[pSun]

Hello,

Replaced the spark plug wires recently in the 90 Sundance, then started realising a decrease in performance. The 1st week I saw about a 2.5 mpg drop, then the next week another 2-2.5 mpg drop; when it dipped below 20 during this 3rd week I knew I had to figure out what was up.

Fortunantly for me I need to clean the distributor cap and rotor every month, because that is where I went 1st. As I was inspecting the wire prongs, where they extend in the distributor cap, I noticed the #3 cylinder wire prongs where barely visable. I backed up the boot and pushed the wire in to hear it click and lock...whooly fark-narkles! I have been driving on 3 cylinder the whole time. There is absolutely no discernable wear on thos wire prongs!!!

I feel fortunant and am quite happy that I am stupid enough to install a set of wires so poorly.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Here's a little trick to get more life out of them: The prongs and rotor tend to char within 15K miles, so I do a mini-tuneup at that point. I change the plugs, PCV valve, air filter, breather filter, rotor; and then I remove the wires from the cap, rotate the prongs 180 degrees and re-insert. I use the pristine back side of the prongs for another 15K miles before replacing cap and rotor along with the rest of that list (and gas filter).

 

[concord13steve]

Thanks for your information

 

[dana44]

Bob, that is interesting about the distributor cap prongs. I have a 2.5 I am going to put in my TR4 and this is the first time I have ever heard of any prongs being able to be moved like this, they are usually buried in plastic/phenolic material and not movable. Teach me more, I am intersted!

 

[John Wood]

He means the tips of the plug wires that protrude through the inside of the distributor cap. You can gently squeeze them and pull the spark plug wire out of the cap, turn them 180 degrees, and re-insert them. Just make sure they snap in. I do the same.

 

[dana44]

Oh. I thought he was saying the electrode that goes through the cap was movable. My bad.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Unlike the old school distributor caps, for the 2.2L and 2.5L, the wire termination at the dist cap consists of flat prongs, which snap into slotted holes at the base of the wire towers. These prongs are actually the contact surface that the rotor fires to, in the distributor, unlike the old molded-in contacts. The prongs will burn in just 15K miles, so to remove the wires, you gently squeeze the prongs together and pull the wire out of the cap. Then you rotate the wire 180 and insert the prongs with their unused back side facing the rotor, for a fresh surface. At 30K I scrap them. A Belden wire set from NAPA is $28 for this motor; cap and rotor each are about $9.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wire+prongs+distributor+2.2L+dodge&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.42965579,d.dmQ&biw=1280&bih=875&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=vSkuUfv0OaaQ0QG2woDwAw#imgrc=vZnHxVjSsQSSiM%3A%3BBA-R8l8MzhwF7M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi223.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fdd270%252Fmpgchris%252FDistCap1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.turbo-mopar.com%252Fforums%252Fshowthread.php%253F61884-X-Prize-Daytona%252Fpage2%3B500%3B375

 

[dana44]

OK, thanks, good information to know for the future. Thanks.