Pertronic's and plug wires

[rmengel]

I have a 71 200,6cyl that I have put the pertronics in and have their coil. With supposely more voltage should I change to better wires ? I have the stock wires that are 40 yrs old. I have just installed a Holley 5200 2 barrel and have a flat spot when taking off and I wonder if I'm not getting the spark I need ? If I should get better wires what size should I get (MM) ?

 

[bubba22349]

Wow 40 year old wires, my guess is they would be leaking but for fun open the hood with it running in a very dark place if it lights up like a Christmas tree or you see or hear sparks jumping then their bad. You can also test their resistance with a Volt / ohm meter. If they test out good then there's no need to change them. New set of 7 MM wires would be just fine to use for your setup.

 

[rmengel]

It seems to run smooth, it only has 14000 miles so I feel the wires are OK. My thought was are they big enough for the extra voltage of the pertronics coil ? How would I check the resistance of the wires ? What should it be ?

 

[rmengel]

here's the resistance of my wires
1-3.61
2-3.89
3-6.75
4-6.60
5-9.31
6-10.68
So I'm thinking that their GOOD. But are they big enough for the voltage of the pertronic's ?

 

[72maverick]

might as well get some wires. No harm in replacing them.

 

[ludwig]

Exactly what I was thinking.

This month Hot Rod magazine had one of their mechanic's solutions sections. The guy had a big block '69 Mustang with a misfire he couldn't get rid of. 80% of the problem was solved with new hi-po plug wires. Tho original ones were actually laying on the exhaust manifold and had melted to it in places. (Not your problem, I know.)

Plug wires are not wires pure and simple. They are carbon ribbons with a noise- suppressor winding. The electron path can break inside and give you a variable pulse when the car is moving.

 

[72maverick]

I agree. And the replacement doesn't require too much thought or effort.

 

[thesameguy]

Yeah, resistance doesn't tell the full story - insulation and flexibility are also key. There is simply no way wires after 10 years can be good, much less 40. I like Bubba's idea, but add a spray bottle full of water on the finest mist setting. With the engine running, just mist a small amount of water on the plug side of the engine. Take pictures for us!

 

[rmengel]

I just talked to a guy from Pertronic and he said that my resistance was find and that the wires from 71 were 7MM so it would be of no advantage to change them for more voltage. I will say that a couple of wires have NO flexibility, so because of that I will change them.

 

[ludwig]

It's like chicken soup: won't hurt; just might help.

 

[rocklord]

Don't buy a cheap set of wires. The ones you have are better than a cheap set.
Try to find a wire set that is made for the inline six, not one you have to cut-to-length.

My $0.02