Spark plug wires

[38plymouth]

I put new wires from tractor supply on my car last night. I had the engine running and was leaning on the fender and hood side and when I touched one of the plug boots to turn it a little I got shocked. This shouldn't happen should it? I never had it happen on any other engine before.

[rustyzman]

Check and make sure that the boot did not slip down the wire shoving the connector towards the end of the boot. Sometimes they slip and just the boot holds it in place, not the connector.

[38plymouth]

They are all snapped on securely.

[randroid]

38plymouth,

You won't get shocked with new wires 100% of the time but the smart money says it's more likely than not, which is why it is always recommended to use a shop cloth when handling them when they're hot for added insulation. I wouldn't worry about it.

If you want to fret about the wires start delving into 'induction firing', which is where some (or all) of the juice being carried in one wire will jump to an adjacent wire, causing a misfire in a plug or two; an otherwise inexplicable miss. It usually occurs when two or more wires run together for even a small distance and it's this 'induction firing' that causes performance engine builders to cross wires at 90 degrees, and then usually separated by an insulated clip of some sort. The wire tubes on our cars are prime candidates for this to happen, although I've not had the problem and I don't recall ever seeing a thread here concerning it. Just a little something I thought I'd toss in to help you not sleep at night.

-Randy

[58prostreet]

Might sound stupid, but start it up at night and open hood to see if u have wires arcing.

Bob

[38plymouth]

These are brand new wires. I just never had it happen to me before on other cars. It gets your attention when it happens.

[P-12 Tommy]

Take them back and swap out. Tell them they're arcing. Customers always right!

Tom

[Don Coatney]

Electricity always finds the path of least resistance. You were it when you got bit.

[rustyzman]

Next check, slide off the boot of the offender and look to see if either the wire is damaged near the end of the boot or if they left a bit too much conductor on when they stripped it and crimped on the end. Have seen them where the conductor sticks a bit up the wire under the crimp and nearly out of the boot.

If you are getting a shock off a new wire, and you are both dry, have them exchanged for warranty. A good humid rainy day may very well give you a miss. Also just peek at your plug and make sure you don't have some huge gap or something else creating an excessively high firing line voltage that makes you the easier path to take to ground.

I would not hesitate to warranty them.

[P-12 Tommy]

I agree. New wires should not shock you, unless something is wrong with them.

Tom

[41/53dodges]

how/what are your spark plugs? what is the gap? try grabbing the wire again, see what happens. if im thinkin right, then it is just more resistance in the plugs than you, which means there is a LOT of resistance when it goes through you and a fender and a wire insullator instead of the plugs

[Niel Hoback]

You're just being mean now, but it would be fun to watch!

[Don Coatney]

I believe General Beringer has some knowledge on this subject:rolleyes:

[38plymouth]

The plugs are new and gapped I think at .025. I touched them all without leaning hard onto the car and nothing happened. I'm not really interested in trying it again. I still have a miss when it's running at mid to high RPM's and last night a tire went flat while it was sitting there. I also stripped a spark plug repair insert so now the head has to come off. I'm frustrated beyond belief and after I get the tire fixed I'm stepping away from it for a few weeks before something else goes wrong.