spark plug wires

[johann86911]

Okay pelicaners - newbie and you've put up with my stupid questions so far so I'm going to continue trying my luck!

My car develops a slight miss on start up. I also have hot start issues.

I'm going to start with the spark plug wires for the miss before tackling the hard start issues.

My question - do I need to remove the compressor and plumbing etc out of the way before checking/ replacing the wires? Or is it relatively straight forward without removing the usual? a bit of a lazy mans question! looks pretty crowded in there.

[david.avrahami@]

I just replaced my wires...it is much easier to set them below the compressor and it is also a neater appearance if you remove the compressor.
but you can do it without removing it as well...
Make sure you mark the distributor cap with the spark plug number and the associated wire with its number to ensure proper set up

[johann86911]

Thanks David. J

[johann86911]

David, did you replace rotor/ distributor cap too or just wires?

[david.avrahami@]

I replaced distributor cap and rotor, dropped a few oil drops in the distributor shaft over the felt and replaced the spark plugs as well...I bought the magnecor wires from Pelican (kv85)

[Bob Kontak]

Magnecor wires are nice. I just bought the basics wires. Red ones.

Do yourself a favor and stick your head in the engine bay at night and see if there is any arcing going on. Let your eyes adjust to the darkness. If you see a light show you can reposition the wires but maybe time for a new set.

[johann86911]

Awesome. Thanks guys.

[wrxnofx]

I found it easiest to route the wires if your remove the 4 bolts that mount the compressor to the bracket. You can then lift the compressor (hoses still connected) to the side.

[johann86911]

The OEM wires seem to have a ground where as the magnecors do not. Anybody know why? I assume it's no big deal?

Also, the OEM set are almost 500 bucks more. any benefits from using them rather than Magnecors? Other than them being OEM of course.

[johnsjmc]

Originally Posted by johann86911

The OEM wires seem to have a ground where as the magnecors do not. Anybody know why? I assume it's no big deal?

Also, the OEM set are almost 500 bucks more. any benefits from using them rather than Magnecors? Other than them being OEM of course.

The oem wires used in some years have a woven/braided metal skin which is grounded in an effort to reduce RF interference on the radio. Later cars didn,t use it and the radio worked the same.
The magnecore wires are good replacements but are sometimes slightly bigger dia when fitting into original wire holders

[911pcars]

May or may not be the plug wires, rotor, distributor cap, air/fuel filter, fuel pump, ignition coil or DME, especially with difficult hot starts. I suggest diagnosing the complaint symptoms before spending money on redundant good parts. But if you can afford it, buying new parts is a commonly performed "repair". YMMV. If you suspect the plug wires, you could purchase a cheap set of domestic plug wires and see if that makes a difference (for testing only). Wires don't care what vehicle they're attached to.

Sherwood

[Salty Springs]

The magnecore wires are good replacements but are sometimes slightly bigger dia when fitting into original wire holders.


I believe the Magnacore wires are 1/16 of an inch larger. I took all the wire holders/put them in the vice and redrilled them. 5/16 of an inch if I recall.
Dave

[darrin]

any reason not to go with the beru (oem manufacturer) set? Looks like they come ready to install at a significant discount off factory

[pavegeno]

I went Beru and they were easy to install without removing the a/c compressor. Just need to be patient to work them. I like the stock appearance, so I also removed an aftermarket ignition coil in favor of the original. 1988 model.

[johnsjmc]

I was able to only replace the wires and reuse the oem resistor ends.1986 3.2 which started ok but stuttered in the rain. Insulation breakdown in the wires. Much less expensive vs a complete set.
Have also seen and used bosch complete sets made in S. Am. for a 993

[alfadoc]

Recently replaced mine, and got a very nice deal on a Bosch set. They are Bosch wire with original Beru ends. Very pleasing $80.00 expenditure.

[Kyle at Pelican Parts]

The Clewett Engineering wires are probably the nicest spark plug wires I've ever seen. They aren't cheap but it isn't unheard of to get 10 years of good operation out of them before they need replacing. They're available in black or red.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Magnecor wires are nice. I just bought the basics wires. Red ones.

Darn it. I bought Clewett wires not Magnecor. Getting old. Thanks for mentioning, Kyle.

Regarding Beru,

Braided insulation was installed to fix an interference "problem" as johnsjmc noted. It was found it was not the answer, and if I remember correctly, it was found radio interference was not the issue and the braided mesh was of no value.

Unfortunately, I cannot recall the source.