Spark Plug Wire Help

[Bonnell]

My car has been missing on and off for a while now. A mechanic who serviced my transmission told me my spark plug wires were really routed poorly and he separated two of them and teh miss stopped. It misses again probably because the wires are again touching.

It appears that there are a couple of places for holders/separators for the spark plug wires. The holders are there but they are broken. Where can I find a set of decent wires with these holders/separators?

Thanks - J

 

[jmccloud]

plug wires

If the wires are touching and 'jumping a spark' the wires are likely bad. Watch the engine run at night in a dark environment and look for sparks (after starting it up cold will be the most revealling). Don't reach in and get zapped or caught in the belts.
Most auto stores sell 'wire loom' parts, look in the display for 'HELP' parts.
Sometimes a bracket with a plastic wire holder on the end is available, sometimes just the replacement plastic clip. Also, flexible corrigated plastic conduit is available in a variety of diameters from NAPA, I use it a lot. Generally, long paralles runs of plug wires generate problems. If you have a Helms service manual it may show the original routing.
Hope this helps

 

[WNH]

I agree with the above post.
Mine is an '88 and the same thing happened when I changed my wires.
They threw sparks, that I could see when it was dark or in the garage.
Get new wires and buy the exact wire holders from Ecklers, Mid-America or another Corvette supplier.

Here is your wire routing

 

[G Winter]

I bought new clips from my GM dealer. Some interchange with other models.
The 4 wire clips seemed to me to be costly almost $10 each but it sure worked nice , everything fit back to factory. Other than a few small cuts and scrapes it wasn't all that bad a job. Getting the wires back behind the heads was the hardest part. The wires are all in order in respect to location on the head except for 5 and 7 which are crossed were all four wires are in the same clip to prevent induction. Have fun :eyerole

 

[Bonnell]

Thanks for the info. I will try this myself. Should the distributor and rotor be changed at the same time? If so, are here any 'gotyas' that I need to watch out for?

Thanks for the help!

 

[AdvancedAutoCC]

Thanks for the info. I will try this myself. Should the distributor and rotor be changed at the same time? If so, are here any 'gotyas' that I need to watch out for?

Thanks for the help!

The cap and rotor wouldn't hurt for sure.. My personal recommendation for OE type replacement is to use Echlin replacement parts (local NAPA store). For the wires, you can achieve a sanity look by getting custom "cut to fit" wires and using some Maid For You looms. That is exactly what I did as seen in the picture. My personal choice for wires are Moroso Blue Max race wires (spiral suppression core, NOT solid core!). I took it a step further with boot shrink sleeves, which help to seal out the elements, and strengthen against pull-off. Going this route is time consuming to get the desired look, and a bit more expensive than using OE replacement stuff. You can decide what to use.
To help avoid any problems, print out the wiring diagram posted earlier, and mark #1 on the old cap. That way you have a reference point. Pulling the distributor is NOT necessary, btw.
In any event, avoid any "off brand" stuff at your local "discount parts store".

 

[Edmond]

I recommend going with Delco stuff when it comes to electrical. I have use Delco for the plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and distributor rotor. I like sticking with Delco when it comes to electrical stuff; my feeling is that for a stock motor, the specs for Delco are just about perfect.