Topic: Misfire/Tune up question

[blacknblue]

So after a year and a half of running a performance distributors firepower ignition set up I started to experience a misfire in the number 2 cylinder.  Check engine light came on after a recent rainfall,  comes back a misfire in the number 2 cylinder.  Carbon arching is the culprit.  I plan to do a tune up myself with a new cap and rotor, and for good measure...some new plugs.  Question is... do I need to replace the coil and wires as well.  In my eyes the problem is within the cap and rotor, not the wires or coil.  I have heard that replacing only one aspect of the ignition system and not the entire system can lead to problems and possibly damage the other ignition components.  So should I install a new screaming demon coil and some new live-wires along with the new cap,rotor, plugs....or just go with my original idea of a new cap, rotor, and plugs only and call it a day?

[jfrabat]

So after a year and a half of running a performance distributors firepower ignition set up I started to experience a misfire in the number 2 cylinder.  Check engine light came on after a recent rainfall,  comes back a misfire in the number 2 cylinder.  Carbon arching is the culprit.  I plan to do a tune up myself with a new cap and rotor, and for good measure...some new plugs.  Question is... do I need to replace the coil and wires as well.  In my eyes the problem is within the cap and rotor, not the wires or coil.  I have heard that replacing only one aspect of the ignition system and not the entire system can lead to problems and possibly damage the other ignition components.  So should I install a new screaming demon coil and some new live-wires along with the new cap,rotor, plugs....or just go with my original idea of a new cap, rotor, and plugs only and call it a day?

The coil I would not replace, but the wires, dpending on age, may need changing.  I would run it without changing the wires and see how it goes; if it runs fine, then I would not replace them (they are not that cheap, but I am!).  But keep in mind that wires DO degrade, so they need changing every certain number of months (I dont remeber the exact number, though).

[blacknblue]

Thanks,  I was planning on doing just that...installing a new cap, rotor and plugs and see how she runs.  All the ignition components are around 2 years old.  Money IS tight right now for me so I will probably do a complete tune up next spring.  I wonder if running a Jet Stage 2 chip is over taxing the ignition system...she may need more frequent tune-ups to compensate.  Happy Trails!

[VA_YJ]

You can try running the motor in the pitch dark (no lights nearby), hood open and look for sparking/arcing.  You can also check the resistance of the wires with a meter. (does the wire for #2 cylinder have higher resistance than the others?)  It may just be a bad plug on #2.  You could try that first if you don't see any obvious problems with the cap or wires.

[Castr8r]

Cap, rotor, and plugs should be enough.  Before you do, start it at night like was suggested, and mist water over the wires and cap.  You'll be able to se how your wires are working-  any arcing will really show up.  If there is arcing, then it is time to replace the wires.

[blacknblue]

Before my check engine light even came on,  she ran a little rough one morning...so rough that I parked it and popped the hood.  I checked to make sure all the wires were seated properly,  and when I touched the distributor cap I got a shock...not sure on what position the wire was.  I will check it tonight in the dark,  since I am still waiting on 4wheel parts to deliver the second part of my order.  It's really annoying when they only ship you half of your order,  and then you start getting psyched up to do the work but you can't,  so you wait and wait...watching the mail.  My guess is that a wire may be bad,  because I only have problems after it rains and it gets real humid.  The outside moisture could be facilitating the arching.  Thanks for the advice.