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plug lead lifespan

To: mg list <mgs@autox.team.net>
Subject: plug lead lifespan
From: Dirk de Boer <deboer@duke.usask.ca>
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 09:35:38 -0800 (PST)
On Wed, 13 Dec 1995, A.D.Smith wrote:

> Just one question really : what is the expected lifetime of plug leads ?
> Number one plug lead seemed to be grubby and a bit rusty in the end where it 
>goes
> over the plug head.  This might mean that the rest of the lead is getting 
>past 
> it's best, might it ?

Plug lead lifetime is a function of mileage and age. For daily 
drivers they should be good for tens of thousands of kilometers if 
the winters are not too severe. Here in Canada I change them ( and 
the points, cap, condensor and plugs) every year to make shure that  
the ignition will work a hundred percent when it is -30 or -40 
degrees C and you need all the help you can get. 

I think the best way is to inspect the insolation for degradation 
(cracks, brittleness, softness). You can also measure the 
resistance but I don't remember what it should be. Anyway, the 
resistance of the lead when installed in the car is strongly 
affected by the connections at the plug and the cap so the 
resistance of just the lead does not tell the whole story.
The rust can be prevented by putting a bit of tune-up grease 
(dielectric grease) or vaseline in the connectors.

Dirk (Warm day today. Only -20 C)

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