Simple enough.
Test the resistance of the spark plug wires themselves.
Heat does break down the insulation over time.
Check a new wire vs. the old wires.
----- Original Message -----
From: <jon@dakota-truck.net>
To: <dakota-truck-moderator@bent.twistedbits.net>
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 3:58 PM
Subject: Re: DML: Spark plug wire life span
>
> "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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