Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdog
Boat is 13 yrs old and engine only has 160hrs believe it or not.... Wires look like new, but I guess youcan't tell the inside condition of wires from outside appearances. Will see if NAPA dealer
has a replacement. Can't hurt to replace... Right?
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A set of wires 12 years old worked, but a year later, won't? I don't think it's the wires, because the engine would misfire at an idle, which isn't your problem. But here's a test anyway.
The easiest way to check plug wires is to run the engine in complete darkness and watch.
Throw an opaque tarp over the engine area at night to get rid of any extra light, and allow lots of time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. This test is not effective if there's ANY light around. Tonight there will be no moonlight.
Failing wires will provide a real light show, sending sparks out to anything nearby, even the other plug wires! Watch the area at the coil for sparks there. You can vary the speed, but any sparks indicative of wire failure will be apparent even at an idle. Note the location of nearby turning or hot accessories which could present a hazard in darkness.
Ignition manufacturers once marketed a transparent distributor cap. It might have been boring to watch the sparks after a time, but it was an interesting idea.