spark plug wires

[tn8n]

didn't notice after doing rebuild i had number 3 wire laying on the exhaust manifold, needless to say it's burnt through and shorted. last time i bought plug wires i bought the cut-it-to-length variety and was thouroughly disappointed. does anyone know if a certain make or model car/truck wire set happens to fit without modification? or is it a forgone conclusion i'm going to have to do it custom. 51 8n sidemount. thanks matt
 

[HCooke]

Dennis Carpenter and Just 8Ns sell 'like original' spark plug wires that you do not have to cut. They are more expensive than the cut it yourself kits. Remember, use copper core wires, not graphite core wires.
 

[tn8n]

ok thank you i will check on those. i should have known better in the first place than to buy generic chinese wires at TSC, but live and learn. i was hoping to get a set at somewhere like autozone or napa today while i'm out working because i really need to mow before it rains tonight.
i guess what i was hoping is that someone would know like say a set for an 84 celica or a 93 accord or whatever would fit, just giving wild examples here.
i think i will take my cut set in and ask if i can compare them and maybe find one. if i find one i will report back and maybe help someone with this question in the future.
 

[sHan tn]

if your old wire still has the copper core intact just wrap it with several layers of electrical tape and keep it away from the manifold and it will be fine....
 

[souNdguy]

it wasn't THE 'CHEAP CHINESE' wires that made them lay on the manifold.

it was the non observant operator / maintainer of the machine.

You will have to get a set of wires that are for a much older vehicle or custom hot rod if you want metal core.

going in and matching up a set on the shelf of anything from the 70's and up is gonna get you a carbon core set.

if ya need to mow, just insulate the damaged wire and quit fretting about it.

it's a wire... a coat hanger would get the engine started.

make sure it has continuity and insulation and go.

a piece of 14awg slipped thru a 1/4" rubber hose would work if you had to.
 

[sHan tn]

this is true... when i converted my square coil to an external coil i didnt have a coil wire long enough so i "temporarily" spliced 2 wires together and taped them up good and it worked fine,,, only problem is im lazy and my "temporary" fix is still working today mow with it twice a week for about 2 hours a shot
 

[tn8n]

i guess i worded my response poorly, i know that a wire touching the manifold will burn whether it is cheap expensive or otherwise. what i meant is just the wires in general. the little brass ends you break off and squeeze onto the end of the wire are weak and half of them broke or bent just from the pressure of attaching them and the brass on the plug end is so soft it won't stay securely attached to the plug. after one time removing them to clean or gap the plugs they had spread out to where i have to squeeze them with pliers so they'll stay clipped to the plug. i've been wanting to get a nicer set since the day i put them on but i didn't want to spend money while these were at least functional. now i've finally got an excuse to get rid of em.
 

[Caryc]

You can get everything you need to make plug wires at Napa. All you need is the metal core wire that you can buy by the foot and the following.

90 degree metal elbow connectors
90 degree rubber boots
straight distributor end metal clips
straight distributor end rubber boots

Spray your wire and inside your spark plug boot with WD40 and slide the boot onto the wire. fasten the metal clip on and slide the boot over it.

Do the same for the distributor side. I found that a tool for crimping TV cable ends on works great on the plug ends. I stick a small drill bit in there before I make the crimp and it makes the crimp tighter.

Don't cut your wire first. Just do the plug end and stick it on the plug then you'll know exactly where to cut it to fit the distributor. It's a good idea to have a few feet on hand with extra ends in case you need to make one up in a hurry as you found out.




 

[JCinKY]

I have bought the same set before and was disappointed as you were. Biggest problem I faced was that when I inserted them into my front mount dist cap, you CANNOT get them back out with out pulling the brass contact off.

It pretty bad when you can't even remove the distributor as a whole and work on it on the bench. I'll never buy the cut-to-length again. Get a better set with copper cores and save yourself lots of headache.

In response to your actual question...I highly doubt you could buy off the shelf copper core wires for a 40s-50s 4 cyl at any local auto parts store. Law of supply and demand, little supply = little demand. Gonna have to order em.
 

[Paul in Edmonton]

I just ordered a set of wires from Just 8Ns ("8NE 12259-PREMIUM"), so I hope they're properly cut/crimped, but we'll see when they arrive. If they're not crimped, I'll remember this tip.

-Paul
 

[souNdguy]

unfortunately, this is still user error.

I use those very same wires on all my ford gassers.

You get MUCH better service fromt he brass pieces if you use a pair of wire cutters and snit them off the sprue, trimming the lil connecting pieces that will catch and cause difficulty in insertion and removal.

Also, trimming the wire back about 1/4" from the end and slipping it thru the smal perfed triangular hole at the base of the clip, and then soldering it, and trimming hte end yeilds a STRONG and good electrical connection. I've never lost a brass clip once soldered .. the go in and come back out fine.

to slip the wire thru the boots, use a bit of silicone.. or even vasolene or that fancy dielectric grease some sets give you.

as with most things in life.. there is no free lunch.

minimal effort yeilds minimal results..

extra effort yeilds extra results.

Not what most people want to hear.. but i've found it to be true.

I havn't kept up with my count lately.. but I wager i've got over 20 tractors, and only a few are diesel.. the rest are gassers. they are ALL using those cut to fit plug wire sets from tsc or similar stores.

-0- issues

soundguy
 

[souNdguy]

yep.. nothing magic about that type of secondary.. just come up with enough insulation to prevent leakage and keep it off of hot things and sharp spinning things.

I have literally pulled tractors out of barns using 14awg primary wire stripped back and twisted around a spark plug top and then stripped back, balled up and shoved into a dizzy cap hole... it's just a path for electrons...
 

[souNdguy]

unfortunately, this is still user error.

I use those very same wires on all my ford gassers.

You get MUCH better service fromt he brass pieces if you use a pair of wire cutters and snit them off the sprue, trimming the lil connecting pieces that will catch and cause difficulty in insertion and removal.

Also, trimming the wire back about 1/4" from the end and slipping it thru the smal perfed triangular hole at the base of the clip, and then soldering it, and trimming hte end yeilds a STRONG and good electrical connection. I've never lost a brass clip once soldered .. the go in and come back out fine.

to slip the wire thru the boots, use a bit of silicone.. or even vasolene or that fancy dielectric grease some sets give you.

as with most things in life.. there is no free lunch.

minimal effort yeilds minimal results..

extra effort yeilds extra results.

Not what most people want to hear.. but i've found it to be true.

I havn't kept up with my count lately.. but I wager i've got over 20 tractors, and only a few are diesel.. the rest are gassers. they are ALL using those cut to fit plug wire sets from tsc or similar stores.

-0- issues

soundguy