Don't Overlook Simple Things!

[Mike E.]

I haven't posted here for a while, as I've had some other project other than my '65 that have been building up over time so I've been trying to knock those out first before getting back on the car. I've only had it a few weeks short of 41 years so figured it could wait a little longer.

Anyway my '01 Z06 hasn't been running right for a over a year, had an intermittent miss that seem to go away after driving it for while but was getting really annoying and much worse. I bought it used in 2003 with about 16K mile on it. Fast forward to 2018 and it now has about 62K miles and other then a clutch, tires routine maintenance it been pretty trouble free.

I don't drive it much which I know is bad, but for some reason I had it stuck in my head it was a fuel injection or bad fuel issue. Never showed any codes but I was ready to try chase down a fuel problem, I had read on the web the wiring to the injectors could be problem.

Anyway after thinking about it longer I thought lets go back the basics. In the old days what was the most common cause of poor running engine in our classic Corvettes? Ignition right?? Plugs in newer cars rarely go bad in so few miles so I though about the wires. The LS6 (01) has a coil pack for each cylinder and sure enough on #5 this is what I found. Problem solved, it runs like a dream again!



Now my NCRS question. The replacement wires were AC Delco and they work fine, but they look nothing like what I thought were the originals. Did GM ever source wires from MDS Ignition or were these changed early in the car's life prior to my ownership? If so someone really took the previous owner to the cleaners thinking somehow changing a 6" wire on a less then 2 year old car was going to improve performance.



I know its just a C5 and will probably never be judged but I would really like to find out what was the original style. Any ideas?

Mike

[Joe L.]

Re: Don't Overlook Simple Things!

I haven't posted here for a while, as I've had some other project other than my '65 that have been building up over time so I've been trying to knock those out first before getting back on the car. I've only had it a few weeks short of 41 years so figured it could wait a little longer.

Anyway my '01 Z06 hasn't been running right for a over a year, had an intermittent miss that seem to go away after driving it for while but was getting really annoying and much worse. I bought it used in 2003 with about 16K mile on it. Fast forward to 2018 and it now has about 62K miles and other then a clutch, tires routine maintenance it been pretty trouble free.

I don't drive it much which I know is bad, but for some reason I had it stuck in my head it was a fuel injection or bad fuel issue. Never showed any codes but I was ready to try chase down a fuel problem, I had read on the web the wiring to the injectors could be problem.

Anyway after thinking about it longer I thought lets go back the basics. In the old days what was the most common cause of poor running engine in our classic Corvettes? Ignition right?? Plugs in newer cars rarely go bad in so few miles so I though about the wires. The LS6 (01) has a coil pack for each cylinder and sure enough on #5 this is what I found. Problem solved, it runs like a dream again!



Now my NCRS question. The replacement wires were AC Delco and they work fine, but they look nothing like what I thought were the originals. Did GM ever source wires from MDS Ignition or were these changed early in the car's life prior to my ownership? If so someone really took the previous owner to the cleaners thinking somehow changing a 6" wire on a less then 2 year old car was going to improve performance.



I know its just a C5 and will probably never be judged but I would really like to find out what was the original style. Any ideas?

Mike

Mike------


Even if MSD had been the supplier to GM for the plug wires, I HIGHLY doubt that GM would have let them place their brand so prominently, if at all, on the plug boots or, for that matter, anywhere else on the wires. I think what you found are strictly aftermarket. Based on what happened to one of your wires, I would have near zero confidence in the rest.

An OEM wire set for your application is available under GM #88892763, aka ACDelco 748cc.

This is what an OEM wire should look like:

[Mike E.]

Re: Don't Overlook Simple Things!

Mike------


Even if MSD had been the supplier to GM for the plug wires, I HIGHLY doubt that GM would have let them place their brand so prominently, if at all, on the plug boots or, for that matter, anywhere else on the wires. I think what you found are strictly aftermarket. Based on what happened to one of your wires, I would have near zero confidence in the rest.

An OEM wire set for your application is available under GM #88892763, aka ACDelco 748cc.

This is what an OEM wire should look like:

Thanks Joe,

The replacement AC/Delco set I bought look exactly like the one you supplied the picture of. I guess it was the case of some one trying to "Improve" something that didn't need to be improved. After thinking about it, I bet they were changed for only cosmetics. Perhaps the red wires coming out below the red coil covers might have been a little added touch the original owner wanted to add to the engine compartment.


Mike