Ferrari Spark Plug Wires - Making Your Own

This article will describe the steps needed for you to make your own spark plug wires for a Ferrari Testarossa. This will not only save you hundreds of dollars, but you will also get great satisfaction that you did the job yourself. So let's get started.

The tools you will need are plug wire cutters, needle-nose pliers, the special crimping tool, and silicon spray. You will need to buy spark plug wire in bulk from one of your local auto stores. Get about 50 feet of copper spiral core wire. You will also need to get some 45 degree angle terminal ends.

Now remove the old plug wires, and distributor caps from your Testarossa. Be careful when removing the wires from the looms along the cam covers, these are made of plastic and get brittle over time. They are difficult to remove and replace without removing the cam covers from the engine.

Clean up everything using a degreaser like Simple Green or similar. Now lay out the wires and caps on a large table or even the floor. Remove the wires from the distributor caps by loosening the peircing-screws inside the cap with a flat blade screwdriver. Be careful not to strip out the screw head. Now your ready to begin making your new wires. Pick whatever old wire you want to start with, take the needle-nose pliers and pull the spark plug terminal out of the rubber boot. Once you have pulled it complete out, remove it by uncrimping it from the wire or simply cut if off with wire cutters. Now spray some silicone lubricant onto the old plug wire that is sticking out of the rubber boot, and carefully pull the wire backwards (in the opposite direction you pulled it previously) out of the rubber boot.

Once the wire is out of the boot, you can slide off the red rubber outer sheathing. You will re-use the rubber boot and sheathing on your new wires. Once you have the old wire completely out, use it as a guide to cut a piece of new wire to the proper length. If you cut off the old spark plug terminal, be sure to add that length to the overall length of you new wire. It is better to have your wire longer rather than shorter, you can always trim it down later on. Once you have cut your new piece of wire, spray one end with silicone lubricant and push it through the rubber boot. Push it through far enough so you can crimp on a new spark plug terminal. Once the terminal is on, pull the wire back into the boot just enough so the terminal is in proper position inside the boot. Now spray silicone lubricant into the red rubber sheathing and slide it over the new wire and up onto the rubber boot. It will take a bit of prodding and pushing to get the red rubber sheathing over the boot end, but be patient and you'll get it. Once you have that done - you've made your first new wire!

The rest of the wires are simply a repeat of this procedure. Take your time and do a good, clean job, you do not want to rush this sort of work. Once you have made all new wires, install them into the distributor caps, and test continuity with an Ohm meter. You should have anywhere from 500 Ohms for the short wires up to maybe 2000 Ohms for the longer wires. It's not unusual to have an intermittent connection at the distributor cap, you may have to loosen and tighten the peircing screw several times to get a good connection. Once everything checks out you can be proud that you have just made new spark plug wires for you Testarossa for about $150 and an afternoon of your time. Way to Go!