spark plug wire protector tubing

[oly]

Has anybody found spark plug wire protector tubing to slip over non-oe wire sets? I bought the Karlyn wires and they work fine except that they did not come with protector tubing. So the wire guides that go over the cooling fan shroud can't hold the wires securely.

[derkpitt]

I used heat shrink tubing.

[oly]

Derk,

The heat shrink tubing that I have found is too thin. Where did you find the tubing that you used? Is it as thick as the original?

[derkpitt]

I found some at my work.
I'll look around and see if I can get a vendors name for ya.

And it's almost as thick as original.

[oly]

Great, thanks!

[derkpitt]

All I got is it's called heavy duty HS
3M Scotchbrite products
Don Kritchett 404-447-7012 or 7161 in ATL, GA

Or Sue Fleischauer 612-733-1867 in St. Paul

[oly]

Thanks derkpitt!

[oly]

Update:

I tried this tubing from McMaster Carr:

HIGH-TEMPERATURE SILICONE RUBBER TUBING, FIRM, 1/4" ID, 3/8" OD, 1/16" WALL (P/N 51135K212)

and it did not work. It looked good and I could get it to cover about 2 inches of the spark plug wire. But I could not get to cover more because the fit was too tight. Using Silicone Grease and Vinylex helped get it on another inch or so, but that was it. I chose the silicone tubing because it is good for high temperatures (up to 400 F). But between the ID and the durometer (70A) it would not work.

So I finally gave up and just used heat shrink tubing over the old tubing that I had sliced length wise to get off.

Next time, I'll try one or both of:
1. next size up 5/16 in ID, 7/16 in OD (p/n 51135K272)
2. the softer version with a durometer of 50A (p/n 51845KAC)

[stlrj]

Most OEM installations use a split plastic tubing, eliminating the need for fancy wire separators, bundling them together and routing them directly to where they need to go.

Separators serve little purpose other than looks.



Cheers,

Joe

[Rols 912]

In Australia they sell a wire protectors for drag racing applications - pretty fancy and works well. If your are interested I can dig out the company name as they mail globally?

[911pcars]

HD heat shrink is available at Del City electric.

Sherwood

[donporfi]

Do a web search for pvc tubing wire conduit
There are several manufacturers and distributors.
(no affiliation)
http://www.newark.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp?N=500003+1000473&Ntk=gensearch_001&Ntt=alpha+wire+tubing&Ntx=
PVC Tubing Wire Conduit 1/2 inch - Black - 10 ft roll: GIM-PVC-105-050-BK Genuinedealz

[oly]

Rols 912,

Thanks for the offer. I assume that "pretty fancy" means that it would not look like the Porsche original, is that right?

[oly]

Sherwood,

Thanks for the reference. I'd like to stay away from heat shrink though because it requires heating and I don't want to do that much work plus I don't want to accidentally overheat the ignition wires. The second problem probably is not a real problem, but I'd rather not take the risk.

[oly]

donporfi,

Thanks for the suggestion too. I was hoping to get more operating temperature range than the PVC though (max operating ~ 220F).

[hdbmw]

Hi, "Back in the day" Moroso sold some nice wire sheathing (with shrink wrap for the connectors) as part of their "Blue Max" line. A local speed shop should be able to tell you if it's still available. It was sold in different diameters (7,8,9mm,etc.). Our Muscle Car friends can be a great resource. Hope this helps.

[oly]

hdbmw,

Thanks for the tip. I just e-mailed Moroso and will post their response here.

[Rols 912]

OLY - its a white mesh. Not ideal for concourse but excellent if your car is a daily driver

[oly]

Moroso e-mailed back and recommended their P/N 72004 here:

Moroso : Category Display

It looks like overkill since the original was not fiberglass impregnated. But it looks better than anything else that I've seen so far. Now I just have to figure out how much it costs.

[oly]

Gads, the Moroso tubing is almost $3 per foot ($70 for 25 ft).