News:

The ORG - 100% FREE advice!

Main Menu

Plug wire quality

Started by daantjie, 16 May 2022, 05:23 PM

daantjie

Hi guys

Any feeling on what are "the best" aftermarket wires?  I run Karlyn and they seem fine, but many folks on the various boards slam them pretty hard.

Beru seems to be the one with the most favourable feedback.  Any thoughts on them?

Then further there is the whole resistance dabate, 1k ohm vs 5k ohm...

Cheers
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

goldacre

Hi Daantjie, going back to around 2008 but I replaced my leads on the 450 with Karlyn and was not happy with them the car ran not quite right, so swapped them over for a set of Beru and never looked back the difference was very noticeable in smoothness,go with Beru. That ohms thing I cannot recall what the manual says but Beru had a set to suit, think the ohms is stamped on the metal plug cup? Will check mine but thinking its not much, 1 ohms?
12/1979 450 SEL 148K on clock (museum piece)
12/1986 Lotus Esprit Turbo 87K on clock 'Darling, look what Q has brought for us, isn't it nice' :)

SteveDuNord

Does it matter if you mix plugs, rotor and cap brands?

I have a bosch cap and rotor on order, and can get the Beru and Bosch leads for the same price.
'77 280se

daantjie

Thanks, indeed I think Beru is the go to.  However with quality generally going tits up across the board who knows if there really is much difference nowadays.
My set has the 5k ohm connectors as well.
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

UTn_boy

I put a set of Beru on y 4.5 a few years ago.  Within a year every one of the resistors in the connector (on the sparking plug) burned up and went open causing a miss. I currently only buy plug wires from Mercedes or Bremi-STI.  Yes, the Mercedes wires are expensive....welcome to vintage Mercedes ownership.  Bosch and Beru parts are bottom of the barrel now.....they're now considered "URO" brand territory by the majority of shops and people that do their own work. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

daantjie

Quote from: UTn_boy on 17 May 2022, 07:24 PMI put a set of Beru on y 4.5 a few years ago.  Within a year every one of the resistors in the connector (on the sparking plug) burned up and went open causing a miss. I currently only buy plug wires from Mercedes or Bremi-STI.  Yes, the Mercedes wires are expensive....welcome to vintage Mercedes ownership.  Bosch and Beru parts are bottom of the barrel now.....they're now considered "URO" brand territory by the majority of shops and people that do their own work. 

Interesting...so how about Karlyn-STI, is this the same as Bremi-STI?
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

goldacre

Hi SteveDuNord, no, mix and match is the go these days. I have a Bosch cap and coil made in Mexico, a Bosch rotor from Israel from memory, Beru leads made in Germany and NGK BP5ES spark plugs made in Japan.  No problem.

Sad to hear Beru has given people problems, mine are 14 years old and going good but that was a while ago, wonder if they outsourced?  :(

My issue is finding damn spark plugs with removable screw off terminals, still can't get a straight answer from NGK if their leads can fit normal plugs (fixed terminals)  >:(

12/1979 450 SEL 148K on clock (museum piece)
12/1986 Lotus Esprit Turbo 87K on clock 'Darling, look what Q has brought for us, isn't it nice' :)

SteveDuNord

Quote from: goldacre on 18 May 2022, 08:04 AMHi SteveDuNord, no, mix and match is the go these days. I have a Bosch cap and coil made in Mexico, a Bosch rotor from Israel from memory, Beru leads made in Germany and NGK BP5ES spark plugs made in Japan.  No problem.

Sad to hear Beru has given people problems, mine are 14 years old and going good but that was a while ago, wonder if they outsourced?  :(

My issue is finding damn spark plugs with removable screw off terminals, still can't get a straight answer from NGK if their leads can fit normal plugs (fixed terminals)  >:(



Oh damn. I just fit their 6es and they had removable terminals. Thought I'd bought the wrong ones at first.

Long shot but are they definitely fixed? I had to use pliers to screw my caps off.
'77 280se

johnnyw116

I have Beru leads cap and rotor they are now for 10 years on my car without problems , the cap and rotor i checked a few months ago during maintenance there was no need to replace them , for some years now i use Bosch super 4 WR78 sparkplugs also without complaints
JohnnyW116

goldacre

Hi SteveDuNord, no probs with 6es plugs, I bought heaps of them around 10 years ago with screw off terminals when it was reported that NGK were not making them anymore  :(

But after some research they say people with the low compression 'enviro friendly' engine like I have, A non Federal Californian low emissions engine they fitted to Australian cars to meet ADR requirements which required more fuel use to compensate for less performance  ::) go figure.. you should run a hotter plug like W9DC but my choice is the 5es from NGK (their heat range is lower number is hotter, Bosch other way).

You can't use fingers to unscrew the terminals,  definitely need mechanical assistance:)

Some people say running resistance plugs is OK, some say it doesn't work, causes rough running? But if it's working go for it  8)





12/1979 450 SEL 148K on clock (museum piece)
12/1986 Lotus Esprit Turbo 87K on clock 'Darling, look what Q has brought for us, isn't it nice' :)

UTn_boy

Non resistor Bosch plugs are still available new from Mercedes for all of the W116 engine variants.  Though, the last time I ordered a set of plugs from Mercedes for a 6.9 they sent BERU plugs.....but they were old stock and worked just fine. 

I'd imagine Karlyn-STI would be ok.....but I've never seen or used that brand. So I can't say with any conviction that they ok to use.  But with STI being involved they are probably ok. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

SteveDuNord

On a related note, I received a Bosch distributor cap today that is listed everywhere as being compatible with a 280se. It's actually for a four pot vehicle. Dunno why so many places have it listed incorrectly.

Part no. 1 235 522 327



 >:(
'77 280se

ptashek

I've had Beru leads in Goldie since the resto, 6+ years and about 17k miles by now, and a good few long distance trips. I also have Beru leads in the 280TE, with at least 70k miles on them, and Beru coil packs and plugs with about 10k done on those. Also plenty of long distance trips.

Not a single issue with either.

Unless the Beru stuff you get in the US is not the same Beru stuff we get in Europe, I'd say their products are OK based on my own limited, yet practical experience.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

daantjie

I think Beru got bought out by Federal Mogul so use that as you wish.  But then again most parts houses have been rolled up into big brother corps by now commensurate with quality taking a dive.
But that's what happens when engineers don't run the show anymore and the bean counters take over...
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

SteveDuNord

The Bosch leads I bought 0 986 356 336 don't fit my Bremi distributor cap.

I thought the different brands were interchangeable?

I swear if I've bought yet another wrong part....
'77 280se