Noob question

"Bandit" (2bandit) 07/12/2015 at 22:25 • Filed to: None

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How important are wire separators? What function do they serve other than to keep wires neat and tidy?

BJ > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 22:26

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There is nothing more important that they could do besides keeping wires neat and tidy. Messy wires are evil.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 22:29

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Apart from tidiness I think they help prevent them from rubbing together and wearing the insulation. I’ve seen non-secured plug leads that have rubbed through just a little and the spark would jump between the leads, not good.

Bandit > Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast 07/12/2015 at 22:31

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That happened on my last engine but it may have melted instead of rubbed.

dogisbadob > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 22:32

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hehehe spark plug wires :p

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 22:43

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Ouch! My experience was with one of the first cars I owned. I had the bonnet up at night one time and noticed sparks jumping from the leads where ever they crossed, on close inspection there was slight wear but didn’t look like enough for the sparks to escape! New leads and some separators and it was good as gold. “Ya gotta keep ‘em seperated” Offspring (sometime in the ‘90s)

vwbeamer > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 22:44

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They also keep them off the headers, which will melt the insulation

Frank Grimes > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 23:05

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supposedly they prevent wires from leaking into each other and causing crappy running engine. though it seems impossible now. maybe some stupid old man told me this and I just believed it all this time.

Alfalfa Romeo > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 23:08

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What someone else said, it can keep them from touching engine components that could melt the insulation at running temps.

ly2v8-Brian > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 23:30

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Ordnung muss sein!

Motorhead119 > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 23:31

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it’s called induction, and it is real. spark can jump across worn wires. worn from rubbing. separate your wires.

lonestranger > Bandit 07/12/2015 at 23:49

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Their primary function is to prevent crossfires. Even with new and intact insulation, the energy in a high tension lead is so great that it can sometimes “jump” from one lead to another, causing another spark plug to fire at the same time as the intended one does. This, unsurprisingly, causes rough running and loss of power.

Squid > Bandit 07/13/2015 at 03:10

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They help keep the wires from allowing the spark to jump cylinders. Better to run with them than without them. Sparks can be willful lil devils and try to escape leads that have spent time rubbin on each other and the heads.

BloodlessWeevil > Bandit 07/13/2015 at 10:37

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It helps prevent cross-talk between high voltage, high current wires (I.E. spark plug leads.) The magnetic field generated can induce current in the adjacent wire.

CalzoneGolem > Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast 07/14/2015 at 16:15

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1994

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > CalzoneGolem 07/14/2015 at 18:51

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HAPPY 21st!!!