| Author | Message | ||
     Typeone |
I haven't had time to fully check but i washed the bike over the weekend and while adjusting the idle i saw a pretty decent arch from the front wire to motor (horiz) while she was a little wet, i'm assuming my stock wires are rubbed through... without time to dismantle everything and inspect just yet i went ahead an ordered up some Iron Machine 'racing' spark plug wires, anyone have experience with these? think they will last a little longer than the stock ones? the price is definitely higher  | ||
| Typeone |
update: so the install went smooth of course but the front plug wire bugged me. there is a thick ridge at the top of the plug side of the wire that was pressing pretty firmly up against the inside of the frame causing the boot to bend since the plug is on an angle. i shaved off some of the excess rubber on that ridge so the bend wasn't as severe. i guess overall not really happy with the fit. looks like they're custom jobbies made from Accel wires. i'll run 'em for now but i'd like to swap to a set of nice NGK wires I see Bits4Buells or Trojan sells. | ||
| Buellistic |
Tyeone: Make sure you plug wires are CLEAN ... Spray with silicone spray to water proof ... Keep a min. of 1/2 inch away from engine/frame ... Coat connections with electrial grease for water proofing ... Make sure connectons coil/sparkplugs are tight ... SHORTEN your plug wires as much as you can ... Gap you sparkplugs to 0.030 inch, use antisize on the plug threads(copper) and torque to 11 ft.lbs. ... DO THIS AND YOU HAVE JUST "PRODUCT IMPROVED" YOU IGN. SYSTEM ... | ||
| Typeone |
thnx for the reply. i'm good with most of what you pointed out except the following... Keep a min. of 1/2 inch away from engine/frame ... - this is a problem with this set of wires, the front pushes firmly on the frame still Gap you sparkplugs to 0.030 inch, use antisize on the plug threads(copper) and torque to 11 ft.lbs. ... - question on this one. i've always gapped my XBs plugs to .030 but just noticed yesterday the FSM calls for .035 gap. what gives?? | ||
| Buellistic |
Typeone: Electricty will always take the least path of resistance, that is why the min.1/2 inch closeness ... Here again is resistance, the voltage surge will have a easier time jumping 0.030 inch than a greater gap ... YOU did right and did not know it(ie: dumb luck) ... Never put sparkplugs in with dry threads ... If you do not have anti-size compound use a couple of drops on engine oil ... If you do not have a torque wrench, 1/16 to 1/8 turn(BY FEEL !!!)from seated and new sparkplugs from seated 1/4 turn ... The things "i" told you will help you to get the most out of a stock ign. system ... | ||
| Reepicheep |
Warning... Court bait coming... Open air (depending on humidity) has some characteristic impedance. That is to say it is an insulator of effectiveness 10 percent. Most spark plug insulator material is far more resistant to conducting a spark (has a much higher characteristic impedance) then air, probably by a factor of several thousand... that is to say it is an insulator of effectiveness 10000 percent. So the distance from the frame is not really relevant. That's the theory. Buellistic is not burdened by theory, especially when he has seen it proven wrong so many times first hand. In practice, a wire that is within 1/2 inch of the frame is probably rubbing on the frame, and once all that insulator gets rubbed away or cracked, then the sparks start flying and everything he said is dead on. FWIW. Just adding some perspective here. | ||
| Bomber |
also, be careful with the anti-seize on the threads -- it is truely wisdom, but that stuff is also a great conductor -- a small amount on the end of the plug will render it a sparkless plug -- this is both theoretical and proven imperically by some idjit in my garage | ||
| Buellistic |
Like Bomber said it goes on the THREADS, not the ELECTRODES !!! A little goes a long way ... This applies to engine oil on the THREADS also !!! Just for fun on the 4th of JULY, open the hood of you car and reve the engine a little(not enough to blow up the engine) !!! | ||
| Typeone |
hahaa, no sweat, i'm fully schooled in anti-seize, plug handling, torquing, etc. i am worried about the vibes and contact of the plug boot to frame though. i'm already on the hunt for another set of wires for a better fit. just doesn't seem it would last. btw, she runs soooo much smoother at steady throttle around 3K after new plugs/wires/O2 sensor. not as much surging/bucking now which i thought was possibly the fuel pump. bet it was the O2 crappin' out. (Message edited by typeone on April 27, 2006) | ||
| Lorazepam |
Have you guys ever added a piece of shrink tube to the wire? Slide it where the contact point is, then shrink down to stay there. It adds a protective layer, and helps the wire last longer. | ||
| Henrik |
I use spiral cut loom - Radioshack - to protect wiring, oil lines and shock reservoir hose. Works well and goes on easy. Henrik | ||
| 99x1 |
"So the distance from the frame is not really relevant." This is true for low voltage, but pulsed high voltage creates the "corona effect" - air around the conductor ionizes, and the insulating material is stressed. (the hissing sound you can hear from power lines on damp days is corona). This is also why spark plug leads shouldn't have sharp bends - the insulator will break down easier if it is already stressed. Keeping the leads clean also helps as anything that creates an edge aids the corona effect. With modern materials (i.e. silicone) this is not as much a problem as it use to be - but if the lead touches the frame, it will likely first break down at this point. The cable length is kept somewhat long to reduce bending, and the whole ignition system should be thought of as a tuned system - the spark lead length and spark plug gap can effect this tuning. (Spark duration and intensity can be varied with changes). | ||
| 99x1 |
"Warning... Court bait coming... " Sorry, I missed that before I posted | ||
| Reepicheep |
I shoulda suspected it might hook you as well X1. Good info! (Message edited by reepicheep on April 28, 2006) | ||
| Interest |
I have heard that the anti-seize on plugs also acts as a heat insulator and can actually prevent the plug from cooling with the head, thus causing it more likely to foul. |
