Ignition wires

I made the mistake of replacing the original wires with a set from a company called magstar, I thought it would be good since they were old , I should have left them alone. I was at my boat yesterday and was checking for spark and when I disconnected one wire at a time I noticed that the spark was jumping at the boot by the power pack and I don't know why that was happening the sires look good but why was it raking from the bottom? Can I coat the wires with something to fix it? I was checking for spark cause the last time I was out my motor coming back ran very bad like on only three cylinders do I checked but when I started her she ran great no issues so I am thinking it is a power pack going bad.
 
put some dielectric grease on the boots, the spark will always find the path of least resistance, not it has a path, that you have to disturb
 
Thanks spare I am going to do just that,cause when I checked for the wires they are very expensive and I
can't get the right length anyway, they are ( the ones I have ) are 5 inches long and the best I can get are 7 inches long. I will keep the ones I have and do what you said. Thanks
 
Is there any difference between Outboard wires and Automotive spark plug wires? Reason I ask is there are several makers (CDI, Belkin, Delco, etc). that make cut to length wire kits for cars. Wouldn't they be just as effective in an outboard?
 
D, I don't think there is a difference, my friends have been using car wires on their O/B, one is a Mercury, the other an Evenrude Etec, no problems that I know of. I used them when I had my Proline, but she was an I/O, so that might not count.
 
thee older mercury( and many other outboards)wires were solid stainless core, hence they rarely go bad. The newer wires are resistor core so as not to screw with electronics. My personal experience, OEM marine wires are far better quality than aftermarket or automotive, I'm guessing it has more to do with spark arrestment than making wires that last forever.
 
Giorgio said:
D, I don't think there is a difference, my friends have been using car wires on their O/B, one is a Mercury, the other an Evenrude Etec, no problems that I know of. I used them when I had my Proline, but she was an I/O, so that might not count.
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That's about what I thought. Thanks Giorgio :beer:
 
spareparts said:
thee older mercury( and many other outboards)wires were solid stainless core, hence they rarely go bad. The newer wires are resistor core so as not to screw with electronics. My personal experience, OEM marine wires are far better quality than aftermarket or automotive, I'm guessing it has more to do with spark arrestment than making wires that last forever.
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Good to know. I screwed up one wire on my 175 Evinrude Ocean Pro while using a cup wire brush in a drill to remove some corrosion from the head. But since I don't use the engine (It's a spare from a boat I bought that I scrapped) I really don't want to sink a lot of money in it. So the automotive wire sounds like the way to go for me for this case. Thanks for the feedback Spare. :beer:
 
I should have kept the old/ original ones, I think I remember saying to myself that the core is stainless steel , I have seen a set 7 inches long but the core is made of copper, will that work? But in the meantime I am going to put dielectric grease on the inside of the boots.
 
steplift20 said:
I should have kept the old/ original ones, I think I remember saying to myself that the core is stainless steel , I have seen a set 7 inches long but the core is made of copper, will that work? But in the meantime I am going to put dielectric grease on the inside of the boots.
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Speaking from an electrical standpoint, not a marine standpoint, ANY wire capable of handling the high voltage going from the coil to the spark plug will work. The conductor doesn't matter if it's SS, copper, silver or some other medium as long as it conducts electricity. What does matter and was the thought on my previous post was the covering of the the conductor... the jacket. It must be a good insulator, capable of shielding (preventing/holding) the electricity inside in the wire from outside grounding. That insulation can break down over time from various outside sources such as ozone, pollution, salt and other minerals, oil, gas and various chemicals, etc. allowing the electrical energy to jump from the wire to a ground (like an engine head) before it reaches the spark plug. That was the reason for my question about automotive wires as opposed to marine.

A quick check on eBay reveals LOTS of vendors selling solid core wire by the foot in both copper and SS as well as Marine sets.
 
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