Honda Accord Spark Plug Wires

[bowtieguy]

ok i got my valve cover and spark plug gasket issues taken care of, but the wires still keep popping off the plugs. the oil has been removed, but they seem to pop off when the car gets warm. and yes, i can hear them "snap" onto the plugs when cold.

what is OEM for a 97 accord 2.2 AT non-vtech? NGK or Prestolite? both come up as OEM on searches. could cheap wires be the cause of my problem? they're new, but i can't find a brand name.

also, do OEM wires have grooves? i noticed that there are grooves near the top of the spark plug holes. would OEM wires be held in place by these grooves?

anyone w/ honda had luck w/ Bosch wire sets?

thanks!

[bowtieguy]

well, i can get prestolites for $32+ shipped, bosch OE type connectors for ~$39 shipped, and NGKs for $50+ shipped.

i could go to autozone to see if they would match the online price(plus shipping) for bosch, and get the wires right away! their price is $49.99+tax.

and NAPA has cheap and premium wires cheaper than anyone.

[GasSavers_Erik]

Yeah- continuous contact with the oil makes the rubber swell. You might try squeezing the metal insert inside with pliers to deform it a little so that it fits tighter around the plug. My experience has been that eventually, they will begin to short out (the spark will eventually find a hole through the swollen rubber and you will get a misfire on that cylinder when accelerating)

I always get the autozone lifetime warranty wires for my vehicles (they are on my 94 accord right now). They are good about honoring the warranty a few years later when the wires start shocking me when I touch them....

[bowtieguy]

well, i pulled the wires again, cleaning w/ a solvent both the spark plug tubes and wire boots. there was def some residual oil in/on both. if this doesn't work, i'll order some OEM wires.

[GasSavers_TomO]

I foresee you ordering new plug wires as residual oil will be coming out of those plug wires for a few cleanings. I've had that happen with an old Integra I've had. Cleaned the plug wires and tubes several times and finally gave up and got new plug wires.

[bowtieguy]

thanks TomO! i was going to order OEM prestolites online since they are incredibly cheap, but now i realize what you say to be true--they won't stay on the plugs. so, i need something sooner than UPS can bring it!

i did a search and found that a CarQuest is right near a few of my regular deliveries at work. they carry the prestolites for $12-14 less than other stores Bosch and NGK(my 2nd and 3rd choices).

gotta be honest, i likely wouldn't drive to get them in my car--too far and LOTS of traffiic. prolly pick them up on the route tomorrow.

[bowtieguy]

update: all is well w/ these OEM wires so far. thank you car quest!

[bowtieguy]

sorry to revive this one guys, but i got another issue...

i finally installed my new plugs today(bought them in june), and found the same issue as before in cyl #3. spark plug ports 1,2, and 4 are dry as a bone; #3 is leaking oil...AGAIN!

it looks as tho the head has been removed previous to my ownership. if it was warped, wouldn't #s 3 and 4 both be leaking? one side note is that #3 is very close to a head bolt--so i slightly tightened it.

thoughts...

[kamesama980]

you'll have a badly leaking head gasket long before you have a leaking valve cover gasket from a warped head. as for which would be leaking, depends on how/where it's warped.

Don't tighten ONE head bolt if you're going to touch them at all, do them all to the right torque in the right sequence. doing just one can cause the head to warp!

[bowtieguy]

my bad...i tightened the valve cover bolt (to the head) nearest the leaking port.