Do spark plug wires really need to be changed at 60,000 miles?

Another line of reasoning htat has not been addressed yet - I remember being
told (by people trying to sell me stuff) that you have slightly more
efficient combustion from regular wire changes. Is it reasonable to expect
increased fuel economy exceeding the cost of the wires?

For the next year I am driving diesel, so this is all theoretical to me but
that will change soon.

regards,
KL

Keith E. Loyd wrote:
> Another line of reasoning htat has not been addressed yet - I remember being
> told (by people trying to sell me stuff) that you have slightly more
> efficient combustion from regular wire changes. Is it reasonable to expect
> increased fuel economy exceeding the cost of the wires?

no. hell no. either the spark gets through the wires and makes the gas
go boom, or it doesnt.
>
> For the next year I am driving diesel, so this is all theoretical to me but
> that will change soon.
>
> regards,
> KL
>
>

SoCalMike wrote:
> Keith E. Loyd wrote:
>
>> Another line of reasoning htat has not been addressed yet - I remember
>> being told (by people trying to sell me stuff) that you have slightly
>> more efficient combustion from regular wire changes. Is it reasonable
>> to expect increased fuel economy exceeding the cost of the wires?
>
>
> no. hell no. either the spark gets through the wires and makes the gas
> go boom, or it doesnt.

kinda. modern electronic ignition covers a multitude of sins, but in
the old days, good quality spark plug leads /definitely/ made for better
performance.

>
>>
>> For the next year I am driving diesel, so this is all theoretical to
>> me but that will change soon.
>>
>> regards,
>> KL
>>

"TeGGer" > wrote:

> Well, old wires increase the possibility of a *weak* spark. In wet weather,
> that weak spark may look OK when you hold the HT lead near the block and
> watch the spark jump, but it may not be strong enough to start the car.

You might also see some leakage. Open the hood in some nice dark location.
On my 88 Dodge that was running poorly at the time, it looked like a blue
light show. There was a spiderweb aura alongside each wire, as well as
some obvious crossover dancing.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5

TeGGer® wrote:
> Replacing the wires early may mean a few extra bucks spent early, but at
> least it increases your chance of being able to start the car without
> problems. And I like dependability more than I like squeezing the poop out
> of each penny.

which would mean OEM, right? or are aftermarket sets ok?

> Well, old wires increase the possibility of a *weak* spark. In wet
weather,
> that weak spark may look OK when you hold the HT lead near the block
and
> watch the spark jump, but it may not be strong enough to start the
car.
>


Not a technique to use on modern electronic ignitions. The longer the
spark, the higher the volts the system needs to generate to bridge the
gap. At some point, the circuit may blow out and that would be
expensive.

JM

wrote:

>>hold the HT lead near the block and watch the spark jump
>
>
>
> Not a technique to use on modern electronic ignitions. The longer the
> spark, the higher the volts the system needs to generate to bridge the
> gap. At some point, the circuit may blow out and that would be
> expensive.

So what's the preferred method, JM? I've got a tester that contains the
spark in a plastic housing and restricts the length of the gap to
whetever it is (don't have it handy). I'd expect you could also just be
careful (without a tester) and not hold the wire a mile from the block
when testing.

Abe

TeGGer® wrote:
> During short-term testing, the few seconds you're forcing the spark to jump
> an unusual gap will not harm anything.
>
> If you did this for several minutes, then there might be a problem.

Sounds reasonable. Thanks.