Discharge off the Distributor Wires
 

Hello everyone again,

I opened my hood this evening after getting home from work with the engine still on and I saw a discharge off the distributor wires. I saw the kischarge on the coil side right where it meets the wire and also I saw a couple of the wires arching across each other on the distributor side when I reved the engine by hand.

My assumptions (I like to see if my knowledge is enough to get to the root of problems):

1. The spark plugs wires are bad, the insulation has deteriorated and they are arching across due to that.

2. The engine grounding wire is bad.

3. I'm totally off base and need to just keep asking questions, wait for you to answer, and stop wasting your time with my babbling... :)

Thanks in advance.

Plugs and wires....but more than likely, the wires themselves...the material has broken down enough that it's easier to ground through the insulation than jump the gap at the spark plug...micro-cracks in the insulation provide the out on the wires, carbon tracking at the coils, I'm guessing...time for Accel 300+ 8.8 mm wires...;)

:cool:

A fascinating light show none the less huh? :patriot: I imagine if you checked your gas mileage before and after you change you wires you should see a difference. I would change out the Cap and Rotor the same time, unless they have been changed recently.

Where is a good place to get good wires? I'd like to get a good set, but not pay an arm and a leg. Thanks!

Do you buy $2 Autolite plugs or $8 NGKs? Plug wires are the same way, you get what you pay for and the better ones are worth the investment.

Accel 300+....will last a decade.....and counting....:cool:

Good point, I only use NGK's. So, where is a good place to get good quality wires?

Jeg's.

having bad plug wires arent cool, even more durin the day and your toying around under the hood while the engine is running and your wondering why the hell you keep getting the hell shocked out of you!

You are definitely on the right track: bad plug wires and inadequate engine grounding, maybe bad plugs. I picked up a set of "do it yourself" plug wires from Autozone. 8mm and you cut them to the length that you want. This was very handy because I'm using a 2nd gen coil pack, and only need about 4 inch wires for the leading. They work great, and are a lot cheaper than the "made to fit" wires that you will find. Good luck! :)

I always wondered about those kits. Didn't know the Zone sold them though, good deal.