I currently have this combination and the car is suffering from misfires at idle and at speed - have exchanged the plugs already and the problem disappeared for like 20klms then returned, albeit less severe than before. Previously I had used the Iridium IX with standard Mitsu leads and no issues at all so I'm wondering if there's something bizarre about the combo of Topgun Leads and Iridium IX Plugs. Anyone else got this exact combo and going well?

I currently have this combination and the car is suffering from misfires at idle and at speed - have exchanged the plugs already and the problem disappeared for like 20klms then returned, albeit less severe than before. Previously I had used the Iridium IX with standard Mitsu leads and no issues at all so I'm wondering if there's something bizarre about the combo of Topgun Leads and Iridium IX Plugs. Anyone else got this exact combo and going well?

hmmm funny you should say this. i have iridiums and topgun leads (8.8mm racing leads) and i have a misfire issue,
however it ONLY occurs during idle, replaced the coil and it lightened the problem but its still there. im trying to figure this one out myself.
i hope topgun and ngk are compatible, although it would sove the problem if they arent...

hmmm funny you should say this. i have iridiums and topgun leads (8.8mm racing leads) and i have a misfire issue,
however it ONLY occurs during idle, replaced the coil and it lightened the problem but its still there. im trying to figure this one out myself.
i hope topgun and ngk are compatible, although it would sove the problem if they arent...

Have you pulled all the leads off and checked that they havent cracked? also double check that the ends arent earthing against anything, ive sold this combo for a couple of years now and used to use it on my old lancer and never had an issue.

Have you pulled all the leads off and checked that they havent cracked? also double check that the ends arent earthing against anything, ive sold this combo for a couple of years now and used to use it on my old lancer and never had an issue.

nah not as yet. ill do that tho.
the thing that has me stumped is that it doesnt misfire under-load, only does it at idle... :nuts:

Have you pulled all the leads off and checked that they havent cracked? also double check that the ends arent earthing against anything, ive sold this combo for a couple of years now and used to use it on my old lancer and never had an issue.

Is this a gapping issue? - previously I was told the Iridiums shouldn't be gapped - what do you suggest? (PS: I've been all over NGK's site and cannot find a reference yay or nay)

They're pre gapped I believe - requires no adjustment.

They're pre gapped I believe - requires no adjustment.

yeah they are pregapped, you cant adjust them due to the tip being very easy to break, id personally pull the leads and plugs out check all the leads for any cracks, warps and check the plugs for any marks, cracks and the colour of the spark end of the plug. Also check your dizzy and rotor as well.


If you have them available use your old leads/borrowed leads and try those and see what it does. Its the first time ive heard this with topgun, ive only ever had one issue with them and its when some stupid common***** driver decided to put a set on without the heatshields and melted them.

I've been running Iridiums with new factory leads for about 12 months now. No issues. But I have heard stories from mates running all sorts of diff cars that the Top Gun quality can be highly...er...variable. Whereas you talk to the dealers about the factory leads and they rarely cause problems or need replacing (except by obsessive buggers like me who insist on buying a new set just cos the others were 10 years old). Advice? Go back to the factory leads...

I've been running Iridiums with new factory leads for about 12 months now. No issues. But I have heard stories from mates running all sorts of diff cars that the Top Gun quality can be highly...er...variable. Whereas you talk to the dealers about the factory leads and they rarely cause problems or need replacing (except by obsessive buggers like me who insist on buying a new set just cos the others were 10 years old). Advice? Go back to the factory leads...

Yeah I'm leaning that way. In June I replaced the plugs, leads, dizzy cap and rotor and a whole bunch of other stuff including freshly serviced injectors with new seals. Car ran perfectly until about Mid July when this crap misfire at idle surfaced. Intermittant, but mostly when car was fully warmed. Since then I've changed the petrol filter, used a fuel cleaner, cleaned the PCV and EGR valves, checked injector leads, cleaned distributor, MAF and TPS leads, replaced vacuum lines, replaced earth leads, rejuggled the battery terminals, swung a black cat in a clockwise circle three times under a full moon... blah blah blah.

No damn change at all from any of the above until today on the freeway - suddenly we're misfiring all over the place at speed wheras as previously it was just an idling problem. I had a friend in the car at the time, who agreed it seemed to be a sparking issue. Hence changing the plugs today and the short reprieve as per first post then back to misfires again.

Which as you suggest - brings us back to the Topgun leads - I'll order a set of factory ones this week and put them in - will post back if the problem is cured!

Top Gun are crap to put it bluntly.

I use either NGK or Bosch leads on all my cars from the V8 to the Laser.

TopGun, Magnacore etc do not sheild very well and you will get this misfire. When you use a high output plug like the platinum or similar you will have the issue more severly.

Get a set of either Bosch (preffered) or NGK and your problems should be solved.

With the Gap, you can adjust the gap if you are careful and you konw what you are doing. I always check the gaps of new plugs and rarely find that they are 100%

Top Gun are crap to put it bluntly.

I use either NGK or Bosch leads on all my cars from the V8 to the Laser.

TopGun, Magnacore etc do not sheild very well and you will get this misfire. When you use a high output plug like the platinum or similar you will have the issue more severly.

Get a set of either Bosch (preffered) or NGK and your problems should be solved.

With the Gap, you can adjust the gap if you are careful and you konw what you are doing. I always check the gaps of new plugs and rarely find that they are 100%

dammit, didnt really wanna hear that lol. i got the H3Ct1C blue 8.8mm leads from topgun... looks like a new set might be the go.

Misfire at idle but not under load isn't electrical. You've got an air leak MAF-side of the inlet. Check that you've tightened all bolts on the manifold and TB, reattached the hose clamp on the brake booster hose, tightened the hose clamp on the TB air inlet ducting.

Sadly I've had plenty of experience in this area. But it was worth the final result. :cool:

You can check the resistance on HT leads - all you need is a multimeter (about $15 from Dick Smiths for an own brand). There's a limit specified in the Gregory's manual for HT leads.

Not sure if this has anything to do with what Madmagna was saying about shielding, but handy to know all the same.

Plus, a multimeter is always good to have for checking voltage/amps and continuity. I'm not great at auto electrics, but the "beep" function is pretty usefull to tell you whether a wire is actually connected to what you think it should be, or if you have an earth. Many more advanced functions on them that I know nothing about, and therefore totally ignore... :badgrin:

I've run the Topguns in the past and seemed more than capable, got Magnacores now.

Strange to hear this about Top Gun leads, we're an authorised distributor of them at work and frankly they've been fantastic. Never had a problem in my motor, friends motors, family members motors or the countless trade customers who are pleased with them on their thousands of clients motors.

My old Bosch ones were pretty damn good as well, still have them hanging up in the shed as they still work. Never used NGK leads. Went over to Top Gun on the last service due to great past performance in previous vehicles, and that reputation hasn't backed down.

Think i'll do a bit of research here.

Strange to hear this about Top Gun leads, we're an authorised distributor of them at work and frankly they've been fantastic. Never had a problem in my motor, friends motors, family members motors or the countless trade customers who are pleased with them on their thousands of clients motors.

My old Bosch ones were pretty damn good as well, still have them hanging up in the shed as they still work. Never used NGK leads. Went over to Top Gun on the last service due to great past performance in previous vehicles, and that reputation hasn't backed down.

Think i'll do a bit of research here.

There could be something to this - googling last night I found some random forum posts about Commondores not liking the combination of Iridium IX and Topgun either. I'm flat broke now so I've put the car off the road and will do some other things to it till the bank balance recovers and I can try some factory leads.

I agree with MadMagna. I used to sell Top Gun leads when i worked at Autobarn some years ago and we constantly had people bringing them back. I now use nothing but Bosch.

There could be something to this - googling last night I found some random forum posts about Commondores not liking the combination of Iridium IX and Topgun either. I'm flat broke now so I've put the car off the road and will do some other things to it till the bank balance recovers and I can try some factory leads.

We occasionally ship out Iridiums and Top Guns together with no negative effects, but I can't recall a case where we've done this for Commodores/Falcons as all the leads we ship out there are in trade packs, possibly not manufactured by Top Gun.

Strange. Could even be a case of "Your Mileage May Vary". Works fine on the 4G54's and 6G72's we tested them on. (with various plug combos, NGK and Denso)

Try the factory leads anyway, chances are it'll run fine afterward considering the evidence in this thread alone.

Misfire at idle but not under load isn't electrical. You've got an air leak MAF-side of the inlet. Check that you've tightened all bolts on the manifold and TB, reattached the hose clamp on the brake booster hose, tightened the hose clamp on the TB air inlet ducting.

Sadly I've had plenty of experience in this area. But it was worth the final result. :cool:

Thanx mate! thats what i wanted to hear. have been having minor issues with this. will invesitgate further! CHeers!

LOL @ h3tik blue 8.8mm leads and the NGK iridiums, exactly what ive got....kinda popping out of the woodwork here but i had a similar problem with the ngk's, the car is running slightly rich atm (my fault for not doing the o2 sensor) but i find they are fouling up very very easily... hey big4 can you whip us a PM when you sort out those issues and tell us what the answer are?

Cheers,
Adz

Okay as promised - an update. I changed the Topgun leads for a new set of Mitsu standard ones and the missing at idle problem has completely disappeared. It will take me a couple of weeks to get some miles up on her but in a short highway cruise today - not a sign of missing at high speed either. Will post back either way in a couple of weeks.

Update #2 Did a brisk round trip to Newcastle from Inner Sydney today - no sign of the missing fits at high speed either so I reckon its a fair bet - Topgun leads are not compatible with Iridium IX plugs in a third gen V6...

Damn......

How funny that I find this thread now.

Back in January, I done a major service myself. Oil flush, oil filter, air filter, cleaning throttle body, Top gun leads, Iridium tip plugs, pcv, etc etc etc......

Car ran like a dream, for 1000km......then, the misfire began. Spoke to my mechanic, told him I done the service, he said since I've done what I mentioned, repace the rotor button/dizzy cap....

Done that, still misfire....changed fuel filter, checked/replaced TPS, checked other sensors, still same problem.

Next service, bite the bullet and fork out another hundred or so for the leads......and problem gone. Havnt had a problem for 5000km now.....

I still have the leads here - when I find the time I'll take them apart and find the cause.

Btw - second set of leads are Top Gun aswell - not a compatability issue.

Just FYI - mechanic also mentioned something simple, new leads can come off the spark plug due to the slick silicone coating they have - this causes the misfire aswell, 2 of mine where off, put them back on and it still misfired.

Currently running topgun leads with NGK plugs, don't have any problems.

Hmmmm - Interesting. I must say I thought the factory leads were quite expensive but in the end they were only something like $97.00, which made them just cheaper than the Topguns. I'm still not convinced the leads on mine are faulty - the problem was too erratic.

i have used top gun leads before... and they simply dont last. the cores are too fragile. wether you break the cores fitting or they break down with vibration. i still have the originals from 94 in my ts. NO problems.

i thing the top guns leads are crap.

i have used top gun leads before... and they simply dont last. the cores are too fragile. wether you break the cores fitting or they break down with vibration. i still have the originals from 94 in my ts. NO problems.

i thing the top guns leads are crap.



i aggree i will not touch topgun leads even at work the boss wont either. they are simply crap.

we only use ngk or genuine.

Yep bad experience here to, soon as I went NGK all problems were fixed. I also cleaned the terminals in the dizzy cap and replaced the plugs to.

I have tried topgun twice, both times they've failed within a week. I went Bosch and it's been good for almost a year and two interstate trips ;). 99% of us have no need for anything over normal high-tension leads anyway.

For the same price almost there's a place here in the Northside of Bris that will do a custom set of 9mm+ leads for the price of topgun.

Update #2 Did a brisk round trip to Newcastle from Inner Sydney today - no sign of the missing fits at high speed either so I reckon its a fair bet - Topgun leads are not compatible with Iridium IX plugs in a third gen V6...


Its funny how your having issues with topgun leads and NGK Iridium IX plugs, ive had this combo on my TH since 2004 with no issues at all.... Just recently (with the new engine build up) i replaced the leads with new set of Max Protection 8.8mm leads and a fresh set of IX plugs and the engine is running great.

I wanna know how the hell you got 236kw atws :shock:

']I wanna know how the hell you got 236kw atws :shock:
who got that. dont worry if i read it helps.

']I wanna know how the hell you got 236kw atws :shock:

I heard 11.1 compression and monster headwork and a huge cam.

I heard 11.1 compression and monster headwork and a huge cam.

Gold star for you sir lol

Engine currently has the old ralliart cams in it due to a major stuff up by tighe cams (which i posted about in another thread), it now drives very smoothly and is super responsive (due to the high compression and mild cams) but is down on power (to just under 200 @ wheels) as to be expected when dropping back to stocky cams.

Tighe have since agreed to remake the cams exactly to the specs i gave them and will give a full "cam doctored" read out of the new sticks.... will take them a month or so to do though but at least that will allow me to get some road miles on the bottom end before refittment of the big sticks, EZboy plenum with big TB, then it will be hitting the track. :badgrin:

Anyway back on topic, sorry sarras for high jacking your thread.

Hmmmm - Interesting. I must say I thought the factory leads were quite expensive but in the end they were only something like $97.00, which made them just cheaper than the Topguns. I'm still not convinced the leads on mine are faulty - the problem was too erratic.

Erratic is a good word for it.

One week the car was perfect, the next, the problem was 10 fold worse than before.

I thought the car was cursed, 2 times it was meant to go to the mechanic, both days the problem went away......

Erratic is the perfect word for it.