United Ignition Wire Now Available at RockAuto

RockAuto has recently added United Ignition Wire parts to the catalog. RockAuto now carries United Ignition Wire's Tune-Up Kits, Spark Plug Wire Sets, Ignition Control Modules, Ignition Coils, Distributor Rotors, Distributor Cap & Rotor Kits, Distributor Caps, Distributors, Coil Boots, and Battery Cables.

There are five key components that set United Ignition Wire apart.

1. United-Packard Silicone Jacket
   • Provides the highest under-hood protection against chemicals, oil, abrasion and the extreme heat conditions of today’s engines.
   • Used on all applications even when it is not specified by OEM.
2. Fiberglass Braid
   • A tightly woven fiberglass net braid is bonded between the inner E.P.D.M core and the outer silicone jacket to greatly increase cable strength and to virtually eliminate terminal pull-off.
3. E.P.D.M. Insulation
   • A double thick layer of Ethylene-Propylene Diene Monomer is extruded over the SSC silicone core to maintain the core’s high dielectric properties needed to keep today’s high-tech engines running smoother and longer.
4. Silicone Outer Core
   • The highly conductive Aramid (extremely strong and heat-resistant synthetic fiber) core is overlaid with an extra thick conductive silicone compound to protect the core from excessive heat and to increase the core’s contact area to the terminal by more than one third.
   • The flexible silicone core retains all OEM. specifications for dielectric resistance even after 2,000 hours of continuous 500 degree heat.
   • Practically eliminates core burn out associated with other non-flexible cores.
5. Aramid Inner Core
   • Strands of Aramid are impregnated and coated with a special highly conductive carbon latex, then woven together to form a “Stronger-than-Steel” core capable of carrying twice the voltage needed to efficiently fire today’s high revving engines.
   • Virtually eliminates inner core breakage due to excessive pulling and bending.

The Tune-Up Kits by United Ignition Wire have the parts for a quick, effective ignition upgrade. They include the United SSC Packard Silicone Wire, Distributor Cap, and Rotor. Another United exclusive is their line of all aluminum Distributors for GM applications. These better than OEM Distributors come with premium Caps with brass terminals and Rotors.

If you are planning on doing a tune-up be sure to check out all the United Ignition Wire parts under Ignition in the RockAuto catalog!

Forum of the Month

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If you are the administrator or member of a forum and you would like to see your website featured in an upcoming newsletter and receive a discount code to share with your members, contact jessa@rockauto.com.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

The thermostat in my car had been opening too early for awhile and I figured it would be an easy fix one Saturday morning. No big deal, three bolts, easy access. I got it back together and headed to town for coffee with a job well done.

Well I didn't get very far before the car started to overheat, so I pulled off the road. I thought maybe I'd just gotten some air in the system because I did lose maybe a quart of coolant in the process. So I waited while things cooled off and added a little coolant and left the cap loose so air could escape. I didn't get far before it heated up again, and again, and again...

I finally had to give up and take the car to a real mechanic who pulled the thermostat, turned it around, and put it in the correct way. Fortunately, he didn't charge me much for the repair, but he did write in big letters on the slip EXACTLY what he'd done to fix it.

Curt in Massachusetts

Tell us about your most infamous auto repair blunder or unconventional fix. Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes or share off-the-wall solutions that worked (at least for awhile!). Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and shirt size (large or extra large) and we will mail you a RockAuto "Do it yourself?" t-shirt if we publish your story (see the t-shirts under Extras in the catalog). The story will be credited using only your first name and your vague geographic location (state, province, country, continent, etc.) so you can remain semi-anonymous!

I Finally Smelled a Clue

A couple of weeks ago, my wife phoned from her office to report her ’93 Ford Tempo would not start. My wife works with good people. Rather than criticizing her 17 year old car or mocking the maintenance skills of her car-guy husband, they trooped down to the parking garage and tried unsuccessfully to jump-start the Ford with three different cars and a couple of sets of jumper cables.

When I showed up, turning the ignition key did not even get the starter solenoid to click. The interior lights glowed faintly. It seemed like the battery must be dead or there was a massive short circuit somewhere. However, the voltmeter showed the battery was more than fully charged at 14 volts.

I disconnected the battery terminals and cleaned the posts on the battery and the big holes in the terminal connectors. That did not help. The ohmmeter showed the engine was properly grounded to the negative battery terminal.

After lots of head scratching I finally smelled a clue. With the headlights on and dimly glowing, a sulfur odor wafted from under the hood. The positive battery terminal was too hot to touch.

The previous owner had the original battery cable terminals replaced with clamp on terminals. Corrosion had built up on the copper cable where it was clamped inside the terminal. I unclamped the cable and cleaned the copper wire and the terminal. I reattached the terminal to the cable and then put the terminal on the battery post. The car started up fine.

When I got home I took apart the terminal on the negative cable and cleaned all the white powdery corrosion off of it too. That white powder is a sulfate compound. It is the result of electrolysis when the aluminum and lead parts of the terminal react with each other or react with sulfuric acid leaking out of the battery. The Ford’s battery had a slow acid leak around both battery posts.

The headlights were attempting to draw a lot of current through a poorly conducting cable coated in white powder. That must have caused the sulfate powder to heat up and release the sulfur gas into the air.

What amazed me is that the Tempo did not show any prior symptoms. All the jostling of the terminals when I cleaned the battery posts did not intermittently restore an electrical connection. This chemistry experiment was quietly brewing for a long time, but once that white powder inside the positive terminal reached critical mass, it cut off the battery almost like a switch.

I am going to add a set of new battery terminals to my emergency toolbox. I was lucky that the positive terminal did not fall to pieces when I disassembled it. Find new vehicle specific battery cables with OEM style terminals already attached under Electrical at RockAuto.com. Under Extras, find a battery post and terminal cleaner tool and new clamp on replacement battery terminals.

This is my 1969 Cutlass that has undergone a total frame off restoration!

This is not your father’s Oldsmobile! Under the hood is a 1970 Oldsmobile Tornado 455 W34 Engine that has been completely rebuilt, a T400 transmision, and a Chevrolet 10 bolt Positraction rear end. Everything has been replaced or completely refurbished. The car drives and smells like new! I was able to get all the ACDelco parts (Ball Joints, Bushings, Springs, Shocks, etc.) that I needed for the front end of my Olds at RockAuto! You have the best prices and fast delivery! RockAuto is the first place I look for parts for all my cars!

Thanks!
Craig in North Carolina

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