the car has been in a bit of a situation lately. its 2.6 efi tr. engine has been very rough feeling like its misfiring. when checked the first time all sparkplugs seemed to have been working. replaced fuel filter today and checked them again the first one on the left didnt make a difference when i pulled the lead out. mate said that leads may wear out is that true? or is it just the plug thats burned out? im gonna try and swap the plug tomorrow, see how that goes. any comments welcome, thanks
the car has done 236k kms btw.. and spark plugs been changed 8,000 ks ago

Yes, leads don't last for ever, have had to replace mine at 210000.
Wud be worth checking distributor cap and rotor too

Not like leeds are expensive anyway, its at least worth a try changing them first to just make sure. Then you can figure out if its something else, Also have you checked the timing? If its out this can make the car feal rough and sound a little sickely.

when u buy the leads and theres still a problem u should then consider ur rotor button and dizzy cap, there also not expensive but can make a big difference on how smooth the engine will run. say for example if ur dizzy cap his even a slight crack it can cause the spark to arc and not delivery a good power source the the engine. u could even give the rotor button a light sand with wet and dry sand paper then lean it and the sprak should improve a bit , sometimes u get alittle surface corrosion on the button and can make the astron run alittle ruff. but thats my sugestion.

well, as i said before, i pulled one of the leads out while engine was running and it made no difference, so im guessing its that one. when i tried pulling others out it made sparks when lead was close to any metal, im guessing those are working fine. ill definitely take note and make sure that everything is ok with above mentioned stuff, thanks

repco quoted me $47 per lead.. from what im reading im guessing thats a little expensive.. ill get my mate to get a discount at bursons..

$46 per lead? That's just rediculous...

You should be able to get a full set for around $50

lol 47 per lead!?
They're lik $6 each at autobarn.

cheers, ill have a look at autobarn

Yes, leads don't last for ever, have had to replace mine at 210000.
Wud be worth checking distributor cap and rotor too


^^Spot on^^


Leads/plugs/distributor cap & rotor are not not expensive products and I suggest changing them all at the same time, leads wear out so do the plugs, so does the rotor and the cap, it might even have a crack in it which dosent help.

If the problem persisits see your mechanic

how much would i expect to pay for disctributor cap/rotor?

how much would i expect to pay for disctributor cap/rotor?


I think the cap is anywhere between $10-20 and the rotor is about $10 or less

thanks for all your help guys, much appreciated

Are you sure $47 wasn't for the 'lead pack'. A lead pack consists of the 4 leads and the coil lead, and they're customised for the right lengths for your vehicle. The Bosch super sports coil pack for the magna's is about $50, I reckon thats what you were quoted for. per 'lead pack' not per lead!

Are you sure $47 wasn't for the 'lead pack'. A lead pack consists of the 4 leads and the coil lead, and they're customised for the right lengths for your vehicle. The Bosch super sports coil pack for the magna's is about $50, I reckon thats what you were quoted for. per 'lead pack' not per lead!
Yeh that's what i was thinking as well.

I replaced my leads the other day (TS). A quick test is to have the car running in the dark garage (at night, with a method of letting the exhaust gasses escape!) I could just see a faint blue spark from one of the leads. It also made a quick 'click click click' sound.

Now it produces the normal power at 110km/h.

I replaced my leads the other day (TS). A quick test is to have the car running in the dark garage (at night, with a method of letting the exhaust gasses escape!) I could just see a faint blue spark from one of the leads. It also made a quick 'click click click' sound.

Now it produces the normal power at 110km/h.

rofl i dont know what i did wrong the other day but i pulled a lead off cause the car was running like **** and i got zapped. I think its because i was holding the bonnet with one hand :shock: << that smiley is even called shock lol

There's some interesting articles on the Bosch website (the Australian one I think). It shows you common problems with spark plug leads. Apparently, a corona discharge is normal, especially around corners which you may be able to see, but it shouldn't spark... Photocopiers afterall work on corona discharge to attract the powder and they don't spark!

You shouldn't get zapped of the spark plug lead unless you remove it or its off when the engine is running, and then the zap will come from the ends or the coil and not from the outside of the lead itself. If the lead is perishing/faulty then you can get zapped off them.

Engine noise on the radio can be also caused by faulty spark plug leads. This is not alternator whine I'm referring to, its a different kind of noise. Its noticeable on fm, so if you go to a blank spot on the fm dial you shouldn't hear any more noise when the engine is running. If there is a heap of noise then something from the electrics (ie. spark plug leads, alternators etc) is creating noise. Some cars this noise is there normlly, namely cheap imported cars (surprising that isn't it?!), but the Australian cars its only there if there's something causing it.

Something else that will create massive amounts of noise on the radio, and leads to the spark plug noise thing, is adding the Stromberg multispark to your car. This noise can be overcome but you need to make a custom-made noise shield over the lead (s).