spark plug wires

I think I have heard of this happening before but I can't remember the cause.

Thank you for your help.

2nd, you really should be using coppercore sparkie wires, and you know that too. Modern anti-radiostatic carboncore sparkie wires cut down on yer sparkie volts ...but... interesting enuff, that extra air-gap that you are providing actually raises the sparkie volts for a hotter sparkie to jump yer BAD SPARKIE.

Bottom line, don't be so cheap. Gitta new set of copper-core sparkie wires and make certain yer using hot AutoLite AL-437 sparkies. And you'll limppa long on 3-1/2 cylinders and 15hp..... ...respectfully, Dell

My question is. Do you think that this can contribute to early points failure? Does this make the points have to carry more voltage than normal so as to overload the condenser and not have enough capaticiance to retard the spark at the points?

If it didn't then I have been thinking of cutting the conductor off some on my old TO 20 Ferguson rotor to make it have a larger gap to jump so as to help elimiate fouled plugs and not have to have that sorta dangerous unprotected spark out there in the inviroment where it could cause a fire?????

The trick about the "air-gap" for jumping fouled sparkies has to do with "rise-time" of the sparkie pulse. The extra air-gap increases the sparkie rise-time and causes it to jump the sparkie gap rather than leak off the side of the fouled ceramic insulator 'cuz it don't have the time to leak. And as long as you have "excess sparkies volts" yer ok.

Remember the shadetree mechanic's test for sparkies is the ability to jump 3/16" air-gap. Inside the engine under compression, once the sparkie volt pulse reaches the "ionization potential", its gonnna jump the sparkie gap. And any excess sparkie volts just go with the flow across the gap.

Remember, yer sparkie system is designed with EXTRA SPARKIES to allow for normal wear and deteriation. Every 0.001" extra sparkie gap costs about 1-KILOVOLT extra sparkies to jump the gap. (which is one reason to keep yer sparkies gap checked for N's = 0.025")

The normal "arcing" of the ignition points as they open, causes surface resistance to be generated which is one reason you need to replace yer points every so often, because the points resistance reduces the coil AMPS and the magnetic field that collapses to enduce the secondary SPARKIES.

Your condenser is there to suppress that points-arc, but it can't completely. Yer always gonna get a points-arc when they open. And NO, the extra sparkie air-gap that you intentionally introduce to jump fouled sparkies doesn't really effect points wear, it just reduces the available sparkie volts to jump the real sparkie gap.

Of course, as you know, the ultimate "cure" for fouled sparkies is the dreaded "engine overhaul". (grin)..... ..... Dell

And why would not the gap at the end of the rotor if it were exagerted not do the same?????

You may have already told me but it has not sunk into this old head yet!

Zane

Thank you all for the answers you have given me.