Spark Plug Wires

[carmover]

Does anyone know of a good source of plug wires for my 25 Buick? I bought a new set from Bob's this summer and they are  already arking big time.It ran good all summer and recently started to miss so I put it in total darkness running and put a light mist of water on them and they are jumping fire in several places. 

[Bob Engle]

Were the wires you got 9mm?  My car had 7mm wires and I replaced them with the correct 9mm.  John Brillman has the wire with the correct cloth braid on the outside, You need to cut and solder the plug connectors on the wire.  Cost is aboit $1.60 per foot plus shipping.  He has a web site for any info you may need.

 

Bob Engle

[carmover]

37 minutes ago, Bob Engle said:

Were the wires you got 9mm?  My car had 7mm wires and I replaced them with the correct 9mm.  John Brillman has the wire with the correct cloth braid on the outside, You need to cut and solder the plug connectors on the wire.  Cost is aboit $1.60 per foot plus shipping.  He has a web site for any info you may need.

 

Bob Engle

Bob, Mine are 9 mm lacquered wires.I would like to check with John if you could give the web address.   Thanks   Ronnie

[Morgan Wright]

https://brillman.com/

[Terry Wiegand]

Some of you might think that this is an irrelevant question, but, what does the size of the wire have to do with the way it will or will not perform?  When I upgraded the ignition system on my 1920 I used 7MM Black rubber coated wiring.  Why did I use 7MM wiring you might ask?  The Nickel Plated Rajah spark plug terminals are made to fit that size of wire and that is the terminal I chose to use.  Maybe there is something that I am totally missing here.  Please enlighten me.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[dibarlaw]

Terry:

 I did the same with the wires on my 1925. I had a  roll of Packard Cable plug wire. It still has tinned conductors. One reason was that trying to fit the new 9mm wires in the cover guide and under the cover. To me it was like a 2 lb. baloney in a 1lb. bag. I was also able to adapt new 90 degree rubber boots to fit for the longer 3076 spark plugs to keep them from shorting out to the cover.

 

[Mark Shaw]

Cloth insulation is also not waterproof unless it has been treated with a waterproof coating, & that was not done in the early days.  I suggest you should not spray water on your wires for the test.  Do it again dry to test for actual operation.

 

I believe Buick went to black rubber plug wires in Buicks with Delco Starter/Generators. Rubber is a better insulator and is waterproof.

Photo below is an un-restored 1916 Buick.

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by Mark Shaw (see edit history)

[DonMicheletti]

My '18 parts engine's plug wires are just rubber with no cloth outer. I believe they are original since the car was "decomissioned" in 1932. the wire inside the wire tube was that way.

I'd like to find the larger wire in just rubber, no cloth.

Now the car has Packard 440 from a long time ago

[Larry Schramm]

I would look at Tractor Supply or equivalent for a set of old tractor wires.  Should not be a problem.  Just modify to fit you needs &  size.  I would just make sure they have a copper core, not a graphite and fiberglass conductor.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[dibarlaw]

Larry:

That was where I purchased my first set of replacement copper core wires for my 1925. That was in 2011. Currently at our store their tractor parts and supplies section has been thinned down considerably.

[Spinneyhill]

So the rubber insulation from the 1920s and earlier hasn't broken down? I had fun with insulation on wires in my 1969-built house; it had broken down and shorted phase to earth. Mind you, it was an add-on circuit, so the wire might have been 10 or 20 years older.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Spinneyhill (see edit history)

[carmover]

2 hours ago, Mark Shaw said:

Cloth insulation is also not waterproof unless it has been treated with a waterproof coating, & that was not done in the early days.  I suggest you should not spray water on your wires for the test.  Do it again dry to test for actual operation.

 

I believe Buick went to black rubber plug wires in Buicks with Delco Starter/Generators. Rubber is a better insulator and is waterproof.

Photo below is an un-restored 1916 Buick.

 

Mark,Spraying a fine water mist on the wires was mentioned a while ago on this forum and I talked to a retired master mechanic that I know and he said that was a trick to use when you couldn't see any sparking.Last night in total darkness with my glasses on I couldn't see any sparking but could hear  it jumping and the engine was running rough.After I sprayed the mist I could see where it was jumping fire.So my problem is definitely in the plug wires.

[DonMicheletti]

My parts engine plug wire is as hard as dry pasta. No way would they work ! They crack when flexed.

Well, I dont think they would work.

[Larry Schramm]

Spraying water on the wires looking for shorts is an old school check for good or bad wires.  Been there done that lots of times and fixed a lot of misses in engines. 

 

If you are going to drive the car you should do this to be sure if you get caught in the rain, the car will continue to run.

 

If you are just going to take it out on nice sunny days and park it for a car show, it probably does not matter.

[cxgvd]

In Ronnie's original post he says he bought new wires, 7 mm, and they are arcing.  Why would new wires be leaking spark?

 

I purchased a set from the same supplier, 8 cyl, 7 mm, cloth covered, and am using them for two four cylinder engines now I question if they are good to use?  I need 7mm to fit the caps without alteration, the oak tracer is pretty to look at but black would be fine, too.

 

Thanks, Gary

[Bob Engle]

Electricity will take the path of least resistance.  If the wires are arcing, it's possible that the connectors at the plugs are not in top condition, It's also possible that the plug gap and grounding of the plug to the engine block is not at it's best.  Would any of the teflon antiseize products on the plug threads reduce the conductivity?  I would also test a slightly smaller plug gap to see it's effect.  The available plug wires are rubber coated with a cloth weave on the outside to look like orignal products.  Even if the cloth is wet, the rubber should have enough resitance to prevent arcing.  9mm wires have more resistance than 7mm wires.  More questions than answers.  Forgetting appearance, run the wires without using the metal tube and put separators on the wires to keep them away from each other and any grounding  potential. 

 

Bob Engle

[carmover]

I bought the wires last winter after rebuilding the engine and putting everything else in new.They worked fine through the summer months and the car ran perfectly until recently when it started missing.I have talked with another gentleman from this Forum that has had trouble with the wires from this supplier.These wires are lacquer coated and crack after a few months of use.they are not arking at the plug connections but on the actual body of the wire.

 

[Spinneyhill]

Are those wires NOS? Are they supple or hard?

 

Sounds like it might be old wire.

[Brian_Heil]

I'm running the 9mm bulk wire from Restoration Supply Company.  First set I made from them lasted 20 years.  The wire has a copper core and 'rubber' insulation and the cloth oak/yellow 'sock' with the tracer colors that look nice over the rubber.  Restoration Supply Co. has a wide variety of end fittings to choose from.  No issues here. 

[Gary W]

I've used RJ&L in New York for many of my wiring needs.  They made all the battery cables for my Buick and they have some cable ends that you can't find elsewhere.