What is the Longevity of EOM Ignition Wires?

Resistor spark plug wires will increase their resistance as the years pass by. 10,000 ohms or less is good health.

 

I checked the wires on my car (328) several times over 5 years & the resistance didn't change at all. Eventually 3 of them just broke (internally) in fairly quick succession. I'm pretty sure they were the original wires & they were over to 20 years old when I replaced them

 

dielectric breakdown, this is going to vary a lot due to environmental conditions the wires are in and the condition of the coil charging system supplying the voltage to the plug. In other words there is no set time they should last. it's a good idea to test and check them at least once a yr.

an interesting check is to look at that wires with the engine running in the dark with little to no ambient light. if there is a degradation of the dielectric sheath you'll notice little blue sparks where the charge arcs to ground.

the hardest part of the wire today is finding the small OD stuff that will fit into the silicone covering Ferrari used. I know Dave Helms had bought up the last of the custom made Taylor 7mm wire a couple yrs back and when his stock gets low enough ~3k feet he's holding on to the rest for his own use, that should point to how long the wire lasts, 3k feet is a fair amount.

 

There is no question that I'd like all my leads to measure about the same, but the reality is that the performance and behavior of the wire at 1.5VDC that your DVM uses versus the 20,000V pulse that the ignition system produces will be completely different.

 

that's what hipots are for
I like mine, I call it Mr. Shocky

 

Both Magnecor and Kingsborne sell 7mm spiral wire in bulk. It isn't hard to find.

The Taylor wire might have been better than those two brands, I don't know. If it is then Dave Helms is your sole source as long as it lasts.

 

I can tell you mine were not great after 28 years, but I thought the car was running fine. After a blown out plug extender, I tested the wires too and they were inconsistent. So I replaced them along with the rest of the ignition stuff last year. Now it really runs like it should, and I realize how much it sucked before.

 

Hello,
Is there any way to tell the age of the ignition wires... Is there a date code of some sort ect...

Jay

 

No way to tell the age. But, if you remove it from the car and hold it up in the middle of the air, and it retains its shape without straightening out then it's time to change them.

 

Should the wires look like this after 2 years and 9 months of seasonal driving (North East)...
Notice the front #4 wire, open seam, and why don't the back wires have numbers...

Thanks,
J
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THe resistance will be different for each wire based on length. 7000 ohms per foot is a normal number for conventional resistance wires.

 

Just remember that you are looking at the silicone sleeves that the wires are in, red is sleeve and in your case black is plug wire. I put in Magnecor wires and they seem to work so far. Just takes a little time to pull the old sheath over the new wires.

Lester

 

When I bought mine in Sept 97, the previous owner had just put new stock wires on it.

So I have been casually reminding myself they are still new... except that was 22 years ago and the original plug wires he had just replaced were only 13 years old then... about a decade younger then mine on there now.

Where the F does time go?

 

I bought some new OEM wires in 2011. One of them (longest one on the front bank) had failed by last year & maybe 10K miles.

 

Ferrari ignition wires don't last long in the engine bay because of the extreme heat.

 

I replace the wires on my 85 QV after 25 years, 27k miles. Most were still ok but a couple had internal breaks in wire causing low RPM misfires. The OEM Cavis wire is 400 ohms/ft, 7mm diameter, spiral wound wire. I replaced mine with the Belden 7mm spiral wound which measures 200 ohm/ft. You can reuse the red wire covers and the plug caps. The resisranc eis not of particular importance as it is the spiral winding that gives the RF suppression.

 

Thanks for info guys

J

 

And good info here from Magnecor, even if you don't use their wires.

https://www.magnecor.com