Community Forums

cm2785 · 03-24-2023, 05:22 PM

Considering I was a little kid when my motorhome was built I think these plug wires on my W22 8.1 lived out a good life 😂 it’s crazy how it ran so good on these, I would imagine they would spark all over? How long do plug wires usually last?

F4Gary · 03-24-2023, 05:35 PM

Looks like something chewed on them.
Get the Magnums from Utra RV.
Pricey but worth it.

cm2785 · 03-24-2023, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F4Gary

Looks like something chewed on them.
Get the Magnums from Utra RV.
Pricey but worth it.

Yeah I thought so too but it was only one side and worse from front to back. It definitely looks like they just got blown apart from age and electricity. I thought about the Magnums but I was able to just grab the stock AC Delcos from oreillys, I was wondering through what the difference is in the magnums?

AKIQPilot · 03-24-2023, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cm2785

Yeah I thought so too but it was only one side and worse from front to back. It definitely looks like they just got blown apart from age and electricity. I thought about the Magnums but I was able to just grab the stock AC Delcos from oreillys, I was wondering through what the difference is in the magnums?

The Magnum is a far superior plug wire. It resists damage from heat better and provides a more intense spark.

While you're at it you should install a new set of spark plugs. AC Delco Iridium 41-101 is the correct plug for your 8.1 Vortec engine. Regardless of how many miles are on your existing plugs, these will make the engine run better.

Isaac-1 · 03-24-2023, 10:46 PM

I second getting the Magnum Extreme plug wires from Ultra RV products, expensive, but worth it, https://www.ultrarvproducts.com/Spar...ark-Plug-Wires

It certainly beats buying a set of $150 plug wires every couple of years.

cm2785 · 03-24-2023, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKIQPilot

The Magnum is a far superior plug wire. It resists damage from heat better and provides a more intense spark.

While you're at it you should install a new set of spark plugs. AC Delco Iridium 41-101 is the correct plug for your 8.1 Vortec engine. Regardless of how many miles are on your existing plugs, these will make the engine run better.

Thank you so much! I’ve already done the wires they took me a few minutes from under the rig, but the outside of the plugs looked old and rusty so I do want to change them soon even though it runs fine. I will go ahead and order them, do you happen to know the number for the air filter too? So far I’ve done the engine oil and filter and the Allison trans fluid filter and gasket (the trans with the new fluid was like $300 alone). Thanks!

Dutch Star Don · 03-24-2023, 11:21 PM

You've been lucky, that engine is notorious for eating plug wires. They typically get worn out from excessive heat from the exhaust manifolds. They cause the coach to misfire while under load.

Many replace with the better-quality wires (high heat) and then add attach some dryer hose to the grill and route it so it blows cool air across the exhaust manifolds.

F4Gary · 03-25-2023, 07:03 AM

Get the plugs AKIQ mentioned and gap them to .060.

cm2785 · 03-25-2023, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F4Gary

Get the plugs AKIQ mentioned and gap them to .060.

Thanks I will do that at some point here in the future, but with the rig running so well I’m just wondering why the plugs are so important. Now that I’ve done the oil and the trans I was thinking about doing the coolant. I just don’t know which is best to use.

Flyer15015 · 03-25-2023, 09:59 AM

CM,
A word of warning. If you do the coolant, do not use the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator. They are very fragile. Pull the bottom hose to drain!!!!

Mike in Colorado

cm2785 · 03-25-2023, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyer15015

CM,
A word of warning. If you do the coolant, do not use the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator. They are very fragile. Pull the bottom hose to drain!!!!

Mike in Colorado

Thank you for that!!! So so valuable considering I had to replace the radiator in my 96 bounder and it is a HUGE job every thing under the hood almost has to come out on the 96

yeloduster · 03-26-2023, 08:02 AM

I replaced the faulty after market wires that my 8.1L had on it when I bought it with the OEM AC Delco. That was ≈20K miles ago. No problems so far!

I replaced the plugs with AC Delco 41-101 plugs. The recommended plug gap seems to have be changed to .045" from the.060". See this THREAD.

F4Gary · 03-26-2023, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeloduster

I replaced the faulty after market wires that my 8.1L had on it when I bought it with the OEM AC Delco. That was ≈20K miles ago. No problems so far!

I replaced the plugs with AC Delco 41-101 plugs. The recommended plug gap seems to have be changed to .045" from the.060". See this THREAD.

Actually, they have reversed their opinion on the .045 gap and gone back to the .060 recommendation.

From Ultra RV:

" I'm unsure what to do about the GAP on the 41-101. I'm installing the kit on my vortec 8.1, it seems like you recommending I gap the plugs to .045? Is that right? I want the best performance, of course. ( Harold T., 03/01/2023 )

Hello Harold, the Iridium spark plugs (41-101) should come pre-gapped to 0.060 , and are not recommended to be "gapped" any tighter . "

AveryF · 03-26-2023, 01:26 PM

From what info I found, Ultra RV indeed recommends 0.060 for iridium plugs. That would lead me to believe that 0.045 would still be okay for platinum plugs although I don't see why anyone would want to go that route since it's typically a much hotter spark plug.

Oh, and during the last couple of trips, I was beginning to experience some pretty significant hesitation under a heavy load, particularly when climbing steep grades. I changed what I presume were the original AC Delco plug wires with UltraPower Magnum spark plug wires from UltraRV, put in a new set of iridium plugs, and the difference has been absolutely amazing!