The Dodge Challenger Message Board

Guys,
Can you tell if there is a life term with spark plugs leads and how much of a difference would it make if you had the same ones for a while, why do the not perform as good if they are old, and what type of leads are good for our car. Is it simply a case of buying the most expensive for the hell of it or are there certain ones suited for our cars.

Forgive me if its a silly question its just I dont know these things but when told I will remember, so fire away guys!!

Yes. And no you dont need the most expensive! Wayne if they are old and crusty they probably need changed. . I would get a set of black MSD 8.5mm Super Conductors if OEM originality isnt a problem, if you want the original look you can get a set from various vendors in the UK I'm sure. Maybe Dave has a good supplier. I prefer MSD but thats just me Wayne. There are other good wires. I use MSD on both my gas vehicles. As the wire gets old the conductor gets brittle, burned, resistance increases as heat increases and they can no longer insulate as well when old&crusty. Plus they scatter the spark all over the engine bay when faulty and old. You should see it in the dark!

airfuelEddie wrote:Yes. And no you dont need the most expensive! Wayne if they are old and crusty they probably need changed. . I would get a set of black MSD 8.5mm Super Conductors if OEM originality isnt a problem, if you want the original look you can get a set from various vendors in the UK I'm sure. Maybe Dave has a good supplier. I prefer MSD but thats just me Wayne. There are other good wires. I use MSD on both my gas vehicles. As the wire gets old the conductor gets brittle, burned, resistance increases as heat increases and they can no longer insulate as well when old&crusty. Plus they scatter the spark all over the engine bay when faulty and old. You should see it in the dark!

there was a test done on new plug wired, they tested a new one, and the the guy whipped it one time on the table , the wire lost half of its capacity, the thing i learned , if you pull the boot of , and dont stretch the wire, its ok, but after a couple 3 years i will replace mine as i will this week end , ,cause the boots have gotten soft, and they deteroiate ,and dont insulate as well, i also use msd stuff, it seems to last the longest,one of the problems we have here in colorado, the humidity was 6 percent on saturday i kid you not 6 percent, so our bodies last , but all the rubber , and vynal bits dry out , and rot so we have good rust free panels but our interiors dry out, as well as wires, etc, sorry for the ramble i gotta get to work!o btw we have only had 3.6 inches of rain since january 1 st!

One key thing is to keep the plug wires CLEAN. The distributor cap and coil too.

Dirt attracts moisture. They both conduct electricity to some degree. Any electricity tracking down the outside of the wire is just going to waste.
Any conductivity across the face of the coil or the inside of the distributor cap is going to waste.

If you have ever got a shock from grabbing the ignition leads or distributor cap then you know you are loosing spark power.

Keep it all clean and dry.

I like MSD 8.5mm too.

Great read guys I understand now, I will try those things suggested and try not end up looking like this guy!!

When we changed two leads a few weeks back there was damage to the lead connecting to the coil, it created a tiny blue stipe of lighting(kool to watch actually) when we took it off it was broken from its cap and just hanging on by the rubber, also one of the longer leads was hanging down and touching of the exhaust manifold on the passenger side and had burned into the rubber. I imagine this had a huge effect on the car when I tried to get it going, would this have been the problem when I had the car running and when I hit the pedal it died because of the demand for spark or power on take off??

I take it that the wires touching each other is also bad, do they need to be kept independant form each other and everything else for that mater from the plug to the dizzy?

It is better to keep them apart where possible.
In particular where they need to run in parallel alongside each other and where they are next to each other in the firing order.

Touching at 90 degrees is OK.

I don't know how much you know about how electricity is generated?

Electricity flowing through a wire has a magnetic field around it.

But because the voltage in a wire goes up high and back down again to nothing it creates a varying field.

If you have another wire in that field it induces a current in that one too.

In fact this is how the coil works.

http://challenger.mpoli.fi/forum/viewto ... ?p=191#191

So you could have a weak spark induced into another plug wire before you really want it to spark at all.

I wil check for that Dave, interesting stuff there, certainly stuff that Id not been aware of before!! Cheers.

RedRaven wrote:I wil check for that Dave, interesting stuff there, certainly stuff that Id not been aware of before!! Cheers.

yes my car is nicknamed frankenstein, cause when i bought it ,and got it home all the wires ,coil,and distrubutor , all had a blue frankenstein halo around them , it was really cool, but then i worried that something might catch fire,so we shut it down and replaced EVERYTHING and solved the problem

Yeah drew my spidy senses kicked in when it happened, and the coil aint too far from the carb...re-checked all the fuel lines after that just to be sure there were no leaks.

drewcrane wrote:

RedRaven wrote:I wil check for that Dave, interesting stuff there, certainly stuff that Id not been aware of before!! Cheers.

yes my car is nicknamed frankenstein, cause when i bought it ,and got it home all the wires ,coil,and distrubutor , all had a blue frankenstein halo around them , it was really cool, but then i worried that something might catch fire,so we shut it down and replaced EVERYTHING and solved the problem

Yep, a 'neat' thing to observe is how much current you can actually see from under the hood in the dark. Using top quality components and changing them when the time calls for it is paramount to a strong reliable ignition sysytem. I too like MSD for everything! They make their 8.5 mm SC wires in black for the OEM look. I use an MSD Blaster II Coil,(black color), NGK FR5 non- platinum plugs, 8.5 SC wires (in black), MoPar Perf. Dizzy with 18 initial 16 mechanical,(34 total), all in by 2600 RPM,s no vac adv. and it starts easy, runs great, no "light shows" at night under the hood!

So new MSD 8.5mm leads for me then yeah??

MSD yes, If you have the stock wires on it and they are getting a little old then Yeah new leads might be in order. Just keep in mind the connection at the dizzy. The stock dizzy caps may or may not accept the dizzy end of the wire leads. If you order the wires and come to find out they wont fit into the dizzy cap then the cap may have to be modified to fit. This usually involves a sharp drill bit, steady hand and slightly drilling out the cap a bit. It might fit perfect however, it depends on the cap Wayne. I think they fit 'stock' OEM caps but not the MoPar Perf. caps (Tan colored), (The black ones seem to fit better), maybe others have similar experiences or some other tips for installation. Dave is correct on keeping them seperated and secured especially on a big block MoPar!

I will look for that, six pack are usually good for Mopar gear so maybe they will know,

The must be changed individually right, one at a time then replaced and so forth!! Should I get the timing checked by somebody aswell, what about the carb settings??

I thought you already had that done Wayne? If not then yes I would enlist the aid of someone who can check the timing, try to get it at around 34 degrees at 3000RPM's The carb I wouldnt mess with too much, make sure it's opening all the way,(the linkage at WOT), and the choke isnt set or slightly closed when warmed up. Fresh plugs will really help! Oh and taking the wires off one at a time and replacing them that way will help you keep them in the right firing order. If you order a set of MSD wires they include a set of wire lead clips that have the correct cylinder number printed on them and they are VERY handy for that. I suggest you install them, if for some reason they dont come with them you can use masking tape.

airfuelEddie wrote:I thought you already had that done Wayne?

All 8 plugs were changed, only one of the eight leads were changed and the coil to dizzy lead.

airfuelEddie wrote:If not then yes I would enlist the aid of someone who can check the timing, try to get it at around 34 degrees at 3000RPM's

This is basic mechanics right?? Is it an easy enough task?

airfuelEddie wrote:The carb I wouldnt mess with too much

I wouldnt dream of it!!

airfuelEddie wrote:make sure it's opening all the way,(the linkage at WOT), and the choke isnt set or slightly closed when warmed up.

Should it be open all the way all of the time or just when you throttle?

On the throttle linkage: Just make sure it opens all the way Wayne with NO binding or excess effort. If you feel a 'sticking' when you depress the linkage by hand it will surely 'stick' or delay at the track! On the timing: Rev the engine to 3000RPM's No More than that however, and see what the timng tape shows. The timing light lead is red to battery positive and black lead to #1 spark plug next to the battery at the front of the engine, it has the clamp on it for the spark plug wire.Make sure it shows at least 32-34 degrees at that RPM with the vacum advance disconnected. Then reconnect it after the test. I would get all new leads to the plugs Wayne. The bad one is an indicator that they all need changed probably. make sure the oil level is a little low, NOT on the full mark or above it at all. I would dump a bit to ensure this! At higher RPM's it whips the oil into a froth, this isnt good for the engine at all. Front tyres aired up to max pressure around 40 PSI ask Dave or Drew for more Drag/staging tips I'm sure they have a bunch. A pretty girl near the starting line with big boobs is probably the best advantage, how about Holly from Last year!! (Maybe not for you though)

Don't worry Wayne. I will be giving the timing a check and maybe a tweak when I see you at the Nats.

dave-r wrote:Don't worry Wayne. I will be giving the timing a check and maybe a tweak when I see you at the Nats.

The Gaffer folks!!!

And now that we all know bro Wayne is heading into battle with Dave. If he loses....Dave will have his way with him. It probably wont be pretty! GO WAYNE!!

airfuelEddie wrote:And now that we all know bro Wayne is heading into battle with Dave. If he loses....Dave will have his way with him. It probably wont be pretty! GO WAYNE!!

I fear The Gaffers pinky finger...you should see what he does with it Eddie!!!

Oh and its not sexual either!!!

OMG! He'll poke you in the eyesocket with it I'm afraid

airfuelEddie wrote:OMG! He'll poke you in the eyesocket with it I'm afraid

Na that would be too easy for him...trust me

Actually It is funny you say that because very nearly poked a guy in the eye the other day.

It was a case of "bicycle rage" between me and another cyclist on my way home the other night.

I am getting really good at not hitting people. I am very proud of myself. Before about 10 years ago I would not have even hesitated or thought about it.
I am a changed man these days. A change for the better I think.

poked a guy in the eye ,see its all fun and games till someone looses an eye,yes dave i used to be that way, and i guess ive gotten older a little wiser to let things go , but i too almost slugged someone who just didnt know how to DRIVE! , but im calm now its ok

I used to ride a bicycle all the time. I had a Schwinn LeTour 12 speed. It would be way to heavy and 'obsolete' today but I had to give it up. There are NO bike paths to ride on. The cars/trucks dont care if they hit you. 3-5 people a year get killed/run over a year average in my small town! It's much safer to ride a high powered sportbike I wonder what Wayne really meant about Daves pinky finger. My instructor keeps his in his nose all the time. He even has a long fingernail on that one to aid in digging in his 'shnozoola'

Schwinn LeTour 12 speed.wow i had the same bike,it was stolen with 2500 miles on it, and no brakes,i think of waynes sig. now when i talk about it

Ya know when Dave says poked his eye out Im sure he meant his pinky would enter the cranium at the rear and exit through his eye socket!! Powerful piece of kit I tells ya!!