I have a 1997 dakota, 4wd extended cab with the V8 engine. I went to change the plug wires and the new wire brands all have the wrong length plug boots. the new ones are too long. Has noone else had this problem??

Thanks

 

Moe in Wichita
I am not real famular with this model, but sonuds like you got the wrong part number.

 

I did not get the wrong part number. I have been to 3 stores and looked at 6 different brands. I checked the 1996, 1997 and 1998 model wires and all are the same.

 

what do you mean the boots are too long? you have to make sure you push down on them until they "click" or snap in.

 

If you didn't get the wrong set of wires, it sounds like you somewhat went the cheap route and got 1 size fits all wires. Check and see if you can slide the boot up and down the cable. Be careful here or you'll break the center conductor of the plug wire and not know it until it's too late. If you can, then click the plug wire on the spark plug and then slide and seat the boot. Coat the inside of the boot with DiElectric grease to make it slide easier and to prevent dirt, junk and goop from corroding the contact.
However, next time, check your spark plug cables with a multi meter. If you check for OHM's Resistance on each cable by touching the clips/probes of the multi meter to the ends of each spark plug wire. No cable should read more than 80K ohms or less that 45K ohms. If it checks out ok, if it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT! Alot of parts stores not only sell the complete kits but will sell just 1 cable if needed.

 

i agree, with cheap plug wires sometimes the boots can slide up and down on the wire

 

The boot its self is too long. I know a lot of people don't like the heat shields, but the stock wires fit tight against the heat shield, and that kept the wires from having any wiggle room. The new wires have a boot that is about 1-1.5" too long. I didn't get cheap wires, but I'm not some purist that thinks it will make some monumental difference if I get $100 wires instead of $50 wires.

 

With the advent of newer technoogy in engines, the real need of a tune up is getting a thing of the past. Newer ignition systems, electronic timing, better fuels, better materials making the few replaceable parts, etc. I personnally use 8mm wires and the boots are about 3" long but the boots do slide with some difficulty up and down the cables. I usually push the contact clip out of the boot just enough to coat the shield cover with the dielectric grease and then snap the contact onto the plug and then the coil/distributor. Then I slide the respective boots in place. The only thing that causes the newer spark plug cables to fail is heat and debris. The cables are made of a high temperature silicone and the conductor core is usually a carbon fiber/graffite embedded multi-strand center. Excessive vibration and extreme heat are the 2 primary causes of wire failure. That's why I OHMs check the wires before going out and buying replacements. FYI, If the boots are super long, that's just more protection for the cable when it comes time to remove them from the plug. The boots not only keep the grunge off the plugs but it protects the cable from breaking when you pull the boot from the plug. Of course with the aftermarket crouds, they could be the ones responsible for the longer than OEM boots. As long as the contact ends of the cables connect to their respective locations and you can get the boots down to seal the contact points, you'll be fine. Just don't forget to seal the boots with the dielectric grease.