which spark plug wires??

82SC · 07-10-2002, 12:54 PM

PP offers many kinds...

jacobs, magnacore, etc...

which one...my car is not a hard core race car....

thanks

Laura-Hergesheimer MotorS · 07-10-2002, 01:10 PM

We only use and recommend BERU.

Kemo · 07-10-2002, 01:14 PM

Many discussions on the board in the past. Try the search feature. The general idea is to get spark to your plugs...from what i hear, plugs dont care that much about brand names

the early year (1974) STOCK wires will work great from what i hear. I bought the standard stock wires from Pelican that work great for my year (1978) which should be the same for yours. I think it was tad bit less than $180

The big problem is not the wires ( i think) but the BERU connectors. I have read about several guys here building their own wire sets from over the counter bulk wire.

Most of the discussions discount the need for the grounding straps.

I would just go with stock, either the shielded or unsheilded. if money is an issue, look into fabricating your own. The aftermarket wires are quite expensive.

Good luck.

82SC · 07-10-2002, 02:00 PM

shame on me shame on me...should search first...

actually my stock wires look fine...it is just last week when I replaced the rotor and the cap on of the wires diconnected from the plug (into the cap)

The contact looked very simple...tiney wires out of the cord, and a small metal prong in the plug...

is this repairable? or should I just spring for a new set???

I think I am not getting a spark in one cylinder...the engine runs a little lopsided...and my car shakes left to right

thanks

MJ

BTW I know nothing about ignition stuff...

sammyg2 · 07-10-2002, 02:10 PM

I am personally very happy with my Magnecor 8.5 wires. They work just fine, are built well, and come with a lifetime replacement warranty. The price was also much lower than the OEM wires.

jabb · 07-10-2002, 02:59 PM

84 Carrera = Beru Wires

speeder · speeder's Garage

Funny, but I just had a Beru plug connector off today, (to replace little flat rubber seal for VC), was thinking how easy to build your own with these. I would either go with stock braided set, or build a set with very high-quality plug wire and NEW connectors on both ends. Anyone know if beru ends are available for dist cap end of wire?

As for the braiding, I cannot imagine a problem w/ interference from new or good condition high-quality wire stock; modern cars w/ computers and crazy number of sensors under hood don't seem to need them.

Bill Douglas · 07-10-2002, 06:52 PM

Or, instead of replacing them; check them for resistance.

The Bentley book says how much resistance they have if in good condition. And if they are failing try snipping a bit off the end and screwing the connector back on, then re-test.

I was going to buy a new set beacuse I tend to replace things like that on my cars, but I found mine to be in perfect condition.

Ummm, what to spend the $195.00 on that I just saved....

JSDSKI · 07-10-2002, 07:00 PM

JW Walker, Steve Weiner, and Bruce Anderson, amongst others, recommend Magnecor which available thru at Pelican. Steve W, in particular, says the Beru's are the source of many "tough to diagnose" intermittent misses and "hunting" ignition problems - not had that problem with Magnecor. Check out their website - the link is on "Recommended Upgrades" under the 1974 - and up Pelican Parts Carrera catalog. I just got some yesterday and the quality of construction is impressive.

MBAtarga · 07-12-2002, 05:25 PM

Joe, your link above does not work - it prompts for a login. Could you cut and paste the appropriate info please? Or provide a workable link perhaps?

stlrj · 11:05 AM

I just replaced my cables on my 86 3.2 with Autolite 96 Dodge (3.5L) Intrepid cables with the long plug ends and used the
Beru dist. cap ends. Total cost $81 at Kragan.

Sorry for the poor picture quality, my lighting was poor and hand was shaking too much.

Cheers,

Joe

stlrj · 09:02 AM

Anyone have pictures of what Magnecores or Jacobs wires look like on a 3.2 engine?

Cheers,

Joe Garcia
Redwood PCA since 1976 (former tech. chair.)
86 Carrera
2nd place Bosch Tech Quiz, 1980 Portland Parade
(Chuck Stoddard came in first)

Sorry for the poor quality of these pictures. Time for a new digital camera.

trade14u · 10-07-2003, 09:42 AM

82SC,

Last week, I also pulled the center wire out from the cap and it separated from its connector. I fixed it - and I'm a doofis - very easily. Here's how:

First, I fished the copper (brass, bronze, whatever) connector out of the cap (mine was stuck). Then, I stripped back about 1/16th inch of the insulation back from the wire so a new, clean piece of wire was exposed.

Next, I got my soldering iron and heated the tip of the connector. The tip is actually a ball of solder so when it turned to liquid, I pushed the wire through the bottom of it and let the solder cool. The wire is now firmly connected to the tip.

Finally, I cut off any excess wire that extended past the solder. Like new....

Brad

Lucky · 10-07-2003, 10:21 AM

I recently bought a set of Magnecors for ~$105 and then moved the clips over from the OEM wires so I have the OEM look (and wire management). You have to drill out the holes in the OEM clips since the Magnecor insulation is bigger than OEM... I think a 5/16" drill was perfect.

The Magnecors are very high quality and look cool, too.

stlrj · 01:50 PM

John...do you have some pictures? What are the spark plug ends like? Are they screw in like the Beru's or do the wires go through a hollow plastic plug connectors directly to the spark plug?

I doubt it was necessary to thread the Magnacores into the stock wire separators since the conductors are not of stranded copper like the Beru's but are resistance core type material.

I know that I would never touch my Beru cables while the engine was running since I would problably get shocked. You won't have to worry about Magnacores or any cable made with resistance core conductors since the path of least resistance is no longer the entire length of the cables as in Beru but at the spark plugs where they should be.

Cheers,

Joe Garcia
Redwood PCA since 1976 (former tech. chair.)
86 Carrera
2nd place Bosch Tech Quiz, 1980 Portland Parade
(Chuck Stoddard came in first)

Lucky · 10-07-2003, 01:21 PM

Joe,

I'll take some pics later today and post.

I agree, it isn't necessary to route the Magnecors in the same manner as OEM, but I wanted to retain the tidy OEM look.

stlrj · 10-07-2003, 01:46 PM

John,

Don't you find the bright red cables a bit gaudy for an OEM look?

As much as possible, what I'm trying to do is to keep the OEM look on my engine so as not to raise too many eyebrows when it comes time for my California smog check.

Bright red looks too much like a red flag to me.

Cheers,

Joe Garcia
Redwood PCA since 1976 (former tech. chair.)
86 Carrera
2nd place Bosch Tech Quiz, 1980 Portland Parade
(Chuck Stoddard came in first)

UTKarmann_Ghia · 10-07-2003, 02:05 PM

Be VERY careful in choosing Beru as I installed new ones on my car and they have zapped me SEVERAL times through the wire. These were the wires the local wrench sold me and recommended and I'll never buy them again. I'm going to replace the 3 connectors from my stock wires and take out the Beru's.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

I just put a set of Jacobs on my '74 911 with 2.7 CIS to replace the Bosch/Beru cables that went bad. The Jacobs wires make a nice "click" sound when they snap on the plugs and I like that. I would recommend them and the price was reasonable.

911pcars · 10-07-2003, 04:20 PM

"You won't have to worry about Magnacores or any cable made with resistance core conductors since the path of least resistance is no longer the entire length of the cables but at the spark plugs where they should be."

Joe,
Have you tried grabbing hold of your Magnacores (or any type of plug wire) while the engine is running? How about with a wet hand and standing barefoot in a puddle of water?

The path of least resistance in any wire is the path of least resistance; which means .... the easiest path to ground - not necessarily the spark plug. The spark plug gap increases the resistance to current flow (on purpose) in order to increase the voltage and create a spark. If there's a current leak in the wire insulation and your hand (and body) provides the nearest conduit to ground, guess where the current goes? Of course, new plug wires keep those electrons safely on their way to the spark plugs. But still, keep those body parts away from plug wires when the engine is running. Modern ignition systems can pack a wallop if you're not careful.

Sherwood