How to Prevent Spark Plug Wires from Sparking - Easy Ways to Fix It Yourself

Knowing how to prevent spark plugs from sparking will save you a lot of problems in the future and help you solve these problems; in the article below, I will teach you some quick fixes that I have learned over the years.

An electric arc can be observed in spark plugs for many reasons; this happens in many cars and happens when the spark plug cables are loose or already oxidized, another cause could be broken spark plugs which can be dangerous. 

So, without further ado, I will tell you how to avoid sparking.

Method 1: Determine Cause of Arcing Spark Plug Wires and Check for Misfiring

With a basic visual check, you can check your car for misfires. Even if your car stops immediately, you will notice electrical arcs in the spark plug wires.

You should be aware that the main reason for arcing spark plug wires can be that the spark plug wires are not properly grounded; you can notice this when the connection starts at the coil and spark plug wires and on the conductors surrounding the area.

But if you notice an electrical arc, the reason is that the voltage from the ignition coil is grounded to the engine block.

The normal operation of spark plugs is to pass voltage through them through the ignition coil. But it won't have a return path if there's a bad ground, and it won't create a path for those spark plug wires to be arced down.

There should be sufficient tension in the gap of the spark plug, but if the coil is weak, it will make efforts to provide it, and when the cylinder is compressed, a gap will be created.

That's when the coil decides to generate a lower voltage spark and be available to ground, which means the spark can't jump so it arcs.

Also, the fact that your car has a weak coil is another common cause of arcing in the spark plug wires, which is usually noticeable when ignited.

How to Diagnose a Misfire

Step 1. Start the engine and spray everything, including the wires and the ignition coil, with a spray bottle of water, and then we're going to determine if we have a misfire.

Step 2. If you see an arc coming from there, spray it while the engine is running and the engine will most likely start to misfire, which will tell you if you really have some kind of problem with the spark plug wires or the ignition coil.

Step 3. This is a great way to diagnose misfires in these circumstances and what you will often see is sparking and arcing between all the different wires, or often coming out of the actual coil again.

Method 2: Check for physical damage and repair any disconnected shift levers. 

Step 1. If it is night, use a flashlight to visually inspect the spark plug wires and check the spark plug cap. If you can't identify them with the naked eye, you should notice a line of wires coming out of the cylinder head and connecting to the other end of the distributor or ignition coil.

Step 2. Next, you should inspect the insulation around the wires and check every centimeter along it. To test them properly, you must follow the wires from the cylinder head to where they connect to the distributor.     

Step 3. Then route the end of the cable so that the clips hook into the spark plug head. When your parts are intact, they will build up pressure to keep the cable and connection secure.

Step 4. Take a clamping tool to crimp the wire as you need to run the wire in direct contact because if it is not in direct contact with the metal contact it will go into the plug or go into the distributor cap and cause a break in the spark and eventually burn the wire.

Step 5. If you notice that your shift cable has become disconnected, there will be an unstable current flow in the engine and the spark plug shift lever will become disconnected, which will also cause these arcs to form in the spark plug wires.

You must know where the disconnect is in the circuit breaker link, you must repair the disconnect as soon as possible.

Method 3: Inspect with the engine running

Step 1. Learn to identify the problem

You can identify the problem by the appearance of the engine. So, first, you should look for electrical arcs around the wires on the spark plug.

Step 2. Hear the sounds of your car

You should also pay attention to the sounds as you will hear a clicking sound which may indicate a high voltage leak. So you must be careful.

Step 3. Pay attention to the abnormal change

Have another person help you by starting the engine while you watch. You must watch and listen for anomalous changes such as sparks in wires or smoke. 

Step 4: Component Repair

More serious damage will occur if this damage is not controlled and repaired.

That's why it's extremely important to regularly check your car's interior, engine, and vehicle components for damage. If necessary, you must have it repaired before further damage seriously affects your vehicle and engine.

Step 5. Keep them clean

You should keep your car's spark plug wires clean to reduce conduction leakage. And don't think that crossed wires in your car are a bad sign, as some manufacturers do this to neutralize magnetic fields.

Faulty spark plug wires leave obvious signs of wear

If you find any of these signs, it may be time to replace the spark plug wires:

• Irregular inactivity
• Engine misfire
• Radio interference
• Reduced fuel consumption (1)
• Emission control test failures (2)
• High hydrocarbon emissions
• Error code indicating cylinder misfire
• Check engine light

You can prevent spark plugs from sparking by checking them regularly, changing wires, replacing ignition coils, and looking for the linkage disconnector.

Take a look at some of our articles below.

• How to check the ignition coil with a multimeter
• How to connect smoke detectors in parallel
• Does changing spark plug wires improve performance?

Recommendations

(1) fuel economy - https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/fuel-economy

(2) emissions control tests - https://www.nationwide.com/lc/resources/auto-insurance/articles/what-is-emissions-testing