Arcing from the boot/plug
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Joined: Nov 2014
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Arcing from the boot/plug
Hey guys Im having an issue where I have arcing from 4 cylinders. The arcing is occurring right at the boot. i have changed the wires to OEM AC delcos and plugs to OEM AC delcos and it maybe got a little better but still very noticeable at night and still causing a miss. Ive seen a few posts but all of them either were fixed with new plugs or wires or never seemed to find a solution. I saw some recommend checking the grounds, but i followed one suggestion to ground the block to the negative battery terminal with a jumper cable and that did not change the situation at all, so theoretically the grounds are good. Any other suggestions on things to check or try would be great! Thank you!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,192
Likes: 750
From: near the thumb in the mitten
92 lt1 you might include that in thread. If there is less resistance for spark to jump from wire to head than spark plug gap ... it's taking the path of least resistance. When spark jumps is puts a carbon track on wire where it jumps which never completely goes away. Check to make sure the wires are fully seated in opti. they can be difficult to get fully seated. I would try to manipulate boots of effected wires and add silicone paste and slide boots slightly back trying to insulate area where arcing took place. Check plugs and condition of ground cable from battery to block. It's possible you got a defective set of wires but unlikely
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 6,314
Likes: 508
From: South-central Missouri
As "standard operating procedure" (from my mechanic days), we' put a bead of dielectric grease around the inside edge of the boot before slipping it over the plug:
One thing, it sealed the connection from condensation, etc
Allowed (me) to more easily slip the boot on, but more important - I could better feel when the tip of the sparkplug touched the metal ring inside the boot, and (by the feel) know the tip slid into the ring.
Just a helpful(?) tip: NEVER remove a plug wire by pulling on the wire!!!
The rubber insulation is far more "stretchy" than the conductive core. Pulling on the wire just once can snap the core, raising the resistance considerably!
Check the resistance of all the wires with the VOM and make sure the resistance is uniform, compared to the rest of the wires. Replace any with unusually high resistance.
One thing, it sealed the connection from condensation, etc
Allowed (me) to more easily slip the boot on, but more important - I could better feel when the tip of the sparkplug touched the metal ring inside the boot, and (by the feel) know the tip slid into the ring.
Just a helpful(?) tip: NEVER remove a plug wire by pulling on the wire!!!
The rubber insulation is far more "stretchy" than the conductive core. Pulling on the wire just once can snap the core, raising the resistance considerably! Check the resistance of all the wires with the VOM and make sure the resistance is uniform, compared to the rest of the wires. Replace any with unusually high resistance.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 68
Likes: 2
92 lt1 you might include that in thread. If there is less resistance for spark to jump from wire to head than spark plug gap ... it's taking the path of least resistance. When spark jumps is puts a carbon track on wire where it jumps which never completely goes away. Check to make sure the wires are fully seated in opti. they can be difficult to get fully seated. I would try to manipulate boots of effected wires and add silicone paste and slide boots slightly back trying to insulate area where arcing took place. Check plugs and condition of ground cable from battery to block. It's possible you got a defective set of wires but unlikely
As "standard operating procedure" (from my mechanic days), we' put a bead of dielectric grease around the inside edge of the boot before slipping it over the plug:
One thing, it sealed the connection from condensation, etc
Allowed (me) to more easily slip the boot on, but more important - I could better feel when the tip of the sparkplug touched the metal ring inside the boot, and (by the feel) know the tip slid into the ring.
Just a helpful(?) tip: NEVER remove a plug wire by pulling on the wire!!! The rubber insulation is far more "stretchy" than the conductive core. Pulling on the wire just once can snap the core, raising the resistance considerably!
Check the resistance of all the wires with the VOM and make sure the resistance is uniform, compared to the rest of the wires. Replace any with unusually high resistance.
One thing, it sealed the connection from condensation, etc
Allowed (me) to more easily slip the boot on, but more important - I could better feel when the tip of the sparkplug touched the metal ring inside the boot, and (by the feel) know the tip slid into the ring.
Just a helpful(?) tip: NEVER remove a plug wire by pulling on the wire!!!
The rubber insulation is far more "stretchy" than the conductive core. Pulling on the wire just once can snap the core, raising the resistance considerably! Check the resistance of all the wires with the VOM and make sure the resistance is uniform, compared to the rest of the wires. Replace any with unusually high resistance.
I know about removing the plugs with the wires and im guilty of getting a little impatient after a few mins of struggling with the rear two wires on the passenger side. Broken them before
haha but thank you!The wires are brand new but i will check the resistance when I apply the grease.
I also read this, I replaced with OEM plugs and checked the gap before installation! Thank you
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 68
Likes: 2
Thank you, yes i forgot to mention that it was a 92 LT1! I will have to double check the ground on the battery!
I will try dielectric grease either tonight or tomorrow, I did try and use it when the problem first occurred but i did not put a bead around the inside of the boot, mostly just a pea sized spot on the connector. I have heard of many people using it on all spark plug applications but Ive never had an issue in the past on other vehicles without using it so i never really used it with this car, I always kind of looked at it as a "band aid" as I thought it shouldn't happen to begin with, but i dont know if that's necessarily true, and it been suggested a few times.
I know about removing the plugs with the wires and im guilty of getting a little impatient after a few mins of struggling with the rear two wires on the passenger side. Broken them before haha but thank you!
The wires are brand new but i will check the resistance when I apply the grease.
I also read this, I replaced with OEM plugs and checked the gap before installation! Thank you
I will try dielectric grease either tonight or tomorrow, I did try and use it when the problem first occurred but i did not put a bead around the inside of the boot, mostly just a pea sized spot on the connector. I have heard of many people using it on all spark plug applications but Ive never had an issue in the past on other vehicles without using it so i never really used it with this car, I always kind of looked at it as a "band aid" as I thought it shouldn't happen to begin with, but i dont know if that's necessarily true, and it been suggested a few times.
I know about removing the plugs with the wires and im guilty of getting a little impatient after a few mins of struggling with the rear two wires on the passenger side. Broken them before
haha but thank you!The wires are brand new but i will check the resistance when I apply the grease.
I also read this, I replaced with OEM plugs and checked the gap before installation! Thank you
I was finally able to spend some time checking the grounds and it seems like the ground just to the left of the drivers side catalytic converter was not grounding. It looked fine but tested bad and after cleaning it up and everything the car is running much better! I went from 4 plugs arcing a lot on and off randomly to only one plug arcing once maybe every 15-20 seconds. Now its very much improved but I shouldnt really have any arcing...So would you guys think there may be an issue wiith another one of the grounds? Thanks again for the help!!
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