Saprk PLug cables

[Sorrow]

Hiz all,

 

can anyone advice on the lifespan of the spark plug cables?

 

Are we able to test the serviceability of the cables?

 

Wat effects are there if we have faulty cables???

 

Thanks in advance

[Pisces69]

Cables usually last 3 to 4 years.

 

Can just check if the sparking is not so good or the part that joing the rubber boot is usually the 1st to give way.

 

While your engine idling, just pull 1 plug boot out at a time & see the difference in the smoothness, then put it back & do the next boot.

 

If smoothness in not much difference when u pull out the boot, means the cable need to change.

[Yeobh]

Yes you can check the cable for resistance using a multimeter( cannot remember the rule of thumb on the resistance reading per foot for carbon type)and compare against a new one.

Edited August 30, 2006 by Yeobh

[Genie47]

That is about 100k km worth of driving. After that, its running on copper oxide!

[Pisces69]

If im not mistaken, my present cables r more than 4 years already.

 

Maybe it's time to check them liow.

[Genie47]

Don't check. Just buy.

 

I think the best is buy bulk plug cables. Usually they come in a roll of a hundred ft or something. I think you can get a roll of MSD 8.5mm ones for USD13 from eBay. Then get a wire man to pull off the old cable from the leads and use the new cable on it.

 

See Chimptoast's shop.

 

http://stores.ebay.com/Chimptoasts-Auto-Parts

[Yeobh]

Hardly anyone using copper cable, they cause alot of radio interfence. Most of the vehicles are using cabon as the conductor. Most of them tend to suffer intenal breakage due to heavy hand pulling - that is the most common cause to engine mis at high speed and erratic low idle speed

[Pisces69]

I usually get the OEM cables for abt $20 a set.

 

Not too ex & all is done nicely for me. Just unplug the old & plug the new.

 

Sometimes the end rubber boots also worn. Like this, everything is new.

 

No need to worry about water leaking in. Also the resistance is already calculated correctly.

 

What Yeobh says is correct. Now most plug leads using carbon to conduct current.

Edited August 30, 2006 by Pisces69

[Yeobh]

Right, always go for OEM unless you have a very old cars or doing upgrading to street or curcuit racing standards and safety.

[Sorrow]

i'm driving a 14 yr old car, so is tat old...

[Pisces69]

i'm driving a 14 yr old car, so is tat old...

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No lah. That's not old.

 

Mine is >17 years old. Still considered not old. I still try to use OEM for any replacements cos they r specially suited to the car.

 

No need to worry about non-compatiable parts.

[Pisces69]

Yup. OEM never gave me any problems yet.