Old wires--replace??

wholberg · wholberg's Garage

My car ('87 Carrera) runs great and idles smoothly. At night I see no arcing around the plug wires, but the exterior insulation is so brittle I can peel pieces off with my fingernails. The car is new to me so I do not know how long the wires have been in there.

Am I looking at an ignition failure waiting to happen? My inclination is to replace them, but I guess I just want reassurance that I am not breaking the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" maxim.

jmohn · jmohn's Garage

If it were mine, I'd definately replace them.

Jerry M
'78 SC

yelcab1 · 04-01-2005, 06:07 AM

I would replace them, and the plugs, cap, rotor, oil change, tranny fluid, gas filter, air filter, and any other hoses that are suspect on the car.

Now you know what you have.

wholberg · wholberg's Garage

OK, I will replace the wires so I know what I have. When I purchased this car, I took it to a Porsche shop and they adjusted the valves, changed oil, cap, rotor, air filter, flushed brakes.

I will replace the old wires, plugs, fuel filter, and check hoses.

Is there anything else I should do so I "know what I have"?

Repack/replace wheel bearings? Anything else?

Non-critical repairs it needs:

Drivers door does not lock (yes, I've done a search)
Buzzer does not work when lights are left on
Gas gauge sticks sometimes (sending unit, I presume)

The car has 88,000 miles and averaged about 1500 miles/year for the last 10 years (according to Carfax).

All suggestions/ideas are welcome.

yelcab1 · 04-01-2005, 07:40 AM

Quote:

[i]
Is there anything else I should do so I "know what I have"?

That is a real good start. Check to see if your oil lines are leaking, if so, change them. Your oil breather lines are real prone to leaking too. The gas return line on the 3.2L engine seems to get old and crack a lot. Don't forget transmission gear oil. I don't care much for the blue stuff, but Valvoline synthetic does well for me. Redline also good, in my BMW.

Wheel bearings should not have to be repacked unless you feel a little radial play at the rotors.

Quote:
Drivers door does not lock (yes, I've done a search)

It's inside the door, time to tear into it.

Quote:
Buzzer does not work when lights are left on

Ah, just ignore it, thank god it does not buzz.

Quote: Gas gauge sticks sometimes (sending unit, I presume)
Don't know, this is not a real common problem.

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