"ctandc" <ctandc@comcast.net> wrote:
> Spark plug wires are a maintenance item.
> They need to be replaced after so many miles / time
Yes, but the information I am looking for is *why* they are a
maintenaince item. Speaking from a strictly logical standpoint,
unless there is some sort of wear to the item which impairs its
ability to function properly, then there is no real reason to replace
it. I have already mentioned the fact that the insulation will
degrade, but I'm wondering about the electrode itself. Does it get
eaten up or changed in any way so as to increase its resistance or its
ability to transmit the spark? If not, then it would seem that if
someone were able to recondition a plug wire or modify it in a way so
as to repair the insulation, then the wire would still be serviceable.
Although people "say" to replace the plug wires every X years or Y
miles, I am a stubborn git and loathe to do anything for no more
reason than "because I said so". I want to understand *why* I am
doing what I am doing, rather than to just blindly go through the
motions.
There may be a parallel here between spark plug wires and engine
oil. Most people change their oil every 3,000 miles, however the oil
may still be perfectly fine and they are basically throwing away
perfectly good oil. A fleet operation with trucks who measure oil
fills in gallons rather than quarts is more likely to draw a sample of
the oil, test it, and only change it when it actually *needs* it.
Granted, the cost of the test versus the cost of 5 quarts of oil does
not allow the average consumer to save money by following the fleet
operator's example, but the analogy still holds.
If one were to know the reason *why* a spark plug wire should be
replaced, then one might be able to test the wires for this condition
and thus only replace a wire when it is "all used up", as they say. :-)
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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