New MSD wires on today
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 14,480
Likes: 132
From: PA
New MSD wires on today
FedEx man came today with the new MSD's. They sure are purty! The install was fairly easy. The passenger side was a breeze. The drivers side was a bit tougher. I had to have my wife get the one at the back of the engine. I couldn't get my hand it there to save my life. The only other one that gave me a hard time was the drivers side at the front. I'm not sure of the plug numbers. I had to remove the alternator bracket to get my hand in there. All in all it was easy as I only got 1 gash on my right hand. (I measure a jobs difficulty by the number of cuts and scratches i get on my hands. :D) The car idles really smooth now, but on the other hand it always did. :) Just thought I'd share.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 14,480
Likes: 132
From: PA
Re: New MSD wires on today (Buckmaster)
No I didn't need to change the plugs. They were changed when Carroll put the supercharger on so it's good to go there. If you want to swap your plugs though, that would be a great time to do it. Surprisingly, they look really easy to change. Much easier then the plugs on my LT4.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,132
Likes: 1
From: Morganton, NC, USA
Re: New MSD wires on today (QuickSilver97)
I can't really see any benefit for putting the supplied numbers on the LS1 or LS6 spark plug wires as the individual coils are right above their plugs. Pretty hard to mess up. Numbered wires are a good idea when you have a distributor and/or long wires that run parallel right up to the head where one goes left and the other right. Here they keep you from getting out of fireing order. Since they already come with the MSD wires, it doesn't cost anything to use them, unless you want to save them for another car. :yesnod:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 5,331
Likes: 39
Re: New MSD wires on today (2kbluestreak)
Did you put the stock heat sheilds back on? I didn't because I thought they would detract from the look of the MSD's.
I burned the back drivers side wire enough to cause a misfire. I just repositioned it though and everything seems to be O.K.
I burned the back drivers side wire enough to cause a misfire. I just repositioned it though and everything seems to be O.K.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: PA
Re: New MSD wires on today (Gary2KC5)
I put one heat shield on and it was so loose I figured they'd rattle. So I didn't put the rest on. I'll have to keep and eye on them and see exactly how close they are to the manifolds. Thanks for the tip!
Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 514
Likes: 0
From: Gaithersburg MD
Re: New MSD wires on today (fxrhm)
Ditto, I don't seem to hear about any great improvements over stock wires as long as the stock ones are in good condition. Should I lay out the ~$50 for new wires, or just new plugs?
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Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 14,480
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From: PA
Re: New MSD wires on today (TenaciousD)
You're definitely not going to feel any performance gain from wires alone. Honestly, I very well could've stayed with my stock wires since they only have 4,000 miles on them. I just like the look of the MSD's. :) Although, if I ever decide to buy an aftermarket ignition, the MSD's will throw a better spark then the stock wires. (I think so anyway)
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Re: New MSD wires on today (QuickSilver97)
One problem I had with the MSD's, the number 7 wire (driver's side closest to windshield) was touching the metal pipe. I gently bent the pipe to give some clearance. I think it might have eventually burnt the wire, not sure how hot that pipe gets though.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: PA
Re: New MSD wires on today (vettenuts)
Hmmmm, maybe I should put the heat shield on that one to keep it from melting. Dammit! That's the one my wife had to do since I couldn't get my hand in there. Oh well, thanks for the advice!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,635
Likes: 2
From: Aloha, Oregon
Re: New MSD wires on today (vettenuts)
definitely put the heat shields back on. nothing suckks worse than burning though such lovely wires. to those of you wondering about performance gains. well, dont expect any. however, i suspect that some aftermarket venture will create an even hotter, multi-spark, ignition that will plug right into the LS1. that will make the MSD's bark!!!
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: PA
Re: New MSD wires on today (vettenuts)
Heat shield won't cover where the contact is. Check the wire itself and the tube that is the knuckle buster near the plug.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 5,331
Likes: 39
Re: New MSD wires on today (QuickSilver97)
even though I did replace the plugs with a copper plug NGK55's I replaced the wires mainly for a thicker wire to prevent melting the stock wires with the new headers.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,385
Likes: 86
From: San Diego CA.
I didn't re-use the heat shields with my MSD wires and when I went back about 100 miles later to check the plug connections, one wire on the driver side fell apart in my hand on the plug side. I called MSD and they said to re-use the metal shields. They also are sending me a new wire. Cool of them. The shields just didn't feel right when I put the wires on. I guess the heat is just too great for them without the shields. My bad.....
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,470
Likes: 1,171
From: Dyer, IN
I didn't re-use the heat shields with my MSD wires and when I went back about 100 miles later to check the plug connections, one wire on the driver side fell apart in my hand on the plug side. I called MSD and they said to re-use the metal shields. They also are sending me a new wire. Cool of them. The shields just didn't feel right when I put the wires on. I guess the heat is just too great for them without the shields. My bad.....
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,385
Likes: 86
From: San Diego CA.
I was very careful to have the cap dead center of the stock manifolds. There were no burn marks. I'll try it again with the shields. By the way, after I posted, I realized how old the thread was. Just the same you guys responded! lol.......
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
You will NOT see ANY performance increase from a properly running LS engine from a spark plug wire change. PERIOD. "IF" the spark-plug wires on the engine are defective (Unable to properly conduct the electrical energy form the coil to the plug due to damage); new wires of any brand will make the engine run better.It doesn't matter if the wires cost $1 or $100 each. Reestablishing a proper spark current path, will make the engine run smoother.
C5/C6 wires are so short, wire resistance isn't a factor either. I prefer the GM Performance Red wires but, theres nothing wrong with other brands if that's your preference.
Purchase wires for construction quality and reliability, NOT a performance increase.
BC
C5/C6 wires are so short, wire resistance isn't a factor either. I prefer the GM Performance Red wires but, theres nothing wrong with other brands if that's your preference.
Purchase wires for construction quality and reliability, NOT a performance increase.
BC