Copper core or new style plug wires

matthies · Jun 13, 2016

Can a guy get by with the new fiber glass style plug wires for an H Farmall with a magneto? Or best to use copper core? Just want to buy the right set. thanks chris

John T · Jun 13, 2016

Its even MORE and ESPECIALLY important when using a Magneto ignition to use wire core plug wires versus any resistive carbon core suppressor type plug wires. That's my opinion and experience at least, not to say carbon core couldn't still "work"

John T

Janicholson · Jun 13, 2016

Not fiber core at all. Use the wire wound "magnetic Suppression" if you need to keep the tractor quiet of radio interference, or solid copper if you do not. Jim

old · Jun 13, 2016

True wire plug wires on any tractor no matter what. Reason is the plug wires take a lot of abuse from things like tree limbs and vibration etc and the new plug wires made for cars do not hold up well the the things that a tractor has done with them

Red Dave · Jun 13, 2016

If it has a magneto, always use copper core plug wires.

rustred · Jun 13, 2016

this is how it goes... points = solid core wire, copper or stainless steel.
electronic ignition ..... = carbon core wires. you dont use solid core wires on electronic ignition.

rustred · Jun 13, 2016

i just buy the solid core wire in a complete spool from napa and end terminals and make my own wires. lots neater looking to have the correct length wires on engines. have never found a correct fitting wire set yet. and most have boots over the plug ends and looks dumb as ihc never had boots at the plugs.

rustred · Jun 13, 2016

that is not the reason. nothing to do with it. you need a higher voltage to run through carbon. and its to do with the electronics where a solid wire does not work good due to interferance.

CenTex Farmall · Jun 13, 2016

You can also use the modern spiral core wires.

I've made several sets for tractors from pieces leftover from building MSD wire sets for hotrods.

old · Jun 13, 2016

What you say is true but what I say is also true. I have probably forgotten more about electronics then most have ever learned. Things like E=MC squares and ohms law and counting in binary and octal etc etc

HuskerLyn · Jun 14, 2016

You probably have forgotten more than a lot of people know regarding electrical laws, however comparing your knowledge of Einstein's E=mc squared to tractor wiring is ridiculous.

old · Jun 14, 2016

No it is not it is the first thing we learned when it came to electronics and with out it many other things would not fit into place.

Ron Weber · Jun 14, 2016

Silver is the best conductor; Copper is not far behind. Carbon on the other hand has quite a resistance. Infact, most of the resistors used in electronics are carbon. So, if you carbon wires on a magneto, then you either get lower voltage across the plug gap or you need to produce a higher voltage to keep the same voltage jumping the gap. Hence, an electronic ignition system that puts out a much higher voltage (like in a modern car).

Most magneto engines are usually hand start, and an impusle was installed to 1). provide safety from kick-back and 2). to snap the magneto to aid in starting. If you add resistance to the system, such as use carbon wires, then you are shooting yourself in the foot. Moreover, a lot of magnetos, such as the F-4 or E4A use carbon brushes (and introducing resistance to the circuit).

Why do you need a resistor in an ignition system?

The same reason how magnetos work; they use the collapsing of a magnetic field to induce the flow of electrons, this process of the electrons flowing through the circuit in turn induces an Elector Motive Pulse (or EMF) disrupting any radio frequency in the local area; like listening to AM radio during a Lightening storm. To prevent this interference with the radio signals, by adding a resistance to the circuit, you in effectively drop the high spike in the pulse, kinda like retarding the spark. Moreover, using a resistance in the circuit helps the lifespan of the coil of a HEI system.

Regular distributors have advances in timing of a range more than that of magnetos and thus will give a better power range of the motor.

If you ever see a sparkplug with a R on it, such as a Rj8, that means the plug has an internal resistance built in. They are the fix for systems with copper wires such as Briggs & Stratton engines on riding mowers so that you could listen to the radio.

In short; Use copper wires with magnetos; carbon with electronic.

56 Fan 400 · Jun 14, 2016

(quoted from post at 11:35:53 06/14/16) Silver is the best conductor; Copper is not far behind. Carbon on the other hand has quite a resistance. Infact, most of the resistors used in electronics are carbon. So, if you carbon wires on a magneto, then you either get lower voltage across the plug gap or you need to produce a higher voltage to keep the same voltage jumping the gap. Hence, an electronic ignition system that puts out a much higher voltage (like in a modern car).

Most magneto engines are usually hand start, and an impusle was installed to 1). provide safety from kick-back and 2). to snap the magneto to aid in starting. If you add resistance to the system, such as use carbon wires, then you are shooting yourself in the foot. Moreover, a lot of magnetos, such as the F-4 or E4A use carbon brushes (and introducing resistance to the circuit).

Why do you need a resistor in an ignition system?

The same reason how magnetos work; they use the collapsing of a magnetic field to induce the flow of electrons, this process of the electrons flowing through the circuit in turn induces an Elector Motive Pulse (or EMF) disrupting any radio frequency in the local area; like listening to AM radio during a Lightening storm. To prevent this interference with the radio signals, by adding a resistance to the circuit, you in effectively drop the high spike in the pulse, kinda like retarding the spark. Moreover, using a resistance in the circuit helps the lifespan of the coil of a HEI system.

Regular distributors have advances in timing of a range more than that of magnetos and thus will give a better power range of the motor.

If you ever see a sparkplug with a R on it, such as a Rj8, that means the plug has an internal resistance built in. They are the fix for systems with copper wires such as Briggs & Stratton engines on riding mowers so that you could listen to the radio.

In short; Use copper wires with magnetos; carbon with electronic.

Sounds like you are a radar guy Ron. Couple of corrections tho if I may. EMP is Electro Magnetic Pulse. Second, Primary to secondary on the Magneto is when the primary drops voltage, current runs thru the secondary as the field collapses charging or dumping off to the points. That plus a Pulse Forming Network is how a lot of radars ran. Or that is what they said they did back when I was......nevermind.

:shock:

Fawteen · Jun 14, 2016

Interesting.

I went to ET"A" school in Great Lakes in 1970.

Later on, after 8 years in the field and a couple of Class "C" schools, I went to Pensacola where I was an Advanced Electronics Instructor for 4 years and also got my Master Training Specialist certification.

I taught and used laws and theorems from Ohm, Kirchoff, Coulomb, Faraday, Henry and Tesla among others, but I don't recall Einstein coming up.

Maybe it was different when ships were wood and men were iron.

Ron/PA · Jun 14, 2016

"Maybe it was different when ships were wood and men were iron."

Cold! Cool, but that"s cold.

Oh yeah, LOL

old · Jun 14, 2016

Just means your taught a different way. But then sub training is in fact different then surface fleet training

Fawteen · Jun 14, 2016

Ah. A nuke. That explains it.

old · Jun 14, 2016

NO not a nuke I was a CNC teck as in we told the missile where we where so they knew where they needed to go to blow up the world

ScottyHOMeY · Jun 14, 2016

The relationship between relativity and resistance is remote.

teddy52food · Jun 14, 2016

Should have said plug not points.

Red Dave · Jun 15, 2016

I was not in the Navy, I studied electronics at civilian schools. We learned that anything electricity does is governed by the laws of physics and can be explained by a mathematical formula. I would bet that the Navy taught the same thing.

I fail to see why the laws of physics would be any different in a submarine than they would on a surface ship. For that matter, the same laws of physics would apply in a spaceship. Now, I went to school a long time ago, have they repealed the laws of physics since I learned them? I don't think so. If you believe that they have changed, what laws of physics now govern it? What is the mathematical formula that represents it?

I also know what E=MC2 is. It is the mathematical expression of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. It has nothing whatsoever to do with spark plug wires or electricity. Why would you reference the Theory of Relativity in a discussion about spark plug wires?

Please explain these discrepancies.

jimmyO · Jun 15, 2016

Hm. Perhaps there is momentary confusion between E=IR (ohm's law, part of basic electronics) and E=MC^2 (Einstein's theory of relativity, part of basic nuclear reactors) ??

HuskerLyn · Jun 15, 2016

If Einstein's Theory of Relativity is where you started your journey through learning of electricity, you truly need to apply to MENSA, as the rest of your schooling would be unnecessary or as sharp a downhill slide as I've ever heard.

Copper core or new style plug wires

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