The message to which you are about to reply is shown first. GO TO REPLY FORM



 VIEW    REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE Replies to this message will be emailed.    PRINT   SAVE 

Changing spark plug wires? 850 1997

posted by  bruland3 on  Sat Feb 14 10:01 CST 2009
Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS] [RELATED]

I need to get my 90K miles service performed, and I started to think about changing the spark plug wires and the distributor cap. I recognize that Volvo doesn't specify changing the wires, and I can't remember a manufacturer that does. Yet mechanics almost routinely replace the wires, sometimes with pricey versions. What could actually fail with the wires? The insulation could break down which would cause parallel paths to ground, reducing the current to the plug, possibly preventing the spark from reaching it. However, if I was engineering the elastomer in the wire, I think I would make some bounding assumptions about the temperature under the hood over time, and use an ageing thumb rule based on known degredation as a function of temperature, and then I could specify when to change the wires. Yet this is not done, which leads me to the hypothesis that the wires really don't need to be changed except under extreme conditions or if they are damaged in some way. Anybody have any thoughts on this issue? Thanks.






USERNAME
Use "claim to be" below if you don't want to log in.
PASSWORD
I don't have an account. Sign me up.
CLAIM TO BE
Use only if you don't want to login (post anonymously).
ENTER CAPTCHA CODE
This is required for posting anonymously.
OPTIONS notify by email
Available only to user accounts.
SUBJECT
MODEL/YEAR
MESSAGE

DICTIONARY
LABEL(S) +
IMAGE URL *
[IMAGE LIBRARY (UPLOAD/SELECT)]

* = Field is optional.

+ = Enter space delimited labels for this post. An example entry: 240 muffler


©Jarrod Stenberg 1997-2022. All material except where indicated.


All participants agree to these terms.

Brickboard.com is not affiliated with nor sponsored by AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. or Ford Motor Company. Brickboard.com is a Volvo owner/enthusiast site, similar to a club, and does not intend to pose as an official Volvo site. The official Volvo site can be found here.