AndyK

I feel like a broken record (CD for you younger dudes)! I should just start every post with "I dont think this should be happening, but...."!

My engine starts getting rough...I open the hood, and 3 out of 4 plug wire boots are not "locked in". I press them down, hard, they click, and the engine is fine.

What would cause even new boots to pop out like that? Could the plugs be gapped incorrectly? What is "blow-by"?

Driving with the A/C on and getting crappy radio reception (see other post), I could barely get up that hill near Overlook Hospital (Summit Ave, I think)!? WTF???

Brett944Cab

I am less than knowledgable in this area, but I believe blowby amounts to air leaking around the plug holes. You might check the insertion of your plugs, being careful of course of the soft aluminum head. Tightening them down fixed this for someone.

Make sure a PO didn't do a bad helicoil job on one of the plug hole threads.

AndyK

What if the plugs are tight??

Anyone--anyone?

Mark Parker

Assuming the plugs are correct for your application, and that they're tight, I have seen cases where compression leaks between the ceramic and steel parts of a plug and causes the boots to be blown off. But never more than one plug on an engine, and even then the phenomenon is rare. Far more common is poorly made boots and or terminals. Are they good quality wires ?

Manning

Moisture in the recess around the spark plug hole can heat up and pop the connectors free. Doesn't take much, just a little bit turned to steam will blow it free.

I also remember reading, I think on Magnacor's site, that plugs with slick ceramic insulators like Split Fires will sometimes pop loose their plug wires because the tiny bit of air that gets caught between the boot and the top of the plug can't sneak back past the plug and pops the boot free.

Perry 951

[quote] Moisture in the recess around the spark plug hole can heat up and pop the connectors free. Doesn't take much, just a little bit turned to steam will blow it free. <hr></blockquote>

That was my first thought as well.

SoCal Driver

If these are after market wires that do not use the BERU end connector with it's rubber boot then you will have continual problems.

I don't think it's the rubber boot as much as the method that the end connector is retained on the end of the spark plug.

The BERU style uses a floating U shaped clip to catch the grooves in the brass end nut on the plugs. Between the snug fit of the BERU rubber boot and this clip it's more of a problem to remove them than to keep them on.

There is no reason to use other than stock plug wires and connectors on these cars. All of the stranded style plug wires from 7mm OD to 10mm OD use a 16 gauge straned wire. Even the so called hotter coils can't arc through new 7mm cables.

You might be able to crimp the end inside the end connector. Be careful you don't crush the end.

AndyK

I am using 8mm Silicone wire w/the Beru ends on both sides. Tom R. sold them to me after using them for a brief time.

I am going to check the plugs to see if there is any moisture, and, that they are not lose for some reason.

951Tom

Hello,
I'm the guy that sold AndyK the wires. They were absolutely mint with OEM BERU connectors on both ends. The connectors had BERU written on them. I'm sorry you're having trouble with them Andy, they performed flawless on my car for 4,000 miles. I used them from Oct 2001 to April 2002 so they've never even seen a hot summer of high 951 underhood temps. Try a new set of Bosch spark plugs and see if that helps. With the air-tight seal that BERU terminals make to the head, any blow by will push them off easily.

AndyK

Hey Tom-

Not your fault...could be the tips of the plugs are too narrow for the Beru's? Maybe a set of copper plugs would somehow work better and not have as much blow-by?? I press the boots till I hear that "click", and the plugs are tight and dry, yet eventually, the boots un-seat themselves...

Same thing happened on my '87 Integra when I bought new Bosche plugs...only it happened to the #3 boot only. Could it be the plug heads?? Factory says use these Bosche Platinums...

???

Dave

Try the new plugs, I'm sure all Bosch plugs have pretty much the same head to start out but maybe yours have enough on/off cycles to have worn down a bit. They ARE a fairly soft alloy after all. Also a cracked insulator might cause this and new plugs would rule that out. When removing the old plugs, you may even find that the crush washers are missing.
From Tom's picture, they look to be the same wires that I have (only mine are red)and I am also using Bosch platinums. It's only been a few hundred miles but I've had no problems yet. Heck, mine were tough to get ON!

AndyK

Well, beauty is a new set of plugs is probably the cheapest thing I could buy for my car!

Should I get copper, or are they only good for the 951's?

951Tom

I would just get stock Bosch plugs. A set is under $5 and will work fine. Put some anti-seize compound on the threads so the plugs will come out easy next time. Let me know how it goes. We'll figure this out.......

AndyK

Didn't I read somewhere that we shouldn't use the anti-seize compound on our engines?

Deepice

[quote]Originally posted by AndyK:
<strong>Didn't I read somewhere that we shouldn't use the anti-seize compound on our engines?</strong><hr></blockquote>

correct...it is in a Porsche Bulletin....