plug wire verification

I started having issues with my 81 xj650. Today I was out troubleshooting the issue. Well, I went to pull a cap off of one of the spark plugs. I was awakened with authority. My ignition is sparking around the wires and caps.

Which brings me to the following...

After researching, I came to the conclusion that I need to replace the wires and caps. If my research is correct, I can cut the wire from the good coil. Splice new non-resistor wire. Use a non-resistor cap. And use a resistor spark plug. All should keep my resistance close to stock levels per cylinder.

Can someone verify my thought process on this issue?

 

You can do just that, or you can use resistor caps with non resistor plugs. So long as the total resistance is the same you're golden.

Keep in mind that the factory wires are molded into the coil body, so you will need to leave some length of the original wires on in order to splice. I like to wrap the old portion of wire with self-amalgamating tape to insulate any cracks that might be there.


While you're at it you should inspect your coils for cracks. You can either clean the coil body and seal any cracks with epoxy, or get new coils.

 

I am hoping I do not need to replace the coils at this time. However, I will definitely thoroughly inspect them when they are removed.