Re: Checking Plug Wires

[glen.powell@smc.com]

  1) open the bonnet at night and look for arcing

  2) mist the wires & distributor *lightly* with a garden hose & nozzle or
  spraybottle, look for arcing and poor idling, also works well at night,
  also try driving the vehicle while the wires & cap are wet, attempt to
  accelerate hard uphill in a high gear, sometimes you cannot reproduce an
  ignition voltage leak unless the cylinder pressure is high enough to
  create a lower resistance path to ground via a short Vs the resistance
  across the plug, higher cylinder pressure = higher resistance across the
  sparkplug gap.

  Don't use # 2 if you need to use the vehicle immediately, in case you do
  discover a bad wire or cap. Also, don't soak a very hot engine/turbo with
  water, do it when cool.

  -glen