I have ACCEL Plug wires 8.8, and +4 Bosch PLugs...Why would they start misfiring now all of a sudden?

When I was setting the timing...I mistakenly started my car with two plug wires disconnected from the distributor. The spark was jumping from the coil to the metal coil retainer. After the skipping started (doesn't skip when WOT) I checked my wires at the distributor. One wasn't quite all the way snapped on. But it did not remedy the problem. ANy suggestions??

Should I just chunk those wires and plugs and start over? I hated changing them the first time (though I never cussed because I loe to work on my car)...

------------------
Gunmetal 89GTA T-Tops L98
700R4 with 3.27 gears, street tires
Best 60 ft: 1.996
Best 1/8th mile: 9.02 @ 76.5mph with 60' time of 2.14
With these mods: air filter, hypertech chip, 3" exhaust (no cat.)

 

not sure i fully understand what you've done or are trying to say, but why not change the timing back to where it was? did you set base timing wih the est unplugged?

------------------
ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd

 

I did set the timing with the EST unplugged, however when I later checked it, it was set all the back to 4 ATDC. That is when I discovered the loose wire on the distributor (not fully clamped down). I set the timing correctly to 10 BTDC. IOt now checks out okay. Yesterday on way home from work car only skipped occasionally, same this morning...so it's doing better. However, it still skips sometimes. What I was asking before was if cranking and running car on only 6 cylinders would cause something to happen with a plug to make it begin misfiring? or if timing would play into misfiring?

BTW car feels less torquey than previous, but does run smoother a WOT...does that make sense?

 

Pull the plugs, and see what they look like. Plugs can tell a big story. Back the timing off some. Some cars don't like to idle with alot of initial timing. Every car is different, so don't think that because somebody used 10 degrees initial with good results it will be your cars best setting. You changed you timing by 14 degrees--thats a huge jump and you are bound to notice a difference in how it drives. You will probably need to run really good gas with that much timing as well. A set of new plain jane AC delco plugs will work just as good as those +4's. They shouldn't foul that quick with the wires disconnected. A hotter or OEM coil will work well with the partial tune-up you are doing. A misfire could be fuel related as well.
Good luck.



------------------
82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro