Magnecore Leads

[ChimpOnGas]

So here I am in deepest France & she drops onto 7

I know LPG puts extra load on HT leads but there's no excuses for this, especially as the people at Magnecore market their leads as the best there is for gas.

BULSHP!!!!






This is the second one to blow up on me, you really don't need this kind of nonsense on a Sunday in Bordeaux

[ChimpOnGas]

shake n bake said:

My old boss whos delt with tvrs and anything else fast for 30 odd years swore magnacor leads are very poor, they dont work well with the rover v8. So many customers come in to say its eunning poorly, and so many times a set of these would habe been put on recently. Stick to stock!!
Hope you can get yourself a lead somewhere to get you on all 8 soon.

Fortunately I carry spare leads so it's all fixed.

I run coil packs so leads would be impossible to find here in France Land.

Magnecores, never again for me

[ChimpOnGas]

I was running extenders and socks on the back two cylinders, look closely at the pictures.

At first it seems like they've been scorched on the exhaust manifold but I can assure you that is not the case here.

The lead literally exploded and the shorting created the scolding marks.

UTTER RUBISH!!!!!

[ChimpOnGas]

HT leads don't need airflow to cool them, and while it looks like the failed lead was scorched by the manifold I can assure you that wasn't the case.

I use extenders on the rear two cylinders and the leads aren't anywhere near close enough to the manifolds to get scorched, the boots are just there as a belt & braces measure.

The problem with the leads on the rear cylinders is not their proximity to the manifolds but the fact they are the longest in the set and I'm running LPG.

LPG is harder to strike so it puts a lot more load on the ignition system than petrol, the very end of the longest two ignition leads is where that load will be greatest so that'll always be the most likely point of failure.

[ChimpOnGas]

For the last time this was not a heat related failure chaps, I know it looks like it is but the lead was nowhere near enough to the exhaust manifold to suffer scorching from radiant heat.

I've used Magnecores when I ran the dizzy & single canister coil on petrol and they worked perfectly even without the protection of the extenders. I've witnessed these leads survive laying directly on the manifold without even the slightest scortch mark, the silicone they're made from is indeed incredibly resistant to heat.

When I went LPG I decided to go back to extenders on the rear cylinder plugs, the other six just have the DEI Titanium socks. The reason for the failure is the Magnecore leads just aren't up to the LPG job, the end of the longest lead being the point of greatest resistance.

LPG burns very well but it is harder to strike than petrol, this puts a massive load on the whole ignition system which in this case just found the weakest link. I have a Canems engine management system running wasted spark firing the plugs using MSD coil packs, an ignition system that's more powerful than a traditional coil & distributor.

The end of the Magnecore lead was literally blown apart and the scorching you see was the consequence of the resulting shorting out of all that high tension power, not from being scorched by the manifold.

Look closely and you'll see it's split open like a tree struck by lightening. It's twin on the other bank did the same six months ago but this time it has happened to me in deepest France so a good job I carry spares.

So for now I've got good old cheapo Commercial Ignition leads on the two rear cylinders and she's purring like an 8 cylinder kitten again ;-)

I'm very disappointed with the Magnecores, they were expensive and directly marketed as the best leads you can use when you're running LPG.

Their failure has nothing to do with proximity to the manifolds, it 100% down to them not being up to the job!

Edited by ChimpOnGas on Sunday 20th July 22:37

[ChimpOnGas]

macdeb]Please explain [I genuinely want to learn] how an electric current travelling down a lead [any lead said:

would know what fuel is being used?

Oh dear, here we go.

Of course an HT lead had no idea what fuel is being used but as I said earlier LPG is harder to strike than petrol.

This puts significantly more load on the whole ignition system not just the leads, all this is very well understood & documented if you care to do a little research.

HT lead, plug & coil failures are all far more common on vehicles converted to LPG which is why extremely well respected companies such as NGK and Bosch market either LPG specific products or confirm their comparability with this fuel.

http://www.bosch.com.au/car_parts/en/html/2253.htm

http://ngkntk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/LPG...

http://www.lpgasmagazine.co.uk/ngk-fills-lp-gas-sp...

Read the NGK literature above it contains information of the different demands LPG places on the ignition system, this is not marketing hype but well understood proven factual information.

If you want to make what appears to be an sarcastic attack on what I've written then can I suggest you have a quick Google of the subject first.

More here...

http://hertsautotek.co.uk/lpg/

And here.......

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080...

And a thousand other places, but if you still don't believe me ask any qualified LPG installer and they'll tell you the same.

Even Magnecore talk about it, and even market their leads as the best you can use when burning LPG.

Shame the quality & performance doesn't match the marketing hype

[ChimpOnGas]

phazed said:

These are what I use on both cars, one with socks and one without.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Accel-Ignition-Lead-Kit-...

I'm fairly certain that it's the 8mm ones, Sardonicus will correct me if I'm wrong.

They look good Peter, did they come with Ford coil pack connectors or did you buy them separately?

I'm tempted to go MSD as I've always rated their ignition components.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MSD-8-5mm-S-C-8-Cylinder...

They have flexible ends that can be individually angled away from the exhaust manifold, each one can be adjusted so it's angled in exactly the best position.

But to be honest I'm less concerned about heat than I am about finding a lead that can cope with extra ignition loads when burning LPG.

As I've said before I've ran Magnecores when I was on the standard ignition system burning petrol and had no issue with them whatsoever, burning LPG on wasted spark is massively more demanding on leads though so it would seem they have to be really high spec & quality to last longer than 6 months.

If I go with the universal MSD set I'll also need to find the Ford EDIS (hook type) fittings for the coil packs, wasn't there a MegaSquirt guy selling them, just can't find him right now

Can someone kindly point me to the hook type EDIS coil end connectors?

Cheers, Dave.

[ChimpOnGas]

Ha Simon's simultaneous post looks a bit like mine

Simon, can you help me get this whole lead thing sorted mate?

If I supplied you with a universal MSD set, my lead lengths and the coil pack ends could you make me up a set?

I'd be very grateful for your help.

Kind regards, Dave.

[ChimpOnGas]

macdeb said:

ChimpOnGas said:

macdeb]Please explain [I genuinely want to learn] how an electric current travelling down a lead [any lead said:

would know what fuel is being used?

Oh dear, here we go.


If you want to make what appears to be an sarcastic attack on what I've written then can I suggest you have a quick Google of the subject first.

Wind yer neck in! It was intended as a genuine question about something I don't know.

Shame it came across as terribly sarcastic then, perhaps reconsider your phrasing in future?

[ChimpOnGas]

ianwayne said:

As a bystander in this, it did seem to be a genuine question, although it could be read as slightly sarcastic. Especially since (as most people should know ), it's a high voltage path, the current (i.e. amperage) consumed is very low.

I've learned something myself regarding LPG though. I'd read somewhere that the engine runs slightly hotter.

An engine may run hotter on LPG but that's only because most systems don't offer the opportunity to alter ignition advance when you switch fuels.

Get the timing right for LPG and the engine will actually run cooler, I have exhaust gas temperature probes on each bank so can see this in real time.

On petrol ERG sensors are an extremely useful tool when tuning for peak performance & economy, on LPG even more so.

The hotter running on LPG thing is yet another leftover from the days when LPG systems were very crude indeed, most of the negative stuff you still hear about LPG has been relegated to the history books by vastly more sophisticated fuel & ignition managements systems.

But the fact LPG is harder on ignition components remains, you can't beat the physics but you can fit components that can cope.

Petrol people really shouldn't worry too much if they have Magnecores, I ran these leads on petrol for a number of years with absolutely no issues whatsoever and I've witnessed them laying on the manifold with no scorching at all so they are definitely very heat resistant.

What they aren't is up to the job of LPG, which ordinarily wouldn't surprise or bother me but Magnecore make a big play of their leads being the best you can get for LPG and clearly they are not.

Right now I've got a cheap set Commercial Ignition leads on the back two cylinders and they are working fine, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they even last longer than the very expensive Magnecores did.

Only time will tell.

[ChimpOnGas]

Sardonicus said:

ence why you should not continue to use a car that as knackered leads or spark plugs or misfiring as the coil driver/ignition module gets over worked followed closely by the owner crying that they have suffered ignition failure not so good when the spark drivers are an integral part of an ECU like many modern cars & Emerald/Canems/Megasquirt/Motec etc etc before the introduction of coil on plug ignition anyway back on topic Dave if you give me 8 serviceable or a new set of Gen 2 Ford coil pack ends (I take it that's what your using) I will sort it out.

Edited by Sardonicus on Monday 21st July 09:07

Many thanks Simon, I'll get in touch when I get back to Old Blighty in a week or so.

[ChimpOnGas]

pbaker43 said:

Hi Dave,
Sorry to hear about your issues and the leads, your dead right the lead has broken down and the arc has ripped through the insulation.. I changed mine to a USA spec, Moroso (ultra 40) they have a low Ohm value around 40 per foot but I do not know if they are any good for LPG, I brought them from Real Steel in the UK about £90 a set.. Just a question, the resistance of the longer lead plus the 5 Ohms of the extender, would this have any part to play in the failure?
BR
Phil

Cheers Philip, you have a really good point there and for that reason I didn't run the extenders at first, preferring to just rely on the DEI Titanium socks that had previously provided more than enough heat protection on petrol.

Then the first Magnecore lead failed on no 8 cylinder so thinking it could be heat related I went back to the extenders, only to have the second Magnecore (no 7) failure two days ago just outside Arcachon.

The failed leads both looked exactly the same, split open by the arc which then created the scorching marks; so I conclude extenders or no extenders these leads fail on the back two cylinders when burning LPG.

I'll get a universal MSD set fro Summit Racing and some EDIS hook type coil pack connectors from Canems, Simon has very kindly offered to cut to my measurements and properly crimp the terminals so that should solve the issue once & for all.

I'm sorry to say after providing good service on petrol the Magnecores get an LPG thumbs down from me so I won't be using them again, but petrol people shouldn't necessarily be put off.

[ChimpOnGas]

Ok, just ordered these from Summit Racing for £86.00 including postage & tax using their excellent I-Parcel service which I've used in the past and worked well with very fast delivery.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/msd-31189

Not cheap for a set of leads so they better be good.

Just need the EDIS coil pack connectors now, £46 for 8 including delivery seems a bit strong though.

http://trigger-wheels.com/store/contents/en-uk/d6....

Does anyone know where I can buy EDIS hook type coil pack connectors at reasonable cost, or is this the going rate?

[ChimpOnGas]

Pupp said:

Isn't this just the leads' way of protesting at being made to mount those oddball sparkplugs?


Joking aside, might be better to just give some balanced feedback to the manufacturer rather than slagging the product in public?

Yep, emailed the manufacturer and still waiting for their response.

I'd like to see this as honest feedback rather than slagging off, the truth is honest feedback is not always positive.

If you promote a product with claims its aimed at a specific market, charge strong money for it, then it fails.

Well you've got to man up when things go wrong.

Hows the home brew Turbo coming on, nice project but isn't it about time you finished it?

[ChimpOnGas]

Pupp said:

The turbo is coming along (check the garage thread in a bit), but I'm balancing it with two jobs and caring responsibilities, oh and with having a life, if all ok with you

No, hurry up.. I want to see it done

I'll check the garage thread as suggested.

BTW, it was the proprietor himself that custom made my leads by his very own fair hands.

They failed, no answer from my email, I feel let down, end of!

Now hop back under that bonnet and get turboing Gary

[ChimpOnGas]

pjac67 said:

This is news to me Dave - my (red) magnecors seem to be holding up....should I change them?
Thanks Paul.

well as you're another gas sniffer like me Paul & based on my experience I'd definitely keep an eye on your Magnecores.

I'd carry spare leads too if I were you.

I carry spare 7 & 8 leads (the longest ones as my coil packs are where the dizzy was) and doing so got me out of a bind here in France, I suggest you do the same as they really take up no space at all.

Best regards, Dave.