[David E. Clark]

To test the wires, set your meter to Ohms. If it doesn’t say Ohms on your multimeter, look for the Greek symbol for Omega. Connect one lead to one end of the wire, and the other lead to the other end of the wire. What you’re checking for is called continuity. High resistance will indicate there is damage or corrosion somewhere in the wire. Refer to your wire's manufacturer for acceptable resistance ranges. For example, my Magnecor plug wire resistance is 98 ohm per cm, 3K ohm per ft. +/- 10%.

* Generally, if the measured resistance on standard plug wires is greater than 7,000 - 10,000 ohms per foot, the wire is defective and should be replaced. Some high end wires (like Magnecor) may be considerably less than 7,000 ohms per foot.

Finally, while keeping the meter hooked up to the wire, begin bending and flexing the wire while you monitor the voltage. If the voltage fluctuates, there is a break in the wire.

Plug wire problems can result in misfiring, hard starting, poor fuel economy and even the acceleration stumbling issues you have experienced.

Good luck!