951Dreams

Sorry it's been awhile. Due to reasons, the 951 has been in semi-hibernation due to needing a couple of the Rennbay balljoints and a "new" BMW I picked us as a daily driver. However, also for "reasons", she's been woken up and put back into service the last couple of weeks. After I got the battery, that had gone dead, reconditioned and working she's not missed a beat.... till yesterday. Was leaving work and knew once I hit the freeway (entrance ramps are my Turbo playground) something was up. She was missing.... great..... cutting out on acceleration and cutting out on idle.

I figured it was vacuum, cause 944. We all know the pain. So today I cracked open the hood and started investigating. Almost all the vacuum lines had been replaced with silicon, and everything looked good. Started her up so see if I could hear anything. After a few minutes I found my problem.... nice blue arc from #2 wire... but here's the WEIRD part.... it was arcing into the RUBBER Turbo signal hose for the Turbo... you know the one you hook a Lindsey Boost enhancer into....

NOT the fuel regulator it was up against (thank GOD!), NOT the intake it was mm's from, not ANY of the metal parts closer than the hose... it chose the rubber hose a good 1" or more away. Good thing, cause I was able to see it, but really... what the heck? We all know electricity chooses the path of least resentence. How in the heck could a rubber hose be that path?? Metal all around... So that's my question to you fine gear heads... any ideas?

The wires are newish, and high quality. I inspected the one in question, unplugged it and gave it a good look over. It looked fine. Replugged it in, and so far the arcing has stopped. I suspect it had come unseated from the plug. I'll see if it comes back. But really, rubber? I'm scratching my head. It wasn't even the closest thing to the end of the wire. The (abet aluminum) intake was much closer.

And the way these things like to catch fire, open spark right around the fuel rail gives me creepy crawlies.

951Dreams

So, it turns out I've been having this leakage on the #2 wire for some time. Like maybe since I've owned the car? I always had this.... surge like feeling under hard acceleration. I have a missing/broken exhaust stud on #4, and I had always thought the leak was causing pulsing in the turbo... nope. Now that I reseated that plug wire I get full, smooth pull all the way to the rev limiter. No surge, no pulsing. And wow, it's like a new car! Since it's always done it, I had no idea what I was missing!

However after years I'd have thought it would have burned the wire, or ate into the rubber hose it was arcing into. But nope, both look new.

New wires, plugs, cap and rotor are on their way soon. Better safe than sorry. These are only about 5 years old and only have about 5k on them. But I just want to make sure it's not something wrong inside the wire. Lindsey Racing, here I come .

mj951

Strange and good catch!
Care to share the brand of wires?

951Dreams

New wires are coming today, I'll be replacing tomorrow if all goes well. If I can get a brand name off of them I'll post it up.

951Dreams

Magwire was really all that was on the old wires. I talked to Mike at Lindsey when I ordered my wires, wanted his input on the best wires to use. I went with the "Mid tier" wires on their site per his suggestion. Very happen with them, seemed top quality. They were even numbered, gotta like that.