Do spark plug wires really need to be changed at 60,000 miles?

Do spark plug wires really need to be changed at 60,000 miles? I am
going to change the spark plugs, but I am not sure if the wires really
need to be changed at 60,000 miles and 5 years. I have a 1999 Solora.
It is $250 for wires and plugs at the dealership, but a local shop says
he will replace the plugs only for around $70, and he says it is not
necessary to change the wires. That is a big cost savings, but I am
not sure about not changing the wires.

 

http://catalog.autotoyotaparts.com/?make=TO&year=1999&x=32&y=3

1999 Solara V6 plugs wires by NGK, $45

 

I still have original wires on my 92 Civic. I haven't touch anything on my
99 Odyssey besides oil and filter. 60k/99 is too new to require new wires.

 

not unless there has been oil leaking on them, you have a driveability
problem related to them or if they are cracked

 

Total agreement. Wires used to poop out, until the late 1980's or so.
They're one of the most reliable parts of the car now, and absolutely
do not need routine replacement.

JM

 

Hey hey, If that were true, I would have never gotten all those free
ones under lifetime warranty at Autozone.

Your best measure of when the wires are REALLY bad is poor driveability
in damp weather that goes away when the car warms up. If it doesnt go
away, you waited too long. (-:

-SP

 

My approach to dealer service intervals may not be for everyone, but it
has worked for me. With all the money I save by not doing the $$
service checks, I've built up quite a bundle to pay for what really
goes wrong. My view became such, subsequent to a multi$$ service.
Something failed immediataley thereafter, and I had to shell out
multi$$ to fix it. Of course I will do the engine and transmission oil
changes and the occasional radiator flush, but if it's a check up, I
pass. Unless they start guaranteeing that after spending multi$$ to
check everything, nothing goes wrong for say, a year, or so. I bought
my first Honda in 1965 ( a 150cc Dream MC). Cheers
p.s. I might use all those savings for a retirement fund.....;-)).....

 

You're right, of course. I was only referring to the longevity of
quality OEM ignition wires.

JM

 

My 1985 Toyota Celica ST had ~100K when I bought her.
I changed all the hoses, plug wires, filters, fluids becaue
I got the car for $1800 and I wanted it to last.
I drover her 11 years, put over an aditional 270K before
the oddemter died in the 7th year and the plug wires are still
in great shape. The engine/tranny are great. The body is
very sad and while yoy won't get wet riding in her, it was time
for a "New" car.
Change them when you suspect them.
Bad wires will give plenty of warning before
they die. Misssing at idel and while cold,or on real
humid days. When that happens, don't wait, change
then ASAP. This assumes you check the rotar and cap
at regular intervals. I check mine the first week of April
and the last week of Oct., roughly every 6 months.
Terry

 

best way to go. anyone can do their own "checks", and should. i check
the whole underside of my car every time i do an oil/filter change. CV
boots, leaks, etc. i check the pad thickness when i rotate the tires. to
me the important stuff is-

3 yrs- clutch/brake fluids, coolant. by changing the fluids, you keep
the crap out that causes excessive wear.

oil changes@7500mi, air filter, spark plugs every 30k miles. thats about
it.

 

Another line of reasoning htat has not been addressed yet - I remember being
told (by people trying to sell me stuff) that you have slightly more
efficient combustion from regular wire changes. Is it reasonable to expect
increased fuel economy exceeding the cost of the wires?

For the next year I am driving diesel, so this is all theoretical to me but
that will change soon.

regards,
KL

 

no. hell no. either the spark gets through the wires and makes the gas
go boom, or it doesnt.

 

kinda. modern electronic ignition covers a multitude of sins, but in
the old days, good quality spark plug leads /definitely/ made for better
performance.

 

Well, old wires increase the possibility of a *weak* spark. In wet weather,
that weak spark may look OK when you hold the HT lead near the block and
watch the spark jump, but it may not be strong enough to start the car.

Seen it happen all the time up here. Wet weather=no start.
Dry the wires off=start. Time to replace the wires.

Replacing the wires early may mean a few extra bucks spent early, but at
least it increases your chance of being able to start the car without
problems. And I like dependability more than I like squeezing the poop out
of each penny.

 

You might also see some leakage. Open the hood in some nice dark location.
On my 88 Dodge that was running poorly at the time, it looked like a blue
light show. There was a spiderweb aura alongside each wire, as well as
some obvious crossover dancing.

 

floridly penned in

Funny you should mention that. I saw exactly that on our old '86 MR2.
Pretty cool, actually. Remember the movie "Tron"?

The MR2 ran very poorly when cold, and even worse when wet, with an idle
that cycled wildly up and down. Replaced the thermostat and the plug wires
and performance was completely transformed.

 

which would mean OEM, right? or are aftermarket sets ok?

 

The problem with aftermarket is variability. It's crap shoot and you do
take a chance. OEM is always the same, and (almost) always good.

Most people buying aftermarket are looking for monetary savings, so they
buy something cheaper than OEM, which is where the problems start. I've
seen too many cheap, poor-quality aftermarket parts and I'm generally
soured on most of them.

I'm sure there are good aftermarket wire sets out there, but I suspect
you'd have to pay the same or more than OEM to get the quality of OEM.

I do currently have a Visteon rad in my Integra, just because it was 1/3
the cost of OEM (OEM was over $600) and it seems to be at least as good
quality.

 

Well, old wires increase the possibility of a *weak* spark. In wet
weather,

Not a technique to use on modern electronic ignitions. The longer the
spark, the higher the volts the system needs to generate to bridge the
gap. At some point, the circuit may blow out and that would be
expensive.

JM

 

So what's the preferred method, JM? I've got a tester that contains the
spark in a plastic housing and restricts the length of the gap to
whetever it is (don't have it handy). I'd expect you could also just be
careful (without a tester) and not hold the wire a mile from the block
when testing.

Abe