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spark plug wires and coil replacement question

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I am going to replace the plug wires on the 06 Outback, they have close to 50K on them, and I need a suggestion of what brand to buy.  I see NGK and Denso both make sets for the car.  At the same time I am going to replace the coil pack, that has 140K on it, does any one have a suggestion on a replacement for that?

Thanks all,   Mark

My suggestion is: don't replace either one. The plug wires are not a failure point unless run with bad plugs (excessive gap) or soaked in oil from plug well seals leaking. The coils almost never fail unless treated similarly or allowed to corrode from lack of dielectric grease. 

NGK for wires, OEM Subaru for coil pack. If you must. Don't fix it till it's broken - change the plugs, clean and lube the coil terminals. Done. 

GD

 

What GD said.

Unless the coil is actually having a problem, there is zero reason to change it.

if the plug wires are OEM, there is really no reason to replace them either, unless there is a verifiable problem.

I have run several cars on the stock coil & wires for well over 200,000 miles. My current Forester (2002) has over 254,000 on the stock coil pak & wires.. no problems at all at this point. If and when i do need to change them, it will be NGK wires. NGK plugs, too.. and OE coil pak if that ever needs changing (doubtful, but it does occasionally happen)

  • Author

Thanks Guys,  I do not believe the wires are OEM or NGK.  I am getting a code for #3 & #4 misfire every so often so the first thing we did is put a new set of NGK plugs in and the ones that were in were gapped way to wide.   It always sets the code when the wife really jumps on the throttle hard at a stop sign or pushes the car real hard in a passing situation. Once the code is set I can't even notice that there is a fault, the car runs smooth and no misfires.  She has set the code 3 times now and each time we read it and clear it it is always the same code. 

She's got the need for speed.  

Years ago, I put a nut on my brothers Moto Guzzi throttle cable so he only had limited throttle.  After he missed a shift and bent valves.

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author

Just an update for everyone,  I replaced the plug wires and coil with NGK units, cleared the code and no check engine lite in over 200 miles of hard driving.  The plug wires on the car were NAPA and the coil was a junk yard unit.  Very easy job to do.

Mark

I usually check ebay for both quality new and OE used; Rock Auto of course has good stuff too.  I asked a manager at a local Advance Auto whether he matched the prices of online new material and he said yes, which is hard to believe.  

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