WATER ON PLUG LEADS

Forum: 

Can anyone give any suggestions ,When I go offroad and splash in the puddles I appear to get water on the inside of the plug leads where they plug onto the plugs , this causes poor running and lack of power can anyone suggest any simple cures or any kind of sealant that would waterproof them. I know it sounds like I go charging into deep water but I dont and some of these puddles are only 12 inches deep . It is only recently that I have had this problem and dont understand why it should suddenly cause a problem.

many thanks for any help

Eddie

keep the sunny side up and the muddy side down!!!

Before I got my Sportrak I us

Before I got my Sportrak I used to have a Nissan Sunny which I took rallying every now and again. If I splashed water into the engine bay, it would get into my dizzy cap and into the rubber boots of my leads, and would short the circuit.

I just used sillicone around the dizzy cap and plugs and got a can of spray which you use on electrical components. It creates a fine film which repels the water, like a very thin layer of plastic. I think it came from Halfords.

Didn't have a probblem after that.

Hope this helps.

water on the plugs

thanks for your help .I will try some of that but do you know whether it will seal to the top of the engine or will it be affected by heat cos its not the dizzy cap ,its the end which goes to the plug . Many thanks again .

Eddie

Keep the sunny side up and the muddy side down!!!

Keep the sunny side up and the muddy side down!!!

I would say your HT leads are

I would say your HT leads are probably breaking down, so I'd replace those first. Then check all the usual, points, cap, etc. Then get a can of ignition sealant. This comes in an airisole can. Clean all the electrics off as much as possible. Alow to dry thourouly. Then spray librally with airisole. This laves a wax coat on all the electrics. My F80 used to hate water with a vengence. Rain would upset it, and wading killed it every time. I used this stuff, and now she only spluters in the worst of 2+ feet of water, plus bow wave.

Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.

plug leads

sounds like you mite need new leads mate ,i can take my sporty (91)into water upto the headlights with no problems since i put new ones on mine as the rubber tops that seal the plug holes get hard with age and let water past. good luck.

I used to have a similar prob

I used to have a similar prob on my bike as the front cylinder is down and dirty with the front wheel. I got a new plug cap and implanted it with silcon. This solved the problem. You can also go to Maplins and get a can of PCB lacquer and spray the leads, caps etc to coat in a thin layer of plastic as mentioned above. It costs £2.99 a can and gives a semi flexible invisible coating. Then spray all the shite in spray grease for added fun.

new leads

how much are a set of leads going to cost and where is best to get them from?

many thanks for everyones advice
Eddie

Keep the sunny side up and the muddy side down!!!

Keep the sunny side up and the muddy side down!!!

ht leads

They are £32.00 from Milners or try Halfords

waterproofing spray

I have just sprayed my electrics with a waterproofing spray from halfords ( cost £1.39 on clearance) and went splashing in the puddles , and do I mean splashing in the puddles ?!?! fantastic result no water where I didnt want it I cant afford new leads right now but I will save up and get some another time and will take the precaution of spraying them with this stuff to be on the safe side.

many thanks for your help and advice

Eddie

Keep the sunny side up and the muddy side down!!!

Keep the sunny side up and the muddy side down!!!

Wet Plug leads

The water repellant sprays are excellent but make sure the leads and plus, plug caps and dizzy caps are good and clean before using the spray and always chose a non hardening spray, there is one that hardens like a varnish which messes up everything in the end and cannot easily be removed.

NGK do excellent suppressor plug caps which have a neoprene rubber sealing ring in each one. I use these with copper core leads and they last years. I think they were initially designed for motorcycles and you may have to find them in a bike shop plus the connectors for the dissy end.. They make a variety of different shapes and sizes. If you are fussy it is well worth paying that bit extra for quality and make up your own leads.