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us your question - we'll do our best to answer it!The questions listed below are some of the most common questions we get regarding Magnecor products. As in the asnwer to question 1 below, there are many other commonly asked questions at the Magnecor (in the USA) web site FAQ page, and most are applicable to the Australian market as well. This page is being updated on an "as needed" basis - see the site changes log for the information on when this page was last updated.
1. Are there other FAQs I should read as well?
2. I need a custom made set for my vehicle - can you help?
4. My late model Commodore has heat shields on the spark plug boots. Should I refit them?
7. Why are your lead sets expensive? **
8. How long will a set of Magnecor leads last? **
9. If I
want an individual lead or custom lead set, how should I measure
it(them)?
10. Help!
My leads keep popping off the coil (distributor)!
NOTE:
Questions marked with ** also appear on the Magnecor
(in the USA) FAQ - where they are answered much more verbosely.
They are shown here only for completeness.
1.
Are there any other FAQs I should read as well?
Yes. Have a look at the Magnecor
(in the USA) FAQ., Magnecor
(in the USA) Technical Bulletins and Thundercords
Technical Bulletins
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2.
I need a custom made set for my vehicle - can you help?
In most cases, the answer is yes. For some imported multi-valve
engines we may have trouble finding spark plug boots to fit your
particular engine - but you'll never know unless you ask!
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3.
Magnecor in the USA (or Europe) list a set for my vehicle, but
you don't. Do I have to get it from Magnecor in the USA (Europe)?
Generally not. We regularly swap sizes with both
Magnecor in the USA and Magnecor Europe, and in most cases we
stock the required boots and terminals - if we don't, we can order
the parts in for you. In any case, you need to be careful - Australian
spec. vehicles are often different to US spec. ones.
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4.
My late model Commodore has heat shields on the spark plug boots.
Should I refit them?
We recomend that you don't. The spark plug boots
we use on these engines, while similar in appearance to the O.E.
boots, are able to withstand heat much better. These "heat
shields" work well when new, but as they become older (and
dirtier!) they eventually turn into an oven and cause premature
failure of the leads. These "heat shields" also place
an earthed metal object in close proximity to a spark plug lead
- something that should be avoided.
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5.
I have an engine with multi-part spark plug boots and I am having
trouble removing the leads from the plugs. Is there anything I
can do to make this easier?
The usual cause is trying to remove the leads at
an angle. This causes the terminal to dig into the spark plug
top, and so "bind" to the plug. You may need to remove
other engine parts (intake ducting etc) to make sure you can pull
the plug end off the plug as straight as possible.
6.
I have a small block V8 engine and it keeps burning the spark
plug ends - even your high temperature boots. What can I do?
If this is the result
of running the vehicle on a chassis dynomometer, then you probably
do not have enough airflow in the engine bay. If this happens
when the vehicle is driven on the street, then it is usually the
result of poorly designed exhaust manifolding (extractors, headers
etc). In some cases, it's not even possible to remove the lead
from the spark plug while the plug is installed. Although our
high temperature boots are better than most, no spark plug boot
can withstand such a close, high temperature heat source. The
best solution is to replace the exhaust manifolding with a manifold
designed with spark plugs and leads in mind. If this is not possible,
"heat wrap" or other thermal insulation on the manifolding
should help. It may also be possible to fit different spark plugs
to increase the mainfold-to-plug clearance.
7. Why are your
lead sets expensive?
They are? Perhaps if you only consider initial cost, rather than
cost over the life of the product. Sure, you can buy a department
store set of leads for perhaps a quarter of the cost, but ours
will last more than 4 times as long, so are they really that expensive
after all? For more info see the Magnecor
(in the USA) FAQ
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8. How long
will a set of Magnecor leads last?
If correctly installed, and except for accident,
neglect etc, there's no reason they shouldn't last indefinately.
We have recently seen a number of taxis with over 1,000,000km
on one set of Magnecor leads - long enough for you? For more info
see the Magnecor
(in the USA) FAQ
9.
If I want an individual lead or custom lead set, how should I
measure it(them)?
You should measure
from the ends of the metal connectors (terminals) if you already
have a lead that is the right length like this
It's
best to remove the lead(s) from the engine first to get a more
accurate measurement. If you don't have an existing lead (or you
have one, but it doesn't fit as well as you'd like) you can use
an old lead, tubing, covered wire, piece of string etc to make
a temporary "lead" from and then measure that. Using
this method will help you ascertain the best possible positioning
along the entire length of the proposed lead routing. Don't forget
that actual ignition lead (especially the larger sizes like KV85
and R-100) are quite bulky compared to, for example, string, so
you may need to take that into account when going around corners
and accessories. Also, the replacement leads may not fit into
the factory tubes , brackets and clips - can you really expect
a 10mm lead to fit into a clip designed for 5mm O.E. leads?
Of course, we'll also need to know the style of the connectors
on the ends - for example, is the distributor end push-in style
or push-over style? Right-angle or straight? It's best to let
us know what the leads will be for - intended application (eg.
rally car, stationary engine) as well as engine make & model
(eg. Nissan FJ20T, small block Chev V8) so we can advise you which
particular lead type best suits your particular application. If
in doubt, please call!
10. Help! My leads keep
popping off the coil (distributor)
This is usually the
result of air being trapped inside the boot. When the air heats
up, the pressure tends to force the boot/terminal out of the tower.
You can cure this by the simple expedient of "bleeding"
the air out of the boot. To do this, simply lift the very end
of the boot, or pinch the side of the boot between your thumb
and forefinger. If you listen carefully when you do this, you'll
hear the air escaping.