So here is what I am chasing down. 360, bone stock except Pertronix Ignitor. It was installed per the original owners notes at 029,409 miles on 07/15/99 (yes that is original miles and the reading is almost 43,000 miles now)! The coil is a Borg-Warnger that says external ballast needed and the pink resistor wire is intact and runs to the coil. I tested the coil and it was at 1.5 ohms. It is also relocated a bit due to dealer AC and is mounted tip down at 45* angle.

I changed out the plug wires (Autozone standard red box) and new Autolite 45 plugs gapped to 35 (tried going more but could not get truck to start with the bigger gaps), new rotor and cap (NAPA). I have what feels like a miss and trying to determine where it is. The plugs I pulled all looked great. I changed out the other items as they had unknown age on them and the plug wire boots were toast. Dry rotted and fell apart as I removed them (they were orange Autolite's).

While changing the carb, setting the timing and fixing the state of the heater hoses, I had grabbed the the wire to the #1 cylinder and got buzzed. Now I am thinking, the miss wasn't really apparent before those changes, but there were a lot of little things that needed fixing and it may have been masked.

I know it is possible for the plug wires to go bad and be bad right out of the box. These being the level they are (although they are dead ringers for the Autolites I removed) I think I have a bad one or they are cross firing between themselves. Looking for input on the possible sources of the miss and the zap I got from the #1 wire. Also, looking at the age of the Ignitor unit, should I consider replacing it and the coil and upgrading to the Ignitor II/Flamethrower II system? I also have access to an HEI setup for it as a complete unit with less than 200 miles (allegedly) and an Accel coil on it as another option.

Any opinions or advice greatly appreciated.

 

I am going to say the 2 issues here. I am gonna say that getting zapped has nothing to go with the other. There are others here far more intelligent on electrical issues, so I am gonna sit over here and watch what else is said.



John

 

Zap how did that feel. Easiest way to check plug wires is at night. Open the hood with the engine running and look for arcing. I always spend good money on plug wires. Cheep ones not worth anything. If you can get 8mm or 9mm they are good. Also side note I will never buy champion plugs or wires. Never had good luck with them ever. My 2 pennies.


Brian

 

I must agree that you should not be getting shocked with new wires.
One thing to remember,#s7&8 wires should always be as far apart as possible since they are that close in the firing order.. Shocking

 

Brian totally agree on cheap wires. I was kind of stuck at that point when I bought them. Two boots broke in half and the other wire pulled out...and it was late on a Saturday. I hated it to do it, felt I had no other choice. Going to buy a new set with the idea I am at least going to be buying a new coil for the Ignitor system at a minimum if not putting it toward the next one up.

Funny you suggest the check it at night in the dark, I just read that on an older post. Kind of hope I am able to find an arcing issue so I can take a video of it and post it here!

 

3x no shock with"quality" plug wires. Electricity will take the easiest path to ground. If the electricity can sneak out somewhere on the wire and you are an easier path to ground, it will. But it shouldn't be able to sneak out. Which is why I always buy Ford Motorcraft, FRPP (Ford Racing Performance Parts), or MSD wires.


EDIT.
Almost forgot the night time checking. I agree and plus I'll add to spray a fog of water around the wires while the engine is idling also. Watch out for the fan blade! Get an old Windex or equivalent spray bottle. Put some water in it and spray around the wires and Dizzy cap. Just fog it a tad. Don't get it too wet. If there is arcing going on you'll be able to see it better. AND you'll hear it. As the arc is going through the moisture it makes a snappy noise.

 

You bought Chinese crap wires.
The .035 plug gap acts as a voltage clamp. The arc in the cylinder will happen at a much lower voltage than a breakdown of the dielectric in the wires. Unless they are from Shanghai.
You just did a Toothless Jake test of spark plug wires.

 

So it sounds like I will be making an order this week. Suggestions on brand of wires? Should I go for the Pertronix brand? I hated to buy those damned wires, but I needed the truck the next morning and that was my only chance. Time to return to sender!

Just got back from coaching a heart wrenching football loss so maybe this little show will brighten up my day.

Any advice on the Pertronix?

 

Aw yes the zip got that a good number of times on my Model A with the uninsulated plug wires if that tells you any thing when ,I was a teenager .

2X with Jeff~af Nighttime sparking is a unbelievable the first time you see it happening.

Just like twinkle twinkle little star all over your engine on a foggy or damp days to rainy days. Yup this is the cause of those days when some vehicles run bad:

I'd say return the crappie wires and buy better ones.
Orich

 

Motorcraft makes good wires. It's the insulation that matters (as you've re-discovered lol) so buy a decent set. Anything more than $25 or $35 for a set is probably overkill.

 

I wish $25 or $35 would get you a quality set. More like $80 to $100 and you'll be good for a long long time.

 

Where are you looking? Takes two seconds - Plug the phrase "Motorcraft Wire Set" in your favorite search engine. Everything that pops up is $40 or less (one was $55); there's no doubt a Motorcraft wire set can be found at that price point.

 

I would go with those Pertronix wires hands down. Years ago I heard MSD is who made the wires for FRPP. Back then FRPP was called Ford Motorsport. Those Pertronix wires look a lot like the Motorsport ones. I'll bet MSD makes them for Pertronix also.
I love those Motorsport ones. Years ago I even put some on my brother's 77 Vette. Had to.

 

As a matter of information, the blue flashing you see around plug wires at night does not mean the plug wires are bad. Or arcing to ground. The light is called "corona" and represents ionization of the air around the wire. Essentially, an electron is pulled out of the outer orbit of oxygen and nitrogen when the plug fires. When the voltage drops, the electron drops back into orbit, radiating light. That is how neon lights work.
So, don't replace plug wires because of night glow. Do replace them if you get belted or you see an arc.

 

Well, I kinda agree and kinda disagree with you John. If there is just a night glow more "in" them, then I agree. But if all or most of the spark energy is sneaking out the wire's insulation and going to ground, then I disagree. When the spark plugs get that spark energy it's a good thing. When a ground gets it instead of the spark plugs it's not a good thing.


EDIT. BTW, thanks for the explanation John. Was an interesting read!
-