spark plug boot

Bree

Active Member
Jan 12, 2021
215
93
38
Zanesville Ohio
Ok. so this just happened... I was in line at the pharmacy drive through, and Indian Outlaw starts to sputter, and the RPM's drop, and the amps gage was in the basement. I put my foot on the gas and bring the revs up until the amps come back up. The sputter smoothed out a little bit. My first thought was, "oh ****, That brand new alternator is going bad already. Ok, I have the lifetime warranty, it's just the idea I have to do the job over again. So I get my pills and drop Outlaw in gear, and the sputter is still a thing, but the amps and RPMs stay where they belong. I had planned to stop at Subway on the way home as it is just across the parking lot, (strip mall) but I decided it best to go straight home. I start up a hill, and the sputter gets bad again. My new first thought, "well, maybe the fuel pump is going bad." That's the last thing I need right now with the Stealth Fighter (my daily driver) in the shop with steering issues. Pardon me a moment wile i go off on a rant about that stupid Chevy is in the shop more and more often with one thing or another. I pray to the Lord almost every day that I can trade Stealth Fighter in on a P71 Crown Vic! Rant over and back on topic...
Ok, so now this is odd... Down hill Outlaw is running smooth as glass. So I'm thinking fuel sloshing about the tank has an effect on the pump. Now that I think about, I did smell raw fuel when I brought the revs up sitting in the drive through. Hmmmm... Fuel leak? Moments later, safely in the driveway I put it in park and pop the hood. I walk around looking for a leak. No, don't see anything. Then I reach for the oil dipstick to look for water in the oil thinking blown head gasket or something. Nope, all is good there...
So I go to replace the dipstick and, hello... What have we here?!?! There's some kind of a line laying on the headder. No, not a line, a spark wire! It's off the 3rd plug left bank. So I shut it off so as to not have a shocking experience and got my leatherman out of my purse, and try to wiggle the plug. Mabey it worked loose and caused this? No, it's still tight. I inspect the wire and boot, nothing is burnt or seems brittle/crumbly... So I stuck the boot back on the plug and fired up the Outlaw, and she purred like a kitten. Could it be that simple? I back out of the driveway and head up the hill stopping at the top. All seems well. Traffic clears and I horse on it, the Flowmasters roar down the road. Ok I made my point, and lift, just then I see a cop on the next block. Oh $*** did he see or hear any of that? Ok, it seems like everything is cool, Whew!!! Ok, hill ahead, let's see what happens... Right up it, like it's not even there! Nice! Ya know what, Subway is kinda sorta at the bottom of the other side of this hill. May as well... Then on my way home, all went well.

Ok, so here is my quandary... It seems odd to me that a boot would just pop off like that without any apparent provocation. Has anyone else heard of plug boots just popping off like that? This is the same car that sat on a mechanic's lot for 6 years untouched. It crosses my mind that while it was sitting, the rubber dried out and shrank, and more or less squeezed it's self off? Tomorrow when it's cooled off, I think I'll check the rest and make sure they're still tight.
Thoughts, feelings impressions anyone?
Thanks
 
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Treat the outlaw to a new set of wires. If your inclined to do a custom set yourself then I recommend msd's streetfire wires. They're not expensive, pretty easy to do,and are a good daily driver set.I've been rocking mine for awhile now and like them alot.
 
I've seen plug wires pop off that weren't completely pushed on. I've also seen them pop off because the little end wasn't tight enough to secure itself to the spark plug.

I've had street fighter wires for years with no problems. There are some bad reviews out there but a bunch of them are probably user error.
 
Yup!!!! :poo:ty wires fall off all the time. If you have the money, buy good wires. I have had every brand there is, but I have stuck with the Accels for almost 20 years now. Taylor wires fell off more than any other wire I had. The Motorcrafts and the MSD wires I had leaked like a siv.


They are quite a bit more money than the MSDs, but they never leak, they never fall off, and the boots are real thick, which means less electrical noise. You get a lot of value for your money. Same or next day item at Advance with no shipping costs.

Kurt
 
One of you used the word "Leaking" which got me thinking. I have been hearing a popping in the radio lately, that corresponds with the RPMs of the motor. Hence I figured then a set of wires were in my future. Whereas money is tight, I've been putting it off, but it sounds like this is the catalyst I need to pull the trigger on the job. I figured they probably dry-rotted sitting on Bozo's lot.
But still, I never dreamed of a plug boot randomly popping off!
Speaking of dry rot form sitting, Outlaw is sitting on 4 sticker tires now (Cooper Touring) when the alternator exploded it took the belt with it, so that's new to. heater and radiator hoses look and "pinch" ok, but sometimes with hoses it's what you can't see (or feel) that bites ya!
 
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Well, Rock Auto has gotten a lot of my bread on behalf of the Stealth Fighter. (07 Malibu Stupid Sort, er, I mean Super Sport) I guess It's the Outlaw's turn to spend my money there.
 
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Heres a thought if money’s tight.

Get rid of the other cars.

Theres always that guy that has 3-4 cars that all need work. None of them are reliable,..they all need work, and when you add it all up, combined, they all equate to one really decent hobby car.

Get rid of the other cars…You’re only one person.
Then, having only having to change spark plug wires are a godsend,…as they amount to chump change…not one more nickel that adds to the dime you had to spend on a Dodge truck, or a chevrolet malibu…or a….

And the best part is…you don’t have to come up with yet another name for another car that you don’t/can’t afford to fix.
 
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One of you used the word "Leaking" which got me thinking. I have been hearing a popping in the radio lately, that corresponds with the RPMs of the motor.
Dead give away of a leaky wire. If you start the engine in a real dark place, sometimes you can see the little blue sparks around the boots. Or you can get a young kid to touch all the wires with the engine running, and when they jolt, you have found the wire. MSD wires are notorious for leaking right out of the box. Motorsport wires used to do the same, but I think they went to a better supplier at some point.

Kurt
 
So, if Indian Outlawgets a free pass as a "weekend warrior" so we are left with the issue of a having both a truck, and an every day car.
Well, if I get rid of the Dodge Slayer, what would I do to pull the boat, the "As Sea-n on TV" and yes, it has been seen at sea on TV. Ha, See what I did there?
But it has crossed my mind that maybe the Slayer and the Stealth Fighter combo could be replaced by an SUV, until I consider both the in-laws and my Mom both have farms, and I sometimes load up things that wouldn't fit the back of an SUV. I suppose I could run the Dodge Slayer as a daily driver, but, Slayer is a little gas thirsty and kinda uncomfortable for every day. Slayer is from a time when trucks were built to be trucks, rather than cars on steroids. So the car & truck combo does actually make sense in that regard.
So now we come to the dependability issue. Slayer has been very dependable, and is Forever On Rescue Duty. (see what I did there?) Family and friends call me often to come to the rescue when they're stuck or broken down. Now my dayly driver, Stealth Fighter on the other hand, has about as meany vertical miles as horizontal. If I could find one in my time zone, I'd trade Stealth Fighter, I'd trade it for a retired P71 Crown Vic in a heartbeat!
Heres a thought if money’s tight.

Get rid of the other cars.

Theres always that guy that has 3-4 cars that all need work. None of them are reliable,..they all need work, and when you add it all up, combined, they all equate to one really decent hobby car.

Get rid of the other cars…You’re only one person.
Then, having only having to change spark plug wires are a godsend,…as they amount to chump change…not one more nickel that adds to the dime you had to spend on a Dodge truck, or a chevrolet malibu…or a….

And the best part is…you don’t have to come up with yet another name for another car that you don’t/can’t afford to fix.
 
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I had just changed the plugs, cap, rotor before the accident, and greased everything up then. There was still plenty of goo on everything from that. And surprisingly, it didn't dry out after all those years of sitting! :o
 
Dead give away of a leaky wire. If you start the engine in a real dark place, sometimes you can see the little blue sparks around the boots. Or you can get a young kid to touch all the wires with the engine running, and when they jolt, you have found the wire. MSD wires are notorious for leaking right out of the box. Motorsport wires used to do the same, but I think they went to a better supplier at some point.

Kurt
The grab the wire thing rarely works more than once before the newbie wises up. At least that’s all it took in Jr High shop for me.
If you are looking for sparking wires in the dark, a misting spray bottle is supposed to help, but I have to wonder if it increases the conductivity of the observer.
 
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The grab the wire thing rarely works more than once before the newbie wises up. At least that’s all it took in Jr High shop for me.
If you are looking for sparking wires in the dark, a misting spray bottle is supposed to help, but I have to wonder if it increases the conductivity of the observer.
What's even more fun is taking a-hold of, or in my case accidentally brushing against a bad coil wire! I made that mistake once as a young'n, and I do mean once!
Another thing that's a lot of fun when it quits hurt'n, That thing when you use a screwdriver in the boot against a ground to see if it's jumping a spark, and the voltage jumps the handle of the screwdriver!