do plug wire resistance and length matter?

ok when i open the hood in a dark place i get a little fireworks display (89 305). The wire on the # 3 cyl is arcing to the block. I have an old set of wires i took off a few years ago and was just going to replace the 1 wire but the wire from the old set is shorter. and when i hook a multimeter up to it the resistance is different. the old wire is 8.4 ohm and the current 1 is 7.9 ohm. What i need to know is can i use the shorter wire with the higher resistance? or is having an odd wire going to cause too many problems? Thanks Steve

Reply to
BIGSteve
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I doubt that ½ of an ohm is gonna make a lot of difference. When you replaced them a few years ago, the new wire was longer. Did you question it then? Replacement wires are usually a little bit different. Its never enough to make a difference. So put the original "shorter" wire back on it. That will fix your arching problem. You would be better off if you check all the wires though.

Reply to
George

problems?

You'd be better off with a new wire or wires. All those old wires are bad. A simple resistance test with your VOM is not a good test. You could confirm a very bad wire, but not a good one.

Reply to
Al Bundy

Yes to both. Why not just spend the 25.00 and buy NEW wires? The old ones are probably junk.

Reply to
Steve W.

and why the low readings ?

resistance wire usually runs about 10k / ft

Reply to
TranSurgeon

Hey Gary, it looks like you're the only guy that's actually reading the post. As always I think you're right. He probably had his VOM setting at x1k (not x1). For a piece of resistance wire his 7k or 8k could have been "ballpark." I agree with the post that recommends a new set of wires. I'm kinda an overkill guy, though. If I see a bunch of spark dancing around, I go with wires, cap, rotor, and plugs.

Reply to
George

well, I had my education on a series of 318/360-equipped Dodge vans

they would eat up a set of plug wires in about 16-18 months without fail

carried an old Simpson 260 with me for 'emergency troubleshooting'................

Reply to
TranSurgeon

E=IxR, Voltage = Current x Resistance P=IxE, Power = Current x Voltage Current will always take the path of least resistance. Plug wires shorting to ground are not condusive to high efficiency. On your motor the odd wire will work fine. High frequency DC is great for removing for removing warts and moles...!

Reply to
Mad Dog

High Frequency DC???????? HUH?

Reply to
DaNewf

Well I just changed the wire set on my '97 tahoe. It had a Packard wire set installed, And resistance was 678 ohm to 1.4K ohm. The correct new wire set from AC-DELCO was 3.5K to 10.1K ohm. Readings were taken with an out of calibration 8060A fluke DVM. Still working on my, '97 tahoe, no start, good fuel, good spark problem, posted somewhere here. I had weak spark at #1, Great at coil. Now I will confirm the spark is arriving at the right time. Let you know the outcome. don

Reply to
andon

I had new Bosch platinum plugs in, Switched them to Autolite double platinum plugs and noticed a stronger smoother running motor.

Reply to
andon

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