How do I change the spark plug wires on a 78 gs550? I cant see how these come off the coils. Do I need to buy new coils?
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They are glued in at the factory. It is possible to break through the glue and dig out the old wires, but be aware that there is a screw in the middle that holds the wire to the terminal.
By the time you get done digging and cleaning out the old wires, you may wish that you had gotten new coils.
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Thanks... I'm an hour deep into digging them out and soldering new ngk ones on. Nightmare. Don't suppose you have link to some good coils by chance??Comment
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Soldering?
Try taking a metal pick or a fat pin and sliding it between the wall of the coil and the wire. Once you get the pin in squirt some mineral spirits or WD-40 alongside the pin. If possible work the pin sideways or pull it out and stick in in a couple of other places and do it again. The wire should pull out much easier once you get some lube down into the cavity. That's the way golf grips are pulled off the shaft without damage and it should work for those wires.Ed
To measure is to know.
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Yeah, good luck. These things can be a real bear. You really need to know if the wires are bad 1st then decide if you need to replace or just get new coils. It's a real time consuming task. Good luck.Larry
'79 GS 1000E
'93 Honda ST 1100 SOLD-- now residing in Arizona.
'18 Triumph Tiger 800 (gone too soon)
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We view the need for plug wires as an opportunity to install Dyna coils....sigpic
09 Kaw C14 Rocket powered Barcalounger
1983 GS1100e
82\83 1100e Frankenbike
1980 GS1260
Previous 65 Suzuki 80 Scrambler, 76 KZ900, 02 GSF1200S, 81 GS1100e, 80 GS850GComment
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Don't need a hotter spark. Just a reliable one. And the stock coils are high quality and rarely fail. Many times people change the coils needlessly hoping for some improvement that isn't realized.
Oh, and 7mm copper core wire is about $1/foot. And NGK plug caps $4/each.Last edited by Nessism; 07-08-2018, 11:48 AM.Ed
To measure is to know.
Mikuni O-ring Kits For Sale...https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...ts#post1703182
Top Newbie Mistakes thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=171846
Carb rebuild tutorial...https://gsarchive.bwringer.com/mtsac...d_Tutorial.pdf
KZ750E Rebuild Thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...0-ResurrectionComment
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but...but... Accel wires are 8.8mm and yellow! That's 1.8mm more power, and everybody knows that yellow is faster than black.Comment
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