oceanvue

When I touch one of the plug wire leads into the distributor cap (pushing them on while the car was running) it shocked the holy dog snot out of me, Bad wire? Crcked cap? any ideas?

AO

Yep... Sounds like you need a new cap(s), rotor(s) and wires. I good way to check is to use a spray bottle and mist some water in the are with the car running at night. You should see some nice blue sparks.

Mrmerlin

Hi you should have a yellow warning sticker in the engine compartment that says dont touch the hi tension leads while energised , otherwise death can result, this means dont touch the spark plug leads as the voltage can possibly kill you. for the spark plugs letting the voltage out you might be ready for a new set of spark plug wires and possibly caps and rotors as well. Please be safe

ODSharkBytes

This reminds me of when I saw a doctor buddy about a sore wrist, I said "It hurts alot when I do this" and he said "Well, don't do that then".

Imo000

Well how do you know he needs all 3? I know, its easier to replace all 3 casue then for sure you'll fix the problem but it could be as simple as a single bad wire end or jsut a cracked distributor cap. Have a closer look at the cap if its cracked repalce it but I have a feeling it's a bad wire end.

oceanvue

I know better but at least I didn't do it twice so I am making some progress.

John Welch

Yeah, as a joke, I thought I would pull the spark plug wire off of the VW bug while it was running with my mother sitting in the school parking lot. One hand on the bumper, one on the wire and, OH BOY!

Quite the joke...

glork98

One hand in, other hand up and don't lean on the fender with your midsection.

Nicole

I'm glad to hear you're still alive!

neilh

Good old electricians rule ( or myth)
#1 Keep left hand in pocket while pulling on high voltage wires - it by passes the shock around your heart.
#2 Don't wear a watch with a metal strap anywhere near an auto battery or other source of high current/voltage if there is any risk of shorting it to ground.

I've been there, done both, and it hurts!

the flyin' scotsman

Sage advise above especially if you or the car is wet, the floor your standing on and the shoes your wearing.


Back to diagnosing the problem; when were the distributors, rotors, plug wires and plugs changed? You can safely inspect all of the above with the engine off and determine fault.

Dependant on the age of the car and your maintenance records you may want to replace all of the above.

Be careful out there.

SharkSkin

Spoken in a way that only someone who has truly been there can say it...

Basically, wires are most suspect, but high resistance anywhere in the secondary ignition system can increase the tendency to shock you. As Imo says, the only thing truly defective may be a wire end, but check plugs, caps & rotors as well. Corroded contacts in the cap/rotor can increase the tendency for the spark to try to find another path, same goes for plugs that need replacing.

BarryW

Look at the wires and caps with the engine running, in the garage, at night, with the lights off. You might be able to see some arcing or "tracking" if there is a problem. Try to resist touching them when operating. Our cars have pretty high ignition voltages. High voltage has a nasty habit of doing whatever it wants, regardless of your need to touch something hot! Just because you got shocked, doesn't neccessarily mean you have a problem. Just because you can't see any tracking, doesn't neccessarily mean you don't have a problem. As stated before here, be extremely cautious when messing about with high voltage. Most of us have been bitten a time or two and can chuckle along with you, but there are some that can't chuckle anymore.

Prionace Glauca

"One Blunder,Six Foot Under"

mcholdfast

A little OT but ages ago my dad owned a local appliance and electronics repair biz. I once saw him fly across the back of the store after having a tv picture tube discharge into him because of a cracked hv lead. He said the worst pain was from the burns on his feet caused by the wet threads in the soles of his shoes. From then on, he bought shoes with no thread in the soles.