I had the gas tank off my bike for repairs and was giving everything a good going over. I noticed that one of the plug wires (left hand side) had a small chafe in the rubber where it had been rubbing up against the petcock. It isnt deep nor does it go down to the actual wire or anything, just sort of a "dent" worn into the outer rubber.
The bike runs fine but I figured id replace the wires for some peace of mind. But it looks like the wires are permanently attached to the ignition coils. Is this common on most motorcycles? Seems silly and expensive that id have to replace the entire coil assembly because of a chafed spark plug wire.
Could I just cover the worn spot with some high-temp Silicon or something? I was thinking just put some electrical tape around it but it would probably just melt off. Any Suggestions??
Spark plug wires
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sharpmagna
- Legendary 750
- Posts: 989
- Joined: Fri May 26, 2006 12:02 pm
- Sex: Male
- Location: Hoodbridge, Virginia
The plug wires on my 92 katana are permanent fixtures into the coils. Yes you can change em. No its not fun.
more $ but craploads easier, is getting a new coil. they come with the wires attached.
What worked for me in replacing the wires... old time superglue. the kind that melts whatever it touches to form the bond. *you don't want water in there*
Generous helping of that on the coil and boot end, and since my replacement wires didnt come with fresh boots.....took the rubber part off, sandpapered hell out of the screw lookin thing that actually kinda drills down into the wire. The coil spike was much smaller and not threaded at all. when putting the boot on the plug wire, .... well since i didnt have a vise..and since its a hollow cylinder that goes over the top of the plug. hold push and turn. Hard. wait. i said HARD. you didnt forget the rubber boot from the plug did you? slide that down the wire over top of the shiny new connection you just made. superglue hell out of any where water can get in there.
Wouldnt reccomend pulling the wire to get them off the plugs after this.
Coil end: get a nice flat cut end of your new plug wire. insert it onto the lil spike. Glue. A lot.
*ps probably some better sealants out there....but i was "improvising". and it did work for about a month till i broke down and got new coils. Which were there real culprit in the first place.
Oh label your wires before you go unpluggin.
On the other hand, new coil....
1. unbolt old module
2. bolt new module in.
3. connect wires.
4. Stand around looking confused that you've saved yourself hours-weeks of aggravation and troubleshooting loose connections.
5. quote your post instead of editing it. Feel silly.
more $ but craploads easier, is getting a new coil. they come with the wires attached.
What worked for me in replacing the wires... old time superglue. the kind that melts whatever it touches to form the bond. *you don't want water in there*
Generous helping of that on the coil and boot end, and since my replacement wires didnt come with fresh boots.....took the rubber part off, sandpapered hell out of the screw lookin thing that actually kinda drills down into the wire. The coil spike was much smaller and not threaded at all. when putting the boot on the plug wire, .... well since i didnt have a vise..and since its a hollow cylinder that goes over the top of the plug. hold push and turn. Hard. wait. i said HARD. you didnt forget the rubber boot from the plug did you? slide that down the wire over top of the shiny new connection you just made. superglue hell out of any where water can get in there.
Wouldnt reccomend pulling the wire to get them off the plugs after this.
Coil end: get a nice flat cut end of your new plug wire. insert it onto the lil spike. Glue. A lot.
*ps probably some better sealants out there....but i was "improvising". and it did work for about a month till i broke down and got new coils. Which were there real culprit in the first place.
Oh label your wires before you go unpluggin.
On the other hand, new coil....
1. unbolt old module
2. bolt new module in.
3. connect wires.
4. Stand around looking confused that you've saved yourself hours-weeks of aggravation and troubleshooting loose connections.
5. quote your post instead of editing it. Feel silly.