Duralast vs. Bosch Wiresets. My Problems and Your Opinions. | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Duralast vs. Bosch Wiresets. My Problems and Your Opinions.

KarmicFlea

Member
Joined
September 19, 2006
Messages
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City, State
New Baltimore, NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
1993 Explorer XLT
Hey all. I need your opinons.

I just changed out a few parts on my 93 XLT and after getting the firing order correct on the wires everything seemed to run fine. The wires are where my question for you all lies. The truck ran fine like I said, but only for a short time. After a few hours of driving it started to surge occasionally. I brought it by the shop I bring it to, and my pal there wiggled some of the wires near the caps and the surging of the engine evened out. So intermittent wires...right?

The wires are Duralast, and after purchasing a new set (yes I returned the old ones after install) and installing them I tested the old ones for continuity. It seems that 2 of the wires were broken internally. So now I'm driving on the new wires and the same behavior (I really want to call it Surging Engine Sydrome) begins to occur and power drops out. I'm considering getting the Bosch Wires from Autozone because they use the high-temp silicone jackets. Would this make any difference?

Could the wires be failing internally because they are Duralast and are poorly constructed?

Thanks all!
 



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It's common to get bad wires to be honest. Even with more expensive sets I've seen 1 out of about 5 have atleast 1 bad wire. If I were you I'd pickup whatever OEM is for your engine that way you know your not getting into a problem where they are being damaged by engine heat etc. Bosch has a fancy sounding name, but I've yet to see a real benefit with any of their products.
 






I have used Bosch sets on half a dozen cars so far, they haven't given me any problems. Not a brand preference, just what the guy hands me when I ask for the "premium" replacement set.
 






I use the Bosch plug wires on the X. I was changing them every year (every 36k miles or so) and I never had a bad one in the set.

We don't run inner fenderwells, which is why I replaced them once year.. They would get hit by rocks etc and were in the elements.

~Mark
 






2 bad sets back to back?

OK I'm going to go out and get the Bosch wires today. It's an extra $7. Big deal right? I'll replace them tomorrow since its Mom's B-day today and I promised to spend time.

But really what is the possibility that I got 2 sets of bad Duralast's back to back? Is there that big of a difference between the standard silicone jackets and the high-temp silicone jackets? Could the Duralast internal connections be (for lack of a better word) melting?

I also need to call Ford since the Haynes manual I have doesn't specify the OEM wire specs. I assume they would be Motorcraft, but I don't have the actual specs.
 












...If I'm not mistaken, Duralast is a brand sold only thru Autozone...Watching the boards and replacing almost anything that was ever Duralast, it is a cheap quality product...:thumbdwn:

...I have run only the Bosch wires on a few Ford's and I am pleased with them and never had a bad one yet...I am with Maniak though, as I do change mine every year or two as I have headers, offroad, and the elements out here with no inner fenders can be brutal from snow to the desert heat...
 






Duralast = Do the job again with better parts when it doesn't work right.

I installed a set on an Aerostar (arrgh, arrgh) because the owner insisted on being cheap. Couple months later, it had a weird miss, turned out one of the boots had lost it's grip and was making intermittent contact with the plug. He bought the bosch wires that time around....
 






Cheap quality parts are okay for a band-aid fix to get you home, but I would never suggest something like cheap Duralast wires as a permanent replacement.

For the extra $7, the Bosch ones are much higher quality and probably as cheap as you'd want to go on a daily driver or even a trail rig. As mentioned, they are also a good compromise when you want a good set but not something so expensive that it can't be replaced on a regular basis.

Personally I just avoided the whole thing and sprang for the Magnecors. They made a big difference that has turned out to be well worth the higher initial cost (both in performance, not having any problems and not needing replacement), but I sure wouldn't want to be replacing them every year.
 






My problem isn't in the wires. Grrrr...

So I replaced the Duralast wires with the Bosch the other night, and now I'm getting a surging in the engine. That was why I replaced the plugs and the wires in the first place. Anywho, that's for another topic thread.

I checked the Duralast wires (2nd replacement) that I pulled out for continuity and resistance and they were fine. I still have them and have to return them. But with all of your recommendations if/when I do another replacement I'll get either the Motorcraft or Magnacore wires so I know them to be good. Thanks for all your responses. They didn't stop me from making the mistake this time around, but you all have helped to reprogram my thinking for the future. Hopefully other backyard mechanics such as myself who think cheap will read this and get the answers they need.

Lesson learned: "Don't skimp the first time around, unless you want to do the whole job again later."
 






go Magnacore wires, cost more but probably best wires out!!
 






I always use Bosch wires and platinum 4 plugs in my trucks and never had any problems. When I first got my x a few weeks ago it had a issue with not running smooth and surging, I changed it over to the Bosch set (it had Duralast wires on it) and it fixed the problem.

I can't find the Magnacore wires around here yet but will look harder this week because it seems that everyone said they are the best so I have to give it a try to see, worst case is that I end up with a spare set of wires I can leave in the back of the X for an emergency.
 






I always use Bosch wires and platinum 4 plugs in my trucks and never had any problems. When I first got my x a few weeks ago it had a issue with not running smooth and surging, I changed it over to the Bosch set (it had Duralast wires on it) and it fixed the problem.

I can't find the Magnacore wires around here yet but will look harder this week because it seems that everyone said they are the best so I have to give it a try to see, worst case is that I end up with a spare set of wires I can leave in the back of the X for an emergency.

as far as i know you can only get them online http://www.magnecor.com/
 






Thanks for the link jd4242, I didn't know where to get them.Time to give it a try.

Thanks again
 






I went and bought the OEM Motorcraft plug wires after TWO different sets of wires failed to set on right. Not a problem with them at all, a bit more expensive as I had to go to the Ford dealer, but well worth the peace of mind.
 






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