Which plugs and which wires for '98 4.0?

M

MichiganXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
SE Michigan
I will be picking up a '98 ZJ this week and will probably due a basic tuneup just to have a baseline on everything.

What's a good brand of spark plug wires? Rockauto has the following:
-United Ignition Wire
-Prestolite
-Auto Extra
-Bosch
-Airtex
-Powermax
-Standard Motor Products
-AC Delco
-Champion

None of them are especially expensive, so I would prefer to get the best ones.

Also, what plugs are you guys running in your '99 and older 4.0s? Good ol' Autolite 3924s? Champion coppers? Something else?

Thanks.:)
 
Champion copper plus plugs, and an NGK wire set. The PO put NGK plugs in it, and when I took them out, they were caked in junk and some had burned electrodes. For some reason, the 4.0 loves Champion plugs, but can get grumpy with most other plugs.

The NGK wire set is an application specific part number, fits nicely, is cheap, and I like the quality. Unless you're running a modified engine (internals that is, like a stroker, or have a hotter cam in it) there's really no need for super high-zoot parts. A quality cap & rotor, plug wires, and Champion plugs should be just fine on a stock, or lightly modified engine.

Mind you, I'm no expert. I've owned several Cherokees, and worked on others; while I've only gone with performance wires cap & rotor once, I've gone OEM spec on the others, and really didn't see a difference.

HTH!

:)
 
A NAPA setup is about $45, brass dist cap too, no aluminum. M030 on the cap box, ECHLIN, 7 07390 41565 9, for wires Belden Max, part 700444, don't have the rotor part number handy. Champion plugs, copper cores the same as on the label under your hood.
 
Brass contacts in the cap and on the rotor, plain old Champion plugs or NGK V-Fire, and buy cheap-ass plug wires and change them every year.
 
I bought a brass cap and rotor from the company 'standard' no problems, i have about 40K on it. As for plugs i've always had great luck w/ the regular el cheapo NGK copper plugs. And for the plug wires, i go with the autozones duralast. The reason being, that you can get a new set of spark plug wires at any autozone around the country, for free, for life. For example i pulled off the crimped on connector on one of the plugs...so i pulled off all the wires, brought them back, and walked about with a brand new set. It doesn't hurt that the set is about $23 as well. Works great.
 
Heavy, high-performance wire sets and powerful ignition components designed for racing applications are great for just that--racing applications. High compression, high revving engines Jeep 4.0s are NOT. IMHO.
 
Magnecor wires are not just for racing applications. High quality, USA made and probably the best you'll find.... but they make them for your mower too. :)
 
Accell Super-tune kit.. 8mm wires, brass contact cap/rotor, plugs, etc.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/55126_903.htm
The wires alone cost that price.
It can be had at other sites too, but that was the link I had.
You can run different plugs if you want also.
 
joe_peters said:
Heavy, high-performance wire sets and powerful ignition components designed for racing applications are great for just that--racing applications. High compression, high revving engines Jeep 4.0s are NOT. IMHO.
Click to expand...
yep.

Banditt007 said:
I bought a brass cap and rotor from the company 'standard' no problems, i have about 40K on it. As for plugs i've always had great luck w/ the regular el cheapo NGK copper plugs. And for the plug wires, i go with the autozones duralast. The reason being, that you can get a new set of spark plug wires at any autozone around the country, for free, for life. For example i pulled off the crimped on connector on one of the plugs...so i pulled off all the wires, brought them back, and walked about with a brand new set. It doesn't hurt that the set is about $23 as well. Works great.
Click to expand...

agreed. and the same warranty is available for NAPA wire sets, which are made in the USA by Federal-Mogul. any NAPA, anywhere.

I use champion plugs, only because i've failed smog every time i've had to do it here in CA with any other brand of plug to date (autolite, NGK, AC delco, those fancy e3 pieces of shit, etc), and passed ever time with no changes other than putting champion plugs back in it.
 
Johnnie Walker said:
Accell Super-tune kit.. 8mm wires, brass contact cap/rotor, plugs, etc.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/55126_903.htm
The wires alone cost that price.
It can be had at other sites too, but that was the link I had.
You can run different plugs if you want also.
Click to expand...

Thats a pretty decent price for the whole thing. Shipping though takes it over the top. If I was going to bmja meeting I'd just have one of the guys bring up to the meeting. I don't even want to say what I paid jeepsareus for caps, rotors, wires for all 4 jeeps, every year, before I found out about the napa prices.
 
joe_peters said:
Heavy, high-performance wire sets and powerful ignition components designed for racing applications are great for just that--racing applications. High compression, high revving engines Jeep 4.0s are NOT. IMHO.
Click to expand...

I got the metal conductor version 8 years ago. They're still going with no issues. At the time I installed them, seat of pants dyno said throttle response was crisper. I also liked that I could call them directly and order the correct PN for my 99.
 
joe_peters said:
Heavy, high-performance wire sets and powerful ignition components designed for racing applications are great for just that--racing applications. High compression, high revving engines Jeep 4.0s are NOT. IMHO.
Click to expand...

While I agree that the 4.0L doesn't NEED heavy duty, HiPo wires, I don't see any drawback to running a "better than stock" wire set. As I see it (and I may be wrong) the less resistance you have between the cap and the plug, the easier the available electricity can reach the plug and the better the chance you will get a quality spark every time. I tend to put the best (lowest resistance and thickest insulation) wire I can and change cap. rotor, and plugs every two years-- annually on the D.D.
 
Shorty said:
While I agree that the 4.0L doesn't NEED heavy duty, HiPo wires, I don't see any drawback to running a "better than stock" wire set. As I see it (and I may be wrong) the less resistance you have between the cap and the plug, the easier the available electricity can reach the plug and the better the chance you will get a quality spark every time. I tend to put the best (lowest resistance and thickest insulation) wire I can and change cap. rotor, and plugs every two years-- annually on the D.D.
Click to expand...

Buying quality, better than OEM parts can't be wrong. I just hate seeing people blow way too much money on high-performance racing components. See it almost weekly on customers' vehicles, its kind of sad.
 
GrimmJeeper said:
yep.



agreed. and the same warranty is available for NAPA wire sets, which are made in the USA by Federal-Mogul. any NAPA, anywhere.

I use champion plugs, only because i've failed smog every time i've had to do it here in CA with any other brand of plug to date (autolite, NGK, AC delco, those fancy e3 pieces of shit, etc), and passed ever time with no changes other than putting champion plugs back in it.
Click to expand...

Once in a while I'll see a not-made in usa set of wires from NAPA, ditto with the off-the-shelf brake pads from Advance. Once in a while USA (golds) but most of the off the shelf junk is Mexico or China. I get wagner brakes (no dust, made in usa, quiet), but thats off topic.:anon:

Standard is pretty good... at least they used to be. Are they still made here in the USA?:patriot: Keep an eye out on Champions, some of their plugs are from outside the USA (cheap labor).:tears:
 
ChevelleSSLS6 said:
Once in a while I'll see a not-made in usa set of wires from NAPA, ditto with the off-the-shelf brake pads from Advance. Once in a while USA (golds) but most of the off the shelf junk is Mexico or China. I get wagner brakes (no dust, made in usa, quiet), but thats off topic.:anon:

Standard is pretty good... at least they used to be. Are they still made here in the USA?:patriot: Keep an eye out on Champions, some of their plugs are from outside the USA (cheap labor).:tears:
Click to expand...

My nephew has a new honda car, he did the research, it has more US made parts than a Ford Mustang and is built here which the Mustang is not.
 
I've been running the Accel kit for a few years now. It's not bad, and I think I paid $70 or thereabouts shipped from Summit, but the rotor and cap look as bad at 50K as the stock cap did at 100K.

Echlin rotor is MO31, I think. Doing a little tuneup on mine, and turned this thread up searching for part numbers. NAPA prices vary, but if they match the website prices, the NAPA tuneup with Belden/Echlin/Federal Mogul/Champion parts is under $60 with 7% tax, and no waiting for UPS. My Champ plugs say they're still hecho en EUA, btw.
 
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