i have a 94 civic dx sedan and i don't know when the last time the spark plug wires were replaced. The car has 161k miles. Is there any way to tell whether u need to replace them or not?

 

when it doesnt run right or fire right for most ppl. but like every 2 yrs or 30k miles for ppl that maintain their car properly

 

i've only driven my car for a little over 1k since i got it so i wouldn't notice a difference in performace if they were bad or old when i got my car. Would you recommend to replace them just to be safe?

 

did u just buy it? when i bought my car the 1st thing i did was change the plugs and wires and oil. u can take em out and look at them. u can get all of them for like $10 so i would do it

 

i changed the plugs, oil and air filter a couple days after i got it. Never crossed my mind until now for the wires. but i think that i'll go get some and change them tonight. thanks for the help

 

Hi, you should change them when the bottom is flat.

 

attention trial users:

Your thinking of SPARK PLUGS, not spark plug WIRES.

Your spark plug WIRES will never have to be replaced. Unless they are cracked, glazed, ripped or you know its misfiring, they will last forever. Check their resistance if its within spec off of the Helms manual.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Redline96LX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">attention trial users:

Your thinking of SPARK PLUGS, not spark plug WIRES. </TD></TR></TABLE>

thank god, i was wondering wtf all of u were thinking

 

I recently bought my civic as well. I tested the resistance on the wires and they all show under 25K ohms which is what the service manual says. Actually they're all 9-11K.

Is there something else besides the resistance that needs to be checked for proper working wires? Would a cut/crack of the wire insulator cause any trouble on ignition?

 

Ladies and gents: Auto Tech 101 - Ignition

With spark plug wires, you want to check resistance. Do a visual check. If there are cuts, like deep cuts, that may want to be replaced. Remember that these cars are Hondas, and our stock wires are very good, relative to other cars, and quite a few aftermarket ones. if they are tough, glazed, glowing, cracked, or burnt or melted, check for overheating, that the wires are not touching too much, or wrapped around themselves. Wires on a EG or EK civic shouldnt really have these problems. The connectors shouldn't wear out, if so, check other things as well, such as your distributor seal and rotor, they could be loose or worn. If you have a crack, the wire could be damaged, but a light cut that only hits the rubber, you ought to be fine. If they are bendy, and within spec for resistance, they are good. Aftermarket wires, for all intents and purposes on a stock or close to stock car, will give you no real gain. Nothing noticable. If you have a supercharged port and polished car, then you may as well go DI with a Capacitive discharge igniton and use 9mm wires with silicone coating for heat. For a stock motor, a Iridium spark plug from NGK is gonna do so much more (and possibly noticable) than a aftermarket wire.

Theres your free info, IM me if you need anything more.

 

looks like redline saved the day for all you trial users

 

In addition to everything he said, you can park the car in a dark garage, and mist some water with a spray bottle and look for arcing. Had this guy bring in a hummer one time with all kinds of weird intermittent misfiring. That **** was a light show. Someone had installed too short of aftermarket plug wires and they were all tore up. When I pulled them out the boots just came apart.