Faulty Ignition/Spark Plug Wires
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Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,452
Likes: 2
From: Maryland
Faulty Ignition/Spark Plug Wires
Hey, this is actually the wife of Mt. Airy biker with a little heads up for everyone about Magnum Sterling Chromite II Ignition Wires. In June we bought a set of these sparkplug wires and installed them on my '04 RK Custom, EFI. End of September, I began having problems with my bike cutting off on me. Took it to a repair shop, and 5 days later learned the cause of the problem was the sparkplug wires.
I wrote Magnum Shielding to let them know about the problem so they could fix it and they wrote back to say they already knew. I called the customer service rep to ask when theyd discovered the problem. She couldnt tell me, just that the engineers told her they knew about it and had corrected it. Next I called the dealer I bought the wires from, to warn them of the potential problems. Turned out that they hadnt heard anything from Magnum Shielding about the known problem with the wires either.
So while these wires may not cause everyone a problem, be aware that there is a known issue with them, or there was. Magnum claims to have fixed it now, if Id like to get a new set. They'd look good, but I won't risk another week at the repair shop.
I wrote Magnum Shielding to let them know about the problem so they could fix it and they wrote back to say they already knew. I called the customer service rep to ask when theyd discovered the problem. She couldnt tell me, just that the engineers told her they knew about it and had corrected it. Next I called the dealer I bought the wires from, to warn them of the potential problems. Turned out that they hadnt heard anything from Magnum Shielding about the known problem with the wires either.
So while these wires may not cause everyone a problem, be aware that there is a known issue with them, or there was. Magnum claims to have fixed it now, if Id like to get a new set. They'd look good, but I won't risk another week at the repair shop.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 59
From: New York
Yep Im currently having same issue code u1064 and a few others all after wire swap also drove myself crazy pulling bike apart to trace data cable wire only to hit a dead end multiple times this issue is intermittent and comes and goes without rhyme or reason
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 9,165
Likes: 1,910
From: Doghouse... mostly
Any time that you have 20,000 volts running along a set of plug wires the last thing that you need to have happen is a route for the voltage to get sidetracked and not have enough ooomph to jump the spark plug gap. Those braided wires may look pretty but they're not made for optimum performance. Pick up a set of SE wires and call it a day!
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 59
From: New York
SE really ? Herd bad things bout those as well i was looking at koolines they claim to build their wires to cancel out any RFI radio frequency interference in also looking at the accel stealth coil kit which gets rid of the wires all together
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 8,852
Likes: 2,493
From: Decatur, Alabama
I learned my lesson about using aftermarket plug wires on a Ford Escort, of all things. The aftermarket wires were burning up the firing module. I had to have the thing replaced several times before I found out what was causing the issue. Once I switched back to stock wires, I haven't used anything else on bikes, cars, etc. except good old OEM.
carl
carl
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 59
From: New York
You would think something as simple as an aftermarket ignition wire wouldnt causes such issues ! Well shame Harley cant just offer braided & colored lines and if they did then at a reasonable price lol I can see it now -
Moco-
HD braided ignition wires $350 colored options without braiding $349.99 will not be covered under warranty if not installed by dealership at $200 per hour HD will not be held liable for any damage caused by our ignition wires but if failure occurs we also sell another kit for the same exact price to address the issues caused by our product !
Moco-
HD braided ignition wires $350 colored options without braiding $349.99 will not be covered under warranty if not installed by dealership at $200 per hour HD will not be held liable for any damage caused by our ignition wires but if failure occurs we also sell another kit for the same exact price to address the issues caused by our product !
Last edited by themechanic1776; Oct 10, 2019 at 10:48 AM.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 2,097
Likes: 307
From: mid Michigan
Anytime you change anything you run a risk. It's been mentioned in this site to stay with stock plugs and wires with the delphi system. I'm running Morse wires on my MM system, beefy wires from summit that are inexpensive.
Before that I had Accel race wires(glass). They didn't last very long on these shakers.
Before that I had Accel race wires(glass). They didn't last very long on these shakers.
Last edited by xcbullet; Oct 10, 2019 at 11:24 AM.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,183
Likes: 837
From: KMHT KFMY
HD bikes are VERY sensitive to plug wire changes as there is something in the spark system that is calibrated to the type of wires HD uses, almost any other type will make the bike toss all sorts of codes. I have posted about it before but right now I am too tired to go digging for the exact reason
Kind of like Toyota and O2 sensors, it is OEM or good luck, the only thing that comes close to working is a Denso and that is because they make the OEM
Kind of like Toyota and O2 sensors, it is OEM or good luck, the only thing that comes close to working is a Denso and that is because they make the OEM
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,156
Likes: 11,245
From: San Diego, CA
HD bikes are VERY sensitive to plug wire changes as there is something in the spark system that is calibrated to the type of wires HD uses, almost any other type will make the bike toss all sorts of codes. I have posted about it before but right now I am too tired to go digging for the exact reason
The twin cam engines have an ION Sensing circuit that is supposed to detect spark knock, and it will retard timing if spark knock is suspected.... there are many reports of aftermarket plugs and wires affecting the ION sensing...
They went to an actual spark knock sensor with the M8, haven't heard about any problems with aftermarket wires on the M8s, now if only they couldn't sump or transfer trans oil to the primary.....
Last edited by hattitude; Oct 10, 2019 at 12:15 PM.