Technical What's the Best Way to Clean Spark Plug Wires?

Lacquer thinner

 

Had to go check to see if my memory is slipping.
Used Taylor wires cause, well you know.
Still works.



Note: new Taylor 8mm kit so only rubbed a little off.

 

Way back when I had "pretty" plug wires I worked in the gas station. They had the old parts cleaner tank, I would get a shop rag wet with the solvent and wipe the wires clean. It took off all the lettering on the wires, but they were sure easy to clean. I started fixing oil leaks (and any other fluid leaks) before they caused issues, that helped a bunch.

Then I quit making my motor "pretty" I went with the all black plug wires (function over form). I was quick to notice that when I didn't need everything pretty, I had a lot less issues with dirty plug wires. When the plug wires got "bad" they got replaced.

I don't open my hood to show off my motor very often any more. Nothing fancy to see under there, not many want to see an ordinary, factory installed looking motor anyway.

 

That's the same for a lot of us .... especially the last 10 years ...

 

Hello,

Usually, the plug wires stayed clean, until I had to take the chromed covers off to do some adjusting of the exposed rockers. Then a little oil would or could get on the wires nearby. So, the wires got a nice clean rag loaded up with a liquid solution of Ajax and water mixed together and now, the wires came clean with the first wipe. No need to dry, but, if you wanted to dry them, a nice cotton cloth was used. The motor usually would do the automatic drying as one fired it up and drove down the street.

Some folks used the garage shop hand cleaner on a rag, but at the time, it was made with petroleum. That, I could not get over, using a petroleum product to clean petroleum products on our hands. Yes, ajax powder was a little harsh, but a soft water solution mix was always better than another petroleum product that still made your hands smell awful. YRMV

The black wires stayed clean the next time if the motor was cold as a drop cloth could cover the header pipes and spark plug wires, if they were still attached.

For newer projects, a rag with lacquer thinner is the absolute best for total cleaning of wires. But, it will clean all surfaces and take off lettering as a side effect, too. But, for the spark plug wires, don’t use it while on the motor. It is flammable. On a table, it will dry and leave any surface clean as a whistle. Just remember to use it in an open window area for the fumes. My son’s old 21 speed bike had cables that were encrusted with something. Washing it with a rag did not do anything, so, the lacquer thinner took off the coating and the cables looked brand new.

Jnaki

Later on, any commercial cleaner without petroleum was sprayed on a clean cloth if it was necessary to wipe down the motor compartment. The chrome lid large triple carb air cleaner was always wiped down before the local cruising time. As were the chrome valve covers.

 

Thanks for the update. I ended up using a Simple Green mix,drying in the sun and wiping with WD-40 for shine and and water displacement needed. So far, so good.