Will these plug wires be OK?

I have a 78SC and I think I have bad wires. The dealer wants over $330 for the shielded stainless braided wires. I've seen a couple of styles in "Performance products" for my car. Some called "Jacobs Energy Core" wires and others called "Fyrebraid" wires and another set just called "heavy duty" wires.
The only set which say's they have the stainless outer braid are the heavy duty ones. which are the most expensive of the three. Will putting on wires without this shielded braid damage anything because of RF noise generated? Can the Jacobs wires be used? They claim 280% better spark conductivity, but will the reduced resistance (either pure or inductance/capacitance reactance) damage my coil. Is anyone using non-shielded wires where the stock wires were shielded? Is the shield only to reduce ignition noise in the car's stereo?

Thanks for the help,
Leon

[This message has been edited by leon (edited 07-26-2000).]

I would check to be absolutly sure the wires are bad since at that price you do not want to waste the money. Check the diagram on the PP site here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/911/911_Parts/1974-75/9-1.JPG
You will note the parts #19 and #20 are replaceable and I have had those replaced over the years, especially the resistors that connect to the distributor cap as they tend to burn out it seems. A good shop should be able to tell you exactly what is failing. Good luck.

I got a new set of wires last week for $100. They are not steel braided but either were the ones that were on there before. They seem to work fine and there is no interference on the radio. I got them from Easy Porsche in Emeryville, CA.

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Martin
'70 911T

Vertex has them for $139 I think plus shipping and 3% fee.
Dean

I have recently upgraded to nology hotwires and i am very pleased with them.
cost was around $225.
Pazz
79 SC targa

I purchased a set of 8.5mm magnecore wires from http://www.windward-perf.com for my '87 coupe for less than $150. You might want to check them out. There is a lot of hype when it comes to plug-wires and windward is not ashamed to tell the truth....

I have replaced my steel braided wires with a complete aftermarket set of unbraided ones 2 years ago. Paid less that $80. No problems at all.
I think there was also a reply by Warren a couple of days before.

jens

Guy's,
Thanks for the info. I have a couple of questions for you...

Dean, Do the vertex wires you mentioned have a stainless braid, and if so where can I get them.

JDaniel, I called "Windward" as you suggested and they do have a set of "Magnacore" wires for my car. I may try them, Thanks.

Jens, Do you remember what brand they were and where you got them?

Thanks again guy's
Leon

[This message has been edited by leon (edited 07-27-2000).]

Leon,

There is no need to replace your sparkplug wires with the sheilded variety, as others have indicated.

There are a couple of ways to determine if your OEM wires are bad, or affecting your engine's running:

One way is to put the engine on an ignition Scope. The display, interpreted by an experienced technician, will tell you if there is a problem with the wires.

Another way, not quite as sophisticated, is to run your engine in total darkness, and look for arcing and 'Corona effect' ... sure signs that the wires are breaking down along the path, before the spark gets to the sparkplugs!

One final way, if you find arcing or corona, is to remove the wires individually, and test the ends (distributor end that plugs into the distributor cap, and sparkplug connector,) after unscrewing the end from the wire, to see if any defective pieces can be found. The ends are reusable ... and if still within spec. ... can be reused with new, bulk replacement wire such as AC-Delco SS-550 7 mm silicone wire with stainless steel core. All of the ends contain a resistor element that can be tested with a multimeter or Ohmmeter, units with good continuity can be re-used indefinitely! The individual wires are neoprene-insulated, and DO HAVE A FINITE LIFETIME!!! The distributorends are typically 1000 Ohms, and the sparkplug connector is typically 3000 Ohms, both have a 20% tolerance. The OEM Bosch CDI-unit can jump accross an 'open' connector in cooler weather, but a miss will typically develop above 80 degrees F.

I do not recomment aftermarket sparkplug wires, and have found claims of 'better' performance or specs to be ADVERTISING HYPE! On the other hand, I have had good luck re-using the OEM connectors, just replacing the neoprene wire. Replacing just the old neoprene wire is a lot more cost effective than buying another set of wires!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

[This message has been edited by Early_S_Man (edited 07-27-2000).]

Hey Warren, Are you kidding me? you mean to say that the ends of my OEM plug wires screw on and off? Could it be? that would save a bundle of $ on my 1991 C2 (dual distributor hence 2 sets of wires). Replacement sets sell for around $450, ouch! please tell me more!

Thanks Warren,
I have used the corona night test before, However I assumed that because these had a grounded braid around them you wouldn't see it because the leaking energy would literally be grounded on the skin of the wire so I hadn't tried it. Regardless of the outcome I've decided to change them anyway. The current wires are original,(22 years old), even though they appear OK. I was thinking of trying the "Magnacore" wires that JDaniel recommended above. Have you any knowledge of them being good or bad?


Thanks for the help?
Leon

Warren's right. They screw off. It doesn't appear that they do initially,but you have to give then a bit of a twist. It's a really simple set up. Imagine an upturned wood screw- this just rotates directly into the end of the lead. I had to really force a few of mine to untwist and was a bit worried about damaging the cable...but hey, if you do then just replace it with some new bulk wire anyway. While it's all apart you can check all the caps etc with a multimeter.

Try it. It's a nice afternoon's job, plus you can clean everything up while it's apart.

Does anyone know the method to check the 'coil'?

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'72 911 TE

I believe that, with one end removed from an ignition cable, you can remove and reinstall the braided "sock." In other words, even if you buy another ignition wire set, you can place the braided sock on the new set if you can remove an end.

I agree with the cheaper solution though (cuz I'm a cheapskate). Disassemble. Test. Reuse ends that are still good. Get some bulk awesome ignition wire, cut to length, install sock, install ends....

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'83 SC

Leon,
Vertex is in FL Phone is 305-442-2727
I just bought them. Yes they are stainless braided and they look OEM.

Dean

Warren's right-the "corona" test is a great (cheap, easy) way to see if your plug wires are leaking spark energy-the light show on an engine that seems to run just fine is amazing, sometimes--just be sure to do it in a COMPLETELY dark garage, give your eyes a few minutes to adjust, and don't look directly at the wires, try to use the sides of your eyes-it sounds weird, but human eyes are more sensitive to light and movement at the edges of our vision, while color and depth are better seen in the center-trust me, it works. I've been fooled in the past by ohming out plug wires (they showed around 5K ohms/ft removed from the engine, but still had the misfire when re-installed. A new set of stock wires cured the misfire completely-this was on a 4.6 modular Ford V8.) Go figure.