Ignition wires

[spareparts]

thee older mercury( and many other outboards)wires were solid stainless core, hence they rarely go bad. The newer wires are resistor core so as not to screw with electronics. My personal experience, OEM marine wires are far better quality than aftermarket or automotive, I'm guessing it has more to do with spark arrestment than making wires that last forever.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by spareparts

thee older mercury( and many other outboards)wires were solid stainless core, hence they rarely go bad. The newer wires are resistor core so as not to screw with electronics. My personal experience, OEM marine wires are far better quality than aftermarket or automotive, I'm guessing it has more to do with spark arrestment than making wires that last forever.

Good to know. I screwed up one wire on my 175 Evinrude Ocean Pro while using a cup wire brush in a drill to remove some corrosion from the head. But since I don't use the engine (It's a spare from a boat I bought that I scrapped) I really don't want to sink a lot of money in it. So the automotive wire sounds like the way to go for me for this case. Thanks for the feedback Spare.

[steplift20]

I should have kept the old/ original ones, I think I remember saying to myself that the core is stainless steel , I have seen a set 7 inches long but the core is made of copper, will that work? But in the meantime I am going to put dielectric grease on the inside of the boots.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by steplift20

I should have kept the old/ original ones, I think I remember saying to myself that the core is stainless steel , I have seen a set 7 inches long but the core is made of copper, will that work? But in the meantime I am going to put dielectric grease on the inside of the boots.

Speaking from an electrical standpoint, not a marine standpoint, ANY wire capable of handling the high voltage going from the coil to the spark plug will work. The conductor doesn't matter if it's SS, copper, silver or some other medium as long as it conducts electricity. What does matter and was the thought on my previous post was the covering of the the conductor... the jacket. It must be a good insulator, capable of shielding (preventing/holding) the electricity inside in the wire from outside grounding. That insulation can break down over time from various outside sources such as ozone, pollution, salt and other minerals, oil, gas and various chemicals, etc. allowing the electrical energy to jump from the wire to a ground (like an engine head) before it reaches the spark plug. That was the reason for my question about automotive wires as opposed to marine.

A quick check on eBay reveals LOTS of vendors selling solid core wire by the foot in both copper and SS as well as Marine sets.

[steplift20]

eBay I w I'll check it out