2000, that is a high compression supercharged V10 that I built 23 years ago. I kept copious notes on the plug ranges in use from heavy racing and more general mix street driving. The plugs made a huge difference and I would swap them out as needed. Of the three really important COOLER plugs and the two most important HOTTER plugs, Champion only can supply two out of all of them now, and neither of them are really "specialty. " The part stores may list them, but they don't really sell them. At one point Campion gave me a name of a plug resource I could call (nice of them) but that turned out to be a guy who basically was a collector. He said ,whereas he knew exactly what I was looking for, he had 3 or 4 plugs of a couple of them. We had a long talk and he ended by sighing and saying "in 10 years kids will be swapping out electric motors and these plugs like them cars in them will be their rear view mirror...and the plug companies know it." Boom....

 

Ken, I find that cooler plugs are a final fine tune for higher compression, even with a single atmosphere. These early cars without fuel injection are even less forgiving, one ends up targeting acceleration and just lives with deceleration popping or pinging when you are in the target performance range of the hotter plugs. I use 11's from Champion and they do a reasonable job. I also have Autolite that do the job.  In more modern designs the extended tip places it in a hotter range where they clean themselves nicely. We don't have that option. Note that platinum tips are used because they can go the distance, but they they are by their very material poor conductors. Even though they last a long time, it is a performance step down. Iridium is better than platinum ( and palladium) but all three pale compared to copper. Copper make the best spark but they need to be changed out most often. Since most of us dont drive much, none of this matters. 6 plugs...old motor designs....pay the bucks to find the right heat range and get what works. 

 

I'll let this topic go....
 

[Veemoney]

21 hours ago, Sniper said:

I think I might run a set of RJ12YC, with the projected nose to see if they work better.

Be careful with the projected tip plugs. I picked up a few boxes of these some time back on the cheap. I use the J12C in a number of cars and motorcycles. In my flathead they were to long and I did not have enough clearance between the valve and plug to run them. Roughly about .090" longer from the shoulder to the tip than the RJ12C.

 

I show the RJ12YC on the left and the RJ12C on the right. Also my head is shaved about .080".

 

 

  

Edited May 26, 2023 by Veemoney

[Sniper]

Thanks for the info, I will be running an Edgy head, so maybe I will use clay to check clearances before I run them.

[jgreg53]

I thought autolite lost their contract with Walmart.  I worked for autolite for thirteen years making spark plugs.  The Walmart contract was a very big deal back then. All I see in Walmart not is a few plugs for small engines. 

[Semmerling]

On 5/26/2023 at 10:50 AM, Veemoney said:

Be careful with the projected tip plugs. I picked up a few boxes of these some time back on the cheap. I use the J12C in a number of cars and motorcycles. In my flathead they were to long and I did not have enough clearance between the valve and plug to run them. Roughly about .090" longer from the shoulder to the tip than the RJ12C.

 

I show the RJ12YC on the left and the RJ12C on the right. Also my head is shaved about .080".

 

 

  

 

YES, in Champion "E" "H" and "Y" and one would need a real reason to use them and would have to see if they would work.  
 

The most common use of extended plugs is obviously when the stock head is designed to use them and, after that, there are VERY few uses for them. Swapping to an extended plug does exactly nothing in regard to IGNITION if your engine was designed for a non-extended plug and, as you and Sniper alluded to, can be an expensive mistake.  But there are some very specific instances when they are used and there is work done BEFORE their use to see if it is safe. Since I cannot think of any reason to run an extended plug in a flathead 6 running a normal single atmosphere and isn't using NOS, what follows if for later engines and their use.

All of what follows takes for granted that one's air/fuel mix is excellent. One needs to know that extended tips have a unique characteristic, they run HOT at lower RPM driving and COOLER during aggressive driving. Hotter because the tips are farther from the cooling effects of their ceramic wrap and cooler because of the increase in high RPM incoming air/fuel. The target here is the  higher RPM range when they are ever replacing a normal length plug. In other words....high RPM racing. All of that is AFTER one has tried to simply run cooler plugs than the stock plug and only if one's car still displays the driving symptoms that hot plugs can manifest in performance builds.  What are some of those symptoms? Well, they all exist of the fine edge of tuning and there are a number like exhaust popping on deceleration and/or hesitation in accelerating on a quick stomp after cruising at a constant speed for a period of time. Before somebody says "running too rich" read the 1st sentence of this paragraph. 


 

 

 

[Sniper]

1 hour ago, Semmerling said:

All of what follows takes for granted that one's air/fuel mix is excellent.

 

I don't think excellent applies to the flathead in this regard.  Adequate, maybe. 

 

1 hour ago, Semmerling said:

The most common use of extended plugs is obviously when the stock head is designed to use them and, after that, there are VERY few uses for them.

 

This would be incorrect.  Plenty of testing has shown a definitive benefit to running extended plugs in applications that didn't come with them.  Obviously, not all applications will see the benefits and some will see issues, but a blanket denial is wrong.

 

https://www.ngk.com.au/technical_info/projection/

 

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/the-toolbox/performance-spark-plug-buyer-s-guide/31377

 

https://www.speed-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=63844

 

[PV52]

I recently discovered these at Walmart as well and bought 12 of them, so another set on hand for the next tune-up. As a mention, these are not resistor plugs so they may cause radio interference. I have no radio though.

[desoto1939]

On 6/10/2023 at 4:50 PM, PV52 said:

I recently discovered these at Walmart as well and bought 12 of them, so another set on hand for the next tune-up. As a mention, these are not resistor plugs so they may cause radio interference. I have no radio though.

If you get static then go to NAPA and get a Radio Statis Condenser and install it on the generator.

 

Rich Hartung