i have the thunder racing otvc wire set, and so far i've been pretty happy with it, but tonight i checked under the hood, and underneat the alternator (where the wires run) there's a constant blue glow, so i'm guessing the wires are arcing. the problem is the alternator kind of rests on the wires and there's really no other way to route them, so how can i stop them from arcing? My first thought was wrapping them with a bunch of electrical tape where they make contact but i'm not sure if that will even make a difference with this kind of voltage. what should i do?


btw, i've had a low rpm stumble and ****ty gas mileage (though the car still pulls hard above about 2500rpm) and i'm hoping this is what's causing it. whats the likelihood that arcing wires would do this?

 

Kinda comical because my car was doing the EXACT Same thing wires arching causing a stubble below 1700rpm's replaced them, they were fine, Electrical tape... bad, if it melted the wire it'll own the electrical tape. I believe, someone might know where, but they make a wrap or a high heat shield for the wires. Or you could just have someone hold them out of the way while the car is running, How you're going to drive with them under the hood is your problem

 

No doubt about it, arcing wires WILL do that.

Electrical tape will help....... if you use a ****ton of it.. but it literally is a band-aid, and not a very good one... Think about the thickness of the insulation on the wires, if that isn't keeping them from arcing, electrical tape won't do much. I wonder if yours melted or cracked a bit from being sandwiched between the ALT and whatever else for so long.. rule number 1: heat kills wires..

Get new wires and route them better. Use the taylor wire insulation fabric stuff if you can't avoid running them touching something hot.

 

That's the stuff, Thanks KainZ

 

Dude.. if someone holds wires which are cracked while the car is running, that person is gonna become hella pissed pretty damn fast when they get a nice 120kv shock haha.

 

Run them over the valve cover and get rid of the pinch point's.

 

Np, just watch out for the Taylor space age boot protectors.. they don't fit over the 409 lt1 wires (or maybe others either).. you have to get the wires that you crimp yourself to get them to fit.. don't ask how I know that

 

they are run over the valve cover, and i just got them last week i don't really want to buy new wires again

 

Find a way to get them out of a pinch under the alt and use seperators .

 

yeah i'll look at them this weekend. will the arcing cause them to be ruined? or will i be ok if i find a better way to route them?

 

Chances are, you have a choice to make: enjoy hesitation, or spend money.

Money on new wires or money on Taylor et al. wire insulator / protector fabric.

I find it hard to believe that the path of least resistance for enough of the current is through good insulation to nearby metal...

If they are pressed between some metal, then maybe.. just maybe.. some of the current might pass through to that metal.. (which would imply two things: 1, not enough wire, and 2: not enough insulation)

Any way you slice it, if you can't re-route the wires, you need either new wires that aren't cracked, or bigger wires that don't arc through their insulation, or that wire protector stuff, which isn't cheap.

 

LOL I went through that problem when I first got my car. tried 6 different sets all of them did it(brands wire set all the same). Just take plastic wire dress and put it around each wire and your problem will be solved! It will cost you under $5

 

I might be able to re route them, but i wanted to know is the damage arleady done? or can i re route them and wrap them with something? they've got like 300 miles on them

 

Depends.. if the damage was from heat, and they are cracked or melted, then you're screwed and need new wires.

If there is no damage, and they are just arcing because they are undersized wires that are too close to conductive metal, then re-routing them could help.

I say small wires because the smaller the wire, the less actual wire for electricity to travel on, hence the higher the resistance. Also, the smaller the wire, the less the insulation, hence the easier it is for current to flow through the insulation. If you have this situation, pressed tightly against grounded conductive metal, it's possible that the path of least resistance for SOME of the current could be through the insulation to the grounded metal, rather than down the wire to the plug. This will cause arcing of some of the spark energy, and a probable misfire. There would be no real damage to the wire in this case, aside from maybe the spark eventually burning the insulation over time by traveling through it, but at the same time, this is extremely unlikely, and would really require a really undersized wire.

But, I've never actually seen this happen, and I'm guessing the heat from the alt probably killed the insulation on your wires, so you probably need new ones

 

If they keep arching I'm sure it will ruin the insulation, but if you catch it soon enough, I don't see why they would be bad